Illegal Immigrant Issues in The United States, Speech Example

Illegal immigration in the United States is a relevant topic and represents a challenge to the principles upon which the U.S. was founded. Therefore, it is important to address some of the key issues that are relevant for this group and how current legal standards play a role in draining many resources and taxpayer dollars in order to pay for illegal immigrants’ in the form of health care, housing, food, and other resources. These issues must be considered because they have a significant impact on the stability and strength of the United States as a nation which abides by its own laws and reflects the importance of protecting the integrity of lawful citizens.

Body

Many immigrants enter the United States for an opportunity to have a better life as a result of violence, oppression, and other negative circumstances. Controversy surrounding illegal immigration has led to discussions regarding immigration reform in legal circles; however, little progress has been made to ensure that illegal immigration is reduced and legal immigrants are provided with the resources that are necessary to sustain a high quality of life in the United States (Renshon). At the same time, illegal immigrants have a significant impact on the U.S. economy as a whole and limit wage growth for many sectors of the population (Davidson). This places a strain on the population in some geographic areas in the U.S. where many illegal immigrants are located, such as the Southern borders (Davidson). These circumstances are challenging because these individuals are not always willing to play by the rules and may not be granted proper authority to remain in the U.S. At the same time, legislation has not been determined that would allow these individuals to obtain legal status as residents of the U.S. (Preston). This set of circumstances is limiting and does not appear to be on the right track in terms of legislation and other challenges. Immigration reform appears to be so close yet so far away, as the United States Congress is unable to reach a consensus regarding the appropriate path to citizenship (National Immigration Forum, 2013).

In spite of the negative reputations surrounding many illegal immigrants, not all immigrants are looking to drain U.S. resources. In many cases, these immigrants have legitimate reasons for relocation and want to improve their lives and pursue the American dream. This group faces difficult challenges because they are not granted the opportunity to obtain the appropriate status and citizenship in the future. Therefore, it is important to evaluate these differences and to make sense of the challenges that illegal immigrants must contend with in their daily lives living in a country where they are not welcome. For those with serious and legitimate reasons for living in the U.S. who also want to play by the rules, it is difficult to get past stereotypes and other negative circumstances that lead to poor outcomes for many illegal immigrants. These issues are relevant and demonstrate the importance of new perspectives and legislation to protect immigrants who abide by the law and want to become legitimate citizens of the United States.

Conclusion

From personal experience, coming to the United States has been a very difficult and harrowing experience, but I believe that the end result is worth the struggle. Therefore, illegal immigration must be considered more closely and must demonstrate the importance of preserving the integrity of citizenship only for those who demonstrate their willingness to abide by the laws of the land. Some experts argue that the path to citizenship should in part be determined by immigrants themselves, those who will receive the end result of any decisions that are made (Nowrasteh). Regardless of the decisions that are made, it is important to recognize the critical nature of citizenship and the path to immigration reform that is most appropriate for the largest number of people.

Works Cited

Davidson, Adam. “Q&A: Illegal immigrants and the U.S. economy.” NPR, 21 November 2013: http://cis.org/renshon/basic-fault-why-senate-bill-cannot-be-redeemed-part-4

National Immigration Forum (2013). “On immigration reform, Congress is divided; the public is not.” 3 December 2013: http://www.immigrationforum.org/images/uploads/2013/PollingSummary2013.pdf

Nowrasteh, Alex. “Path to citizenship vs. legalization: let the immigrants choose.” 3 December 2013: http://www.cato.org/blog/path-citizenship-vs-legalization-let-immigrants-choose

Preston, Julia. “Illegal immigrants are divided over importance of citizenship.” The New York Times, 21 November 2013: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/21/us/illegal-immigrants-divided-over-the-importance-of-citizenship.html?_r=0

Renshon, Stanley. “The basic fault: why the Senate bill can’t be redeemed, part 4.” Center for Immigration Studies, 21 November 2013: http://cis.org/renshon/basic-fault-why-senate-bill-cannot-be-redeemed-part-4