All Good Things Come To An End

As this semester has come an end, so has my blog. I started this blog as an assignment for my English class. I chose the topic Immigration Reform because I have a close relationship with people who are and have been illegal immigrants. At the beginning of this class, I was not very informed on this matter wanted to learn more about what could be done to help the ones affected. Through my blog journey, I have learned many things that only made me more convinced that the immigration reform would benefit the United States.

There is no doubt that the economic situation in the United States has been unstable for past few years therefore making the life of many individuals a struggle. Jobs have been terminated, wages have been lowered, and job searches have been harder for some. The struggles of an illegal immigrant have been all named above plus the deepest fear of being deported back to their homeland and losing all they've gained in the time living in the states.

The dream of one day having the big house with the picket fence has brought many people from other countries to ours not to harm anybody but live that American dream. As puzzling as it can be for some, the living situation in other countries cannot compare to the good life offered here. The people that have migrated here have come in search of jobs and have been very successful in finding them that it has put a toll in American citizens acquiring jobs, which you can read more about in my post titled “The Hard Working Criminal.” The crime rate has increased in bordering states due to the smuggling of people and drugs as well. Problems like such have created a stereotype about illegal immigrants which in return have made many Americans dislike the idea of the Immigration Reform due to the thought that things will only worsen and create an unsafe living environment for them.

I truly believe that the good outweighs the bad in this situation. There are many ways that illegal immigrants can and have made the United States a more productive country. The starting of new businesses, the increase of more jobs from those businesses, developing companies and technologies and overall helping the economy have only made this country more successful than it was before with the help of immigrants. The United States is considered a “melting pot” because it is the most diverse country, holding people from various ethnicities, creating a more accepting and innovative environment for its people. This diversity is what draws many people here.

I have stated all of my honest opinions in every one of my posts and I have not changed my mind one since the start. I am all for the immigration reform and hope that one day it is accepted by all to make it a better place to live for all. I will not continue this blog any longer, I do believe it has helped me with my writing techniques and to express my ideas better which writing on a prompt alone wouldn't have. I might start another blog in the future on another current event like this one that affects the daily lives of the people to inform others as well as become more educated myself.

Hope you enjoyed my writing!

Analysis Paper

Analysis Post

In order to complete my Analysis Paper for my English 102 class, I will be using resources I have used in previous posts as well as personal experiences. My topic is the Immigration Reform. I am very passionate about this matter, as you have read in my previous posts.

My father was once an illegal citizen. Living half of my childhood in the United States, I have encountered relatives suffering with the issues that come with being an illegal citizen. I can go on for days telling stories that have been told to me about the journey and the life here of an illegal citizen. Despite the struggles, many people have migrated here for a better life and still continue to.

A blog I used in one of my posts was from this site http://www.fairimmigration.org/blog/. They are updating their blog often and provide factual arguments about why the immigration reform should be passed. They provide pictures of rallies and interviews conducted with protesters. What caught my attention most about this blog is that it talks about many matter all associated with the struggles of an illegal citizen. The site doesn't allow commenting so I have been unable to leave my opinion on the actual site but have as part of our reviews assignment for class.

The good about my topic is that it’s incredibly broad. I can touch many subtopics such as the economy, the education, the job of an illegal citizen and how it affects this country. There are many facts and assumptions on this topic, and I like searching for the truth and informing my peers. The bad about working with this topic is that many people have a negative outlook on the immigration reform for many reasons. Personally I suppose its because they believe everything they hear in the media and from other people. Everyone is quick to judge so it doesn't help when an illegal citizen is involved in a crime because then “all immigrants are criminals.” I have a balance of positive and negative responses to my blog posts and they've helped me come up with new subtopics to discuss every week.

My advice for future bloggers on this topic is to research as much as possible and if given the chance, interview an illegal citizen to hear a more insightful story. Even though I think that if the blogger doesn't have a personal connection with this matter, I would be hard to argue it since there are so many people opposing it. 

THE HARD WORKING "CRIMINAL"

"You don't migrate to the United States from countries around the world on a whim. It takes planning, and for the most part, it is driven by economic motivations. People want a better life. They're seeking to get ahead. And those are the very factors that tend to be associated with lower crime." - Robert Sampson, Social Scientist at Harvard University 

"There's no evidence that immigrants — or even illegal immigrants — are necessarily any more or less likely to be committing crimes than the population at large, says Jessica Vaughan, the center's director of policy studies.  "It's just that they tend to be associated with certain types of crimes — drug trafficking, for example." (Vaughan)

When certain people hear the word “illegal immigrant,” they instantly associate them with crime. As stated above, there is no definitive evidence in which one can link rising crime rates with immigrants. In fact, it has been noted in states like New York, where a significant amount of immigrants reside, crime has dropped within the last two decades and police statistics show that Sunset Park is much safer than it was 20 years ago.  Homicides are down more than 90 percent.  Crime rates have dropped all over New York City since 1990 — but especially in neighborhoods that have high immigration population (Rose).

