Blog Stage 5

  IMMIGRATION    

          In recent days, there were some specific social issues around the nation, which people could not stop hearing in the news. After these series of social issues, such as gun control and gay marriage has put to an end. The issue of immigration pops up. Should or not provide the citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants. Generally I think, its impossible to filter the illegal immigrants and ask them to pack up and leave the nation, so providing the citizenship is better idea.  

          Some people think providing a path for the illegal immigrants might affect the political structure of the country and the other think that it would not matter politically, but it would benefit the country economically. In an article of New York Times, named New Attitude on Immigration Skips an Old Coal Town, published by Trip Gabriel says that "Illegal is illegal. Chase them all out. They don’t belong here". In the same article, Mayor Joseph Yannuzzi said that "They are attracted by jobs at warehouses and at a meatpacking plant, by good schools and cheap housing". Another article named The Immigration Spring by The Editorial Board says that "Any bill should give the 11 million unauthorized immigrants a shot at citizenship within a reasonable time — a decade or less". I completely agree with this statement, because it may help people to know the pros and cons within that period of time and may reflect to a much more effective decision later.  

          Another article named The forces who would undermine immigration reform posted by Jennifer Rubin on Washington Post states that "Some are purely pandering to what they perceive as the wants of the right-wing base, although there is plenty of evidence that they’ve misjudged voters. Some immigration advocates are defeatists on the political front and think in 12 or 14 years, once the pathway leads to citizenship, all these immigrants will vote Democratic". In my opinion, I think what Jennifer Rubin says above is not relatively true because not all immigrants who got citizenship might vote Democratic. In reality, as we know the fact that business people leans towards Republican. There are possibilities for some immigrants who got citizenship will support Republican for the sake of business. 

An article called The Economic Effects of Granting Legal Status and Citizenship to Undocumented Immigrants published by Robert Lynch and Patrick Oakford states that, "legal status and citizenship enable undocumented immigrants to produce and earn significantly more than they do when they are on the economic sidelines. The resulting productivity and wage gains ripple through the economy because immigrants are not just workers—they are also consumers and taxpayers". 

          Therefore, I think that providing the path of citizenship for illegal immigrants is a better idea and benefits the country economically.