For the Capstone Project, I chose the topic of illegal immigration. This topic interests me
as a second-generation American and as someone who frequently works with immigrant
students, some of whom are undocumented. I am conflicted on many of the points often
brought up in the arguments around illegal immigration, and I hope to gain clarity by
researching this topic.
Reviewing the components of illegal immigration described in the Britannica ProCon.org
article is like peeling an onion - there are so many layers. The obvious unlawful resident
status quickly comes to mind, along with receiving services without the means to
contribute to the costs, humanitarian, political and economic issues in their home
countries, human trafficking, and people brought to this country as children. As the
article title suggests, a principal issue is whether undocumented immigrants should be
able to become US citizens with all rights and privileges associated therewith.
Issues surrounding undocumented immigrants are numerous. I started going down
rabbit holes reading other material, so decided to focus back on the article. Below are
the pro and con arguments I came up with:
P
1
Amnesty incentivizes undocumented immigrants to break the law, and encourages
human trafficking.
P
2
The US needs to enforce existing laws regarding undocumented immigrants
already in the country and those newly entering at border crossings.
P3
A path to citizenship would reward illegal behavior.
P4
A path to citizenship would be unfair to those who emigrate to the US legally.
P
5
A path to legalization would allow undocumented immigrants to participate in
American society legally.
/C
Therefore, the US government should not provide a path to citizenship for
undocumented immigrants.
P
1
Undocumented immigrants and their families are already engrained in our country,
contributing to federal, state and local taxes and paying into programs from which
they received no benefits.
P2
Those undocumented immigrants brought to the US as children are embedded in
American society and often do not know their undocumented status.
P3
A five-year path to citizenship would increase annual wages for undocumented and
all other workers, create new jobs and increase total cumulative GDP.
P
4
Most undocumented immigrants in the workforce are essential workers.
/C
Therefore, the US government should provide a path to citizenship for
undocumented immigrants.