As stated above, it is not possible to definitively link the rise in crime rates with the presence of immigrants; for the sake of presenting the oppositional perspective however, I will introduce facts in which crime has been associated with illegal immigrants:

            Together, Arizona, California and Texas are now home to 4.7 million of the 11 million illegal immigrants the Department of Homeland Security estimates are in the country. In 2004, the year when the data was most recently available, 12.4 percent of California prisoners were illegal immigrants, as compared to an estimated 6.9 percent of the state population. In Arizona, 11.1 percent of the prison population was undocumented, compared with 7 percent of the overall state population. In Texas, the percentage was also slightly higher in the prisons than it was statewide (Fox News).  Vaughan, a co-author of the Center for Immigration Studies report and policy director at the think tank, said it's apparent that there is a connection between illegal immigrants and certain types of crimes, like drug trafficking and identify theft. Furthermore, she said, illegal immigrants have a tendency toward recidivism (NPR.org). When an immigrant is caught committing a crime, their immigration status and stay in the United States is often the offense.

            Crime does not discriminate by skin tones or legal statuses.  Crimes are committed by peoples of all skin colors, legal statuses, genders, ethnicities, etc.  Crimes are being committed in dark streets by thugs and thieves as well as Wall Street by white collar Americans.  Pointing at statistics that show how certain groups of people are represented more than others in the penal system does not change the fact that many people belonging to other groups are slipping through the cracks, on purpose.  The most prevalent crime being committed is the unwarranted prejudice and resentment held against immigrants simply because they are, “illegal.” 

Citations:

Digital image. <http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/04/29/border-states-dealing-illegal-immigrant-crime-data-suggests/#>.

News, Fox. "Border States Deal With More Illegal Immigrant Crime Than Most, Data Suggest." Fox News. 30 Apr. 2010. FOX News Network. 21 Nov. 2013 <http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/04/29/border-states-dealing-illegal-immigrant-crime-data-suggests/>.

Rose, Joel. "Does Crime Drop When Immigrants Move In?" NPR. 8 Mar. 2013. NPR. 21 Nov. 2013 <http://www.npr.org/2013/03/08/173642807/does-crime-drop-when-immigrants-move-in>.

Sampson, Robert. "Re: Does Crime Drop When Immigrants Move In?" Web log comment. NPR. National Public Radio, 8 Mar. 2013. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://www.npr.org/2013/03/08/173642807/does-crime-drop-when-immigrants-move-in>.

Vaughan, Jessica. "Re: Does Crime Drop When Immigrants Move In?" Web log comment. NPR. National Public Radio, 8 Mar. 2013. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://www.npr.org/2013/03/08/173642807/does-crime-drop-when-immigrants-move-in>.

Aliens vs. Citizens

Both pro-immigration and anti-immigration reform groups can provide countless facts to argue their viewpoints.  Neither side can claim with 100% certainty however that they are correct; being “correct” ends up being a subjective term. I am pro-immigration and there are many reasons why I believe the United States, a country made up of immigrants, can only continue to help the nation. But let’s look into why it does not benefit the United States to have immigrants and possibly legalize them.

Before I begin, let me just state that *unless you can trace your ancestry to a Native American, you are an immigrant also.*

Receiving feedback from classmates in regards to my topic has been very helpful in my writing. One classmate pointed something out to me that I could not argue. Every country is set up to provide for a certain amount of people whether it be with resources, education, funds, homes, etc., everything has its limits. When those limits are pushed and there is more demand than resources, it creates problems.

Immigrants come to this country to create a better life and hope that one day be  given the same rights as American citizens, which include freedom to express yourself, freedom to worship as you wish, the right to a prompt, fair trial by jury, and freedom to pursue “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” (To name a few)

(http://www.uscis.gov)

This country currently has the population of 317, 067, 692 of which 11.7 are illegal immigrants (Preston, Julia). The issue with this is that in this country there is a limit of people it can support. One of the main arguments is jobs. Since the year 2013 working-age natives (16 to 65) working was 1.3 million fewer than in the first quarter of 2000, while the number of immigrants working was 5.3 million greater over the same period. Thus, all of the employment growth over the last 13 years went to immigrants even though the native-born accounted for two-thirds of the growth in the working age population (Camarata, Steven). The most affected in this situation are the least educated and poorest Americans; they tend to be the biggest losers from immigration.

