Welcome to the U.S.A.

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Recommended: During the 19th century migration in America

Imagine yourself in a life of poverty. No healthcare, earning low wages in poor working conditions. This is the life of an illegal immigrant, surprisingly, in the United States of America. What, exactly, is an immigrant? According to the World Almanac of U.S. Politics 1997, “Not subject to any numerical limitation, immigrants [are] classified as immediate relatives (spouses, parents, or natural children) of U.S. citizens; returning permanent resident aliens; certain former U.S. citizens; and certain long-term U.S. government employees” (Wagman). The fear stemmed from being caught as an illegal immigrant hinders every decision of his livelihood, from education to employment—their whole lives are affected in a negative manner. No one needs to live that way. The solution, however, is not to simply accept every willing immigrant freely, but to give all foreigners a more fair and reasonable chance of becoming a citizen of the “land of the free and the home of the brave.” Strict enforcement of a more streamline verification process by the government in supervising legal immigration is needed to continue America’s evolution culturally and economically with the addition of individuals from foreign nations trying to properly enter the United States of America.
Currently, the immigration process of America is quite flawed, requiring years of waiting and a noteworthy surge of money. Back in the early history of the United States, President Thomas Jefferson saw the benefits of large-scale immigration; as it offered cheap labor, provided technology for renovation, and connections to trade at the time (Martin). Many years and many events have come to pass since then, including the terrorist attack towards the Twin Towers of Manhattan, New York...

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... the same: to be able to live a better life. The chance to live the American dream, a dream different for each individual, is here, waiting for people around the world. The ability to fully live the dream, nevertheless, is only possible through a swift and secure legal immigration process. It must be changed to allow others to join out “melting-pot” family. As President Obama stated at an American University:
And then there are the countless names and the quiet acts that never made the history books but were no less consequential in building this country, the generations who braved hardship and great risk to reach our shores in search of a better life for themselves and their families; the millions of people, ancestors to most of us, who believed that there was a place where they could be, at long last, free to work and worship and live their lives in peace. (Obama)

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