Illegal Immigration and Opportunity Inequality in The U.s.

An ongoing social issue that continues to be argued in our nation seems to be the never ending debate of illegal immigration. The crossing of people from other countries into the United States without the right paperwork has been at an all time high. Illegal immigration has lead to multiple debates of how America was built on the backbone of illegal immigrants and how they still hold our country together by doing jobs most people don’t want to do and getting paid less than minimum wage. Even though they might be considered a backbone, it has created a pool of inequality for opportunities.

I feel strongly about this social issue because it causes a lot of unfairness. There are so many people who take their time and money to become actual citizens of the United States. These people have to go through hours of studying and then take a long test just to have the right to live here. On the other hand, there are people who are secretly and unlawfully making their way into the States and authorities don’t always enforce it. It seems unfair that the government sometimes gives opportunities to those who didn’t work lawfully to get into the United States.

Even though immigration has been a long time problem, it has recently been stirred up by President Barack Obama and his plan to put out a bill that allows the deferment of deportation on parents who have children who have been in the United States for at least five years. The bill would prioritize felons and threats to the national security rather than people who have families. Illegal immigration is argued to be viewed as a good thing due to low skilled workers that come in and fill gaps inside the American labor market.

The problem with filling in gaps, is that it can still create a competitive job market. instead of one person for the job, there will now be three times as much wanting that job as before. This can ultimately cause a problem in the economy. There is also the question of opportunity being taken away from people who have spent time and money to live within the U.S. Why should Obama look the other way when it comes to illegal immigrants rather than enforcing the law? For example, another bill was to help illegal immigrants to obtain driver licenses. If they’re illegal, why should they be given the right to a drivers license?

If I had to make a solution for illegal immigration, and even though I do not agree with how there is some unfairness within the system, I would still give some opportunities out, because at the end of the day, we don’t know a family’s backstory. A lot of illegal immigrants come into America to give their children a better life, whether it is here or back in their homeland. The government should definitely target felons and focus less on families.

Arguably, illegal immigration is always going to be a problem. There are so many issues within this issue that haven’t been addressed or have yet to be addressed. I feel as if illegal immigration needs to be more focused on and less of a loose policy. It would definitely help with the unfairness issue. At the same time, I can’t judge because I’m sure every family has their own reasons and stories to come here.