The crime rate in Texas is much higher than in other states which people attribute it to the increase presence of illegal immigrants. The main source of these reported crimes is the illegal drug trafficking that goes on between the Texas and Mexico border. Living in fear, the citizens of Texas don’t approve of immigration reform due to the negative consequences of immigrants invading their land and making it an unsafe place to live.

So in conclusion, the main reason why the United States benefits from being immigrant free would be to provide more jobs to American citizens and making the state of Texas a safer place for its citizens; because all immigrants are drug traffickers there.

 . 

Works Cited:

Preston, Julia. "Number of Illegal Immigrants in U.S. May Be on Rise Again, Estimates Say." The New York Times. The New York Times, 23 Sept. 2013. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/>.

Preston, Julia. Number of Illegal Immigrants in U.S. May Be on Rise Again, Estimates Say. Digital image. The New York Times. N.p., 23 Sept. 2013. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/24/us/immigrant-population-shows-signs-of-growth-estimates-show.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1384488102-eHayEYwg7k7kHKUgNxioSw>

Camarota, Steven A. "The Fiscal and Economic Impact of Immigration on the United States | Center for Immigration Studies." Center for Immigration Studies. N.p., May 2013. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. <http://cis.org/node/4573>

Camarota, Steven A. 2000-2013 Current Population Survey. Digital image. The Fiscal and Economic Impact of Immigration on the United States. N.p., May 2013. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. <http://cis.org/node/4573>

The Myth That Immigrants Do Not Pay Taxes

"The lesson of these 236 years is clear – immigration makes America stronger. Immigration makes us more prosperous. And immigration positions America to lead in the 21st century. And these young men and women are testaments to that. No other nation in the world welcomes so many new arrivals. No other nation constantly renews itself, refreshes itself with the hopes, and the drive, and the optimism, and the dynamism of each new generation of immigrants. You are all one of the reasons that America is exceptional. You’re one of the reasons why, even after two centuries, America is always young, always looking to the future, always confident that our greatest days are still to come." - President Obama 

Being an immigrant myself, I cannot help but get defensive
when I hear my peers speak against the immigration reform. Truth is most people
are not too informed on this matter. By not being informed, people will make
stereotypes of immigrants based on what they hear and see in the media, state
they are directly affected by our presence in this country, and most
importantly forget who aided in the foundation of our home (USA). 




In regards to the economy, according to the nonpartisan
Congressional Budget Office, under the 2010 House-passed version of the DREAM
Act, the federal deficit would be reduced by $2.2 billion over ten years because
of increased tax revenues (Furman,  Gray).
The calculation compares immigrants’ tax and Social Security contributions to
the resources they use, including social and government services. This type of
analysis, however, excludes the migrants’ longer-term impact on the
economy.  

Immigrants pay social security and taxes, including sales
tax for *everything* they purchase, that they will never be able to claim back
in April. 




*As a nation of immigrants, we must remember that
generations of immigrants have helped lay the railroads and build our cities,
pioneer new industries and fuel our Information Age, from Google to the
iPhone*( Furman, Gray). How quickly do we forget that foundation of this
country was built by free and cheap labor (slaves and immigrants)?  Today, as always, immigrants are in pursuit
of the most basic human rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness.  Immigrants are branded as
criminals, the same moniker used to described murders, rapists, and thieves,
because they disobey the laws that prevent them from obtaining their basic
human rights.  There was another dark
time in this country’s history when a group of people were also labeled
criminals if they disobeyed certain laws. 
Laws prohibiting an African American from drinking from the same water
fountain as a white man or using the same restroom.  African American’s were denied basic human
rights simply because of certain “laws.” 
Well an unjust law is no law at all. 
Denying a human being his/her right to a better life is wrong and
unjust.

Works Cited

Furman, Jason. "The White House Blog." Ten Ways Immigrants Help Build and Strengthen Our Economy. N.p., 12 July 2012. Web. 07 Nov. 2013. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/07/12/ten-ways-immigrants-help-build-and-strengthen-our-economy>.

Gray, Danielle. "The White House Blog." Ten Ways Immigrants Help Build and Strengthen Our Economy. N.p., 12 July 2012. Web. 07 Nov. 2013. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/07/12/ten-ways-immigrants-help-build-and-strengthen-our-economy>.

