Make Immigrants Citizens

Immigration is an ongoing issue in the United States.  People are migrating to the U.S. in order to have a chance at a better life.  However, the U.S. is doing whatever they can to send the immigrants back to their own country, which is not the best decision to make. Immigrants and advocates are starting to fight back for the opportunity to live in the U.S. freely. For instance, a Texas judge has stopped deportation in the state due to President Obama’s lack of congressional approval when made the decision to deport immigrants.(http://www.wsj.com/articles/federal-appeals-court-to-hear-arguments-on-immigration-ruling-1427237007 )  The president is not relating to how immigrants feel when they are deported back to their original countries.  When people migrate to the U.S. most are broken away from people that they know and are left to fend for themselves.  Also they are forced into poverty because most immigrants do not come to the U.S. with a lot of money.  Families are broken apart due to deportation.  We watched a video in class on immigration and it went into more detail about how immigrants feel about deportation.  They are hurt that they have to endure such heartbreak when torn away from their families.  For instance, people are pulled over for minor issues like not having their license while driving.  They are then taken into police custody and ICE (Immigrant and Customs Enforcement) is contacted.  ICE “enforces federal laws governing border control, customs, trade and immigration to promote homeland security and public safety.” (http://www.ice.gov/about)  the person is then force to sit in ICE so the government can decide whether the immigrant can stay in the U.S.  The immigrant can choose not to be a detainee and go back to their own country but then they would leave behind their American born children.  No one wants their child to grow up without them so people try to be a detainee for as long as they can.  However, it is too much physical and mental abuse in ICE.  I never knew how much people are affected by immigration until I watched the class video and my mom started dating a Puerto Rican.  He told us stories about how he and his family came to America and immediately had to start working.  He has been working since he was twelve years old.  He knows how to speak English, but do not know how to write and read everything in English.  I sometimes catch him speaking his sentences out of word order and I try to correct him each time.  He does not mind the help.  He also told my family and I that migrating to America has made him forget his own country and history.  He was ecstatic when he found out that I was taking Introduction to Latino and Latin American Studies.  He asked me to let him know everything that I learn in class so that he can know a little bit about his history.  Now that I live with someone that migrated to the United States I wish there was another strategy that the government could create other than deportation.  My idea would be to create a way that immigrants can go through background check and if they do not have any horrible offenses then they should be able to stay in the United States.  Also if they have American born children then immigrants should automatically be able to live in the U.S.  The government needs to make a change and it needs to occur immediately.