A CHANGE IN PERSPECTIVE

What is Immigration?

Immigration is the act of coming to live permanently in a foreign country, which brings population growth & culture change. This influx of cultures makes America

an ideal melting pot.

What about Illegal Immigration?

Illegal immigration is when a person comes to a country without documents. These documents include social security numbers, green cards, or in the case of a guest worker contract, employment cards. Illegal immigration has caused much debate in our national government.

Push Factors

To understand why illegal immigrants come to the U.S. we need to understand where these people are coming from. These people are usually coming from poverty and crime filled lives. These immigrants frequently have little or no formal education.

Pull Factors

The pull factors enticing immigrants to come over are numerous and quite easily attainable. In America, it’s very easy to “blend in” and get low paying jobs, housing, education and health care. Basically, they are experiencing a much better life in America.

So, the Problem?By coming here illegally they are not only breaking the law, but “cutting” in front of other future immigrants who are waiting to get into the United States, as if they have some sort of “fast pass.” And as for the immigrants they cut in front of, some of them have waited for years to get in to the States.

America’sILLEGAL

This flood of illegals also causes more jobs to be taken, which mainly affects natural born, male White or African American high school dropout. The illegals are payed lower wages, but the jobs they take are jobs like dishwashing, construction, and agriculture. The rate of illegal immigration entering this country is also tied to labor demands.For example, in 2000 to 2007 there was a high real estate construction demand, which caused a tidal wave of illegals, but after the demand went down in 2008, so did the amount of illegals entering the country.

Amnesty

Amnesty is “a pardon extended by the government to a group or class of persons, usually for a political offense.” Basically the government is giving illegal immigrants citizenship to the United States.

Controversy

The debate over amnesty is very heated, with almost all voters saying that it rewards people for breaking the law and entering the country illegally. They also believe the government is just buying the vote from the people who receive amnesty.

A Perspective Change

However, many people are only seeing one side of the debate, the anti-immigration side. In “To Kill a Mockingbird” Atticus says “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”

When Scout takes Atticus’s advice and looks from Boo’s point of view on his porch, a whole new world is opened. She sees major and minor events that happened in the book. Little everyday things, like a boy dragging a fishing pole home, or two children fighting with flowers all over the ground. When she looks through Boo’s eyes she sees the people on her street for who they are.

A Perspective Change

As the American people we need to see both sides of the immigration issue. We need to take Atticus’s advice and look from the point of view of the illegals. We need to understand that they’re people like us who just aren’t as fortune as us. They want the best for their families and sometimes are willing to do whatever it takes.

“Actions are illegal, never people” -Jose Vargas

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...

Until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”

-Atticus Finch, To kill a Mockingbird