"Impacto Latin News ™." Latinos Por Obama. N.p., 18 Apr. 2012. Web. 07 Nov. 2013. <http://www.impactony.com/tag/latinos-por-obama/>. Picture

"President Obama Announces the 2012 Launch of Latinos for Obama." YouTube. YouTube, 18 Apr. 2012. Web. 07 Nov. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jJhXQpyrXw>.

No Human is Illegal

I had many ideas about what my subtopic should be for this post and then I came across a review to my previous post, which I disagree strongly.

Fair immigration  

Click on the link above and view images of immigrants protesting for their rights. In one image, the one that caught my attention the most, a person is holding a sign that says:

"24 years in the unites states. 4 children. 2 in college. All united citizens. Never had a traffic ticket. Last I was in my country was 1989"

I have heard many personal stories from immigrant friends and family coming to America and stating it was the best decision they had ever made. My father migrated here at the young age of 20. He came here illegally; literally walking his way into this country. Being here, he was given the opportunity to receive his citizenship through an amnesty that was passed in the 1990's. Once legal, he brought my mom over and then me. Due to his sacrifice, because that is the only thing you can call risking one’s life in pursuit of a better standard of living for a loved one, I too am a citizen today. Regardless of what the law says, my father and my family are not criminals.  We do not murder, rape, steal, cheat, oppress, anybody!  We live and let live as do many immigrant families who live in constant fear of being 

Some political figures that do support this move and have recently made public of it are two house representatives.  Rep. Jeff Denham of California was the first House Republican to cosponsor the bill, and quickly following suit, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen this morning announced that she too would be cosponsoring the bill ( English). The government shutdown, which lasted about 16 days, was the topic of discussion throughout the country and it seemed as if the immigration reform was not being ignored. So to see that these political figures have recently brought this matter back into action creates a hopeful atmosphere for the people.

Another blog I came across in this page was titled "My Family is Not Illegal" ( Sun).

In this short post, I read how the immigrants in rallies show strong emotions and sadness when their families have been torn apart due to deportation incidents. I realized I haven't really thought about this matter. I know people in my direct family who have had to go through that. It's heartbreaking seeing people suffer and forced to go along with their days alone knowing they won't be seeing their families anytime soon.

We are all human, American or immigrants. We all deserve to be treated equally.

  

Citation: 

English, Sarah. "Fair Immigration Reform Movement | Blog." Fair Immigration                                        Reform Movement. N.p., 29 Oct. 2013. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.

Shikun Sun. "Fair Immigration Reform Movement | Blog." Fair Immigration                                        Reform Movement. N.p., 29 Oct. 2013. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.

Motives to Migrate

Source

The image above provides us with an accurate idea as to why immigrants chose to migrate to the United States. Like the cartoon shows, the United States offer all that’s listed there plus much more. The quality of life in the United States surpasses any living condition in South America and many other countries. My life in Ecuador, if I wouldn't have moved here, wouldn't be half as good as I have it here. In my early twenties, I am able to hold a job and go to school. I am awarded financial aid that makes educational costs lower for me. These opportunities are not awarded in any other country. Immigrant parents think about the variety of options this country provides and they do anything possible to come here.

‘'Another big attraction for immigrants to the United States is the very high standard of living. The average American earns far more than people in most other countries and lives a lifestyle that would be impossible in most other countries." - Legal Regulation Review

The quote above explains it all. By offering a “very high standard of living,” people residing here are able to get free education up to college; purchase a home and car with loan assistance; and take on various types of jobs offered by big companies, to name a few. Who wouldn't want this? Even though my move here was a rough one, having to leave my family and everyone I grew up with, I wouldn't change that about my past. My parents didn't have this opportunity I have. My parents grew up in poverty and were forced to work at a very young age to help provide for the family. By moving here, they have had the chance to give us everything my siblings and I have ever needed and wanted. Despite the struggle they encountered at first when they got here, like the fear of getting deported back to their homeland, they have been able to succeed and work towards their dreams and citizenship. My father always tells us the story about his journey crossing the border and the terrible events that happened throughout the trip. He is now able to call this place home, and so am I.

The risks non-citizens face in this country is immediate deportation. Usually people get deported when they have committed a crime. In my opinion, all non-criminal immigrants should receive a forgiveness and be given their citizenship. 

Citation:
- Legal Regulation Review. Rep. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2013. <http://www.legalregulationreview.com/on-illegal-immigration-the-trouble-you-risk.php>.