Immigration

Immigration is one of the most complicated topics in today’s political conversation. About one in every eight (13.6%) Americans was not born on US soil. Of these immigrants, 75% are documented, 50% have become US citizens, and 25% are from Mexico.

There are a few different ways to look at the issue. One point of view is that immigrants are “taking over our country”. Many believe that immigrants come to the US and commit crimes, change our way of life, and benefit from social programs without contributing to the economy. I don’t personally believe this, however it is worth noting that Latino culture is ingrained in much of the southwest border states, specifically Texas, California, and New Mexico. This is mostly just from geographic vicinity to the area. These states have a long, complicated history with Mexico that include wars, agricultural work policies, and native group overlaps, among other things that create a shared culture in these areas. We even have an entire state named after Mexico (New Mexico). In my opinion this is not a bad thing, but rather just a part of what makes our country great. The United States was built by immigrants, and it is part of what makes up our entrepreneurial mindset. The United States is often recognized as the most entrepreneurial country, and about 25% of all US businesses are founded by immigrants. Despite this, many still believe that immigrants are somehow destroying our economy. I think most people would agree that having completely open borders would not work, but an argument can be made that the process for selecting legal citizens is incredibly difficult. I have a friend from the Dominican Republic who has wanted to move to the United States for years. The process for becoming a US citizen from the DR is nearly impossible, so he moved to Costa Rica to become a citizen there, because the process is significantly easier for Costa Ricans. In order to become a citizen, you have to live in Costa Rica with a visa for 7 years. After this, it still takes years to become an American Citizen. This strenuous process is exactly why so many people choose to immigrate illegally.