2008 Woodie Awards
Illegal immigrant population on the rise
Alli Downs
Issue date: 10/19/06 Section: opinion
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On Tuesday, October 10, 2006, at exactly 7:46 a.m., the United States population was estimated to hit 300 million, calculated by the Census Bureau. This would not be a problem if seven million of these citizens were not illegal. There is no problem with immigrants coming to the United States for a better life, but they should do it legally. The United States cannot pay for all of these people and their needs. We have a hard enough time taking care of our own young and elderly, why take on more?
To some illegal immigrants, there is no other way of coming to the United States. I hate to sound mean and blunt about it, but "I'm sorry. There is nothing we can do about that." If we have a reason for not wanting you to come to our country, you need to accept it. We are all born into ascribed statuses and being born in another country, under different laws and lifestyles is one of them we must learn to accept. I did not choose to be raised in the United States, but now that I'm over eighteen I can leave anytime. I would hope that if I wanted to move to another country they would welcome me, but if they refused I would have to respect that decision.
I realize that I may sound ignorant, naive, and young, but that was the way we were all raised. Our parents did their best to shelter us from the cruelty of the world around us. Almost all of us were born during the Cold War, and I know I couldn't tell you anything about when it started or ended. Our generation has no idea what it is like to be a child in another country. We only see those children on commercials where B-rate stars are asking us to send them money. But there are many other problems out there, not just the ones we see advertised. I completely understand that and I am all for helping those people improve their own country versus coming to ours illegally.
In no way, am I naturally racist to the Mexican population of the world, but with them making up 70 percent of the illegal immigrants total, it makes me start to feel some resentment towards the population. We have all worked hard in the United States and most of us have earned everything legally. Why are we tolerating illegal immigrants? There is no reason for us to let them come here, not pay their taxes and live off what we have made ourselves. I'm not going to say that the United States is rightfully ours, because most of us know it is not, but Americans have made it what it is today. I want to help people as much as I can and I don't want to keep all of the immigrants out. I just want the playing field to be leveled for everyone in this country. And by coming into it illegally we are not doing that for ourselves or anyone else. If becoming a citizen was as easy as jumping a barbed-wire fence, I would be in England by now, but it's not and will never be. If you want to be a part of something great, you must contribute something great.
To some illegal immigrants, there is no other way of coming to the United States. I hate to sound mean and blunt about it, but "I'm sorry. There is nothing we can do about that." If we have a reason for not wanting you to come to our country, you need to accept it. We are all born into ascribed statuses and being born in another country, under different laws and lifestyles is one of them we must learn to accept. I did not choose to be raised in the United States, but now that I'm over eighteen I can leave anytime. I would hope that if I wanted to move to another country they would welcome me, but if they refused I would have to respect that decision.
I realize that I may sound ignorant, naive, and young, but that was the way we were all raised. Our parents did their best to shelter us from the cruelty of the world around us. Almost all of us were born during the Cold War, and I know I couldn't tell you anything about when it started or ended. Our generation has no idea what it is like to be a child in another country. We only see those children on commercials where B-rate stars are asking us to send them money. But there are many other problems out there, not just the ones we see advertised. I completely understand that and I am all for helping those people improve their own country versus coming to ours illegally.
In no way, am I naturally racist to the Mexican population of the world, but with them making up 70 percent of the illegal immigrants total, it makes me start to feel some resentment towards the population. We have all worked hard in the United States and most of us have earned everything legally. Why are we tolerating illegal immigrants? There is no reason for us to let them come here, not pay their taxes and live off what we have made ourselves. I'm not going to say that the United States is rightfully ours, because most of us know it is not, but Americans have made it what it is today. I want to help people as much as I can and I don't want to keep all of the immigrants out. I just want the playing field to be leveled for everyone in this country. And by coming into it illegally we are not doing that for ourselves or anyone else. If becoming a citizen was as easy as jumping a barbed-wire fence, I would be in England by now, but it's not and will never be. If you want to be a part of something great, you must contribute something great.