The United States is a land of immigrants. A 2010 census estimated that about forty million immigrants comprised thirteen percent of the total US population (Batalova, Jeanne, and Alicia Lee). Numbers have only increased since then. Immigrants from all over the world want to take advantage of the liberties the US has to offer. While flattering, the dreams push some to enter the United States illegally or without paperwork. These illegal immigrants create economic problems because they are evading federal and state taxes. If the United States is hosting illegal immigrants, they are not paying their fair share that legal citizens are obliged to pay.
The Obama Administration proposed the Dream Act. The Act gives illegal immigrants who were brought to the United States as children and have lived in the United States for five years the right to earn citizenship. On December 8, 2010, the House of Representatives passed the bill. The Act failed to become a law, however, because it did not pass in the Senate. On June 15, 2012 President Barack Obama declared, “Eligible individuals who do not present a risk to national security or public safety will be able to request temporary relief from deportation proceedings and apply for work authorization” (“Remarks by the President on Immigration”). Currently, Obama’s immigration system is allowing some illegal immigrants who fit certain conditions to stay in the United States, excusing their deportation.
I, Mitt Romney, believe in legal and selective immigration that will bolster our immigration system and the economy. In office, I will work hard to ensure that immigrants have a chance to become a citizen of the United States. As I have said before, “every foreign student who obtains an advanced degree in math, science, or engineering at a U.S. university should be granted permanent residency” (“Immigration”). The United States wants to reward those students investing in their education because they will become America’s next leaders. Immigrants have cofounded or created almost half of the top fifty venture-backed companies in America, making them invaluable members of society (“Remarks to NALEO”). I will work with Congress to raise the 85,000 cap per year on highly skilled immigrants for temporary employment visas, as well as the 80,000 cap per year for permanent employment visas (“Employment-Based Immigration to the United States: A Fact Sheet”). I believe immigrants can help create new jobs and technology in America and that the system can be more effective and efficient. I also believe that illegal immigrants brought to the United States as children should have the right to earn permanent residence by honorably serving in the United States military. However, I will not excuse or promote illegal immigration. While in office, I will secure the Mexico-United States border with a high-tech fence and increase the number of border patrol there. As Governor of Massachusetts, I vetoed in-state tuition benefits and opposed driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants. I do not believe in amnesty.
President Obama has been in office for four years. During his 2008 campaign he said, “I can guarantee that we will have, in the first year, an immigration bill that I strongly support” (Hicks, Josh). Obama took three years to address immigration reform that the nation was hoping for in his first year. The Dream Act failed because Obama did not take advantage of the Democratic majority in both houses of Congress at the beginning of his presidential term. Obama’s newly implemented directive is just a stopgap effort. As president, I would provide a permanent solution to immigration reform to make it more effective and efficient. Obama erroneously gives incentives for illegal immigration to the United States through his new policy. It allows illegal immigrants under thirty years old that came to the United States before age sixteen and have a high school education or higher to evade deportation and work legally in our country (Kiely, Eugene). The people who have stayed in the United States illegally should not be awarded for their illicit actions. The people who have followed the rules and patiently waited in line should have equivalent representation. No one should be able to cut in line for citizenship and visas, especially if they are staying in the United States illegally.
Batalova, Jeanne, and Alicia Lee. "Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States." MigrationInformation.org. Migration Policy Institute, Mar. 2012. Web. 10 Oct. 2012. <http://www.migrationinformation.org/usfocus/display.cfm?ID=886>.
MITT ROMNEY FOR LEGAL IMMIGRATION IN AMERICA
The United States is a land of immigrants. A 2010 census estimated that about forty million immigrants comprised thirteen percent of the total US population (Batalova, Jeanne, and Alicia Lee). Numbers have only increased since then. Immigrants from all over the world want to take advantage of the liberties the US has to offer. While flattering, the dreams push some to enter the United States illegally or without paperwork. These illegal immigrants create economic problems because they are evading federal and state taxes. If the United States is hosting illegal immigrants, they are not paying their fair share that legal citizens are obliged to pay.
The Obama Administration proposed the Dream Act. The Act gives illegal immigrants who were brought to the United States as children and have lived in the United States for five years the right to earn citizenship. On December 8, 2010, the House of Representatives passed the bill. The Act failed to become a law, however, because it did not pass in the Senate. On June 15, 2012 President Barack Obama declared, “Eligible individuals who do not present a risk to national security or public safety will be able to request temporary relief from deportation proceedings and apply for work authorization” (“Remarks by the President on Immigration”). Currently, Obama’s immigration system is allowing some illegal immigrants who fit certain conditions to stay in the United States, excusing their deportation.
I, Mitt Romney, believe in legal and selective immigration that will bolster our immigration system and the economy. In office, I will work hard to ensure that immigrants have a chance to become a citizen of the United States. As I have said before, “every foreign student who obtains an advanced degree in math, science, or engineering at a U.S. university should be granted permanent residency” (“Immigration”). The United States wants to reward those students investing in their education because they will become America’s next leaders. Immigrants have cofounded or created almost half of the top fifty venture-backed companies in America, making them invaluable members of society (“Remarks to NALEO”). I will work with Congress to raise the 85,000 cap per year on highly skilled immigrants for temporary employment visas, as well as the 80,000 cap per year for permanent employment visas (“Employment-Based Immigration to the United States: A Fact Sheet”). I believe immigrants can help create new jobs and technology in America and that the system can be more effective and efficient. I also believe that illegal immigrants brought to the United States as children should have the right to earn permanent residence by honorably serving in the United States military. However, I will not excuse or promote illegal immigration. While in office, I will secure the Mexico-United States border with a high-tech fence and increase the number of border patrol there. As Governor of Massachusetts, I vetoed in-state tuition benefits and opposed driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants. I do not believe in amnesty.
President Obama has been in office for four years. During his 2008 campaign he said, “I can guarantee that we will have, in the first year, an immigration bill that I strongly support” (Hicks, Josh). Obama took three years to address immigration reform that the nation was hoping for in his first year. The Dream Act failed because Obama did not take advantage of the Democratic majority in both houses of Congress at the beginning of his presidential term. Obama’s newly implemented directive is just a stopgap effort. As president, I would provide a permanent solution to immigration reform to make it more effective and efficient. Obama erroneously gives incentives for illegal immigration to the United States through his new policy. It allows illegal immigrants under thirty years old that came to the United States before age sixteen and have a high school education or higher to evade deportation and work legally in our country (Kiely, Eugene). The people who have stayed in the United States illegally should not be awarded for their illicit actions. The people who have followed the rules and patiently waited in line should have equivalent representation. No one should be able to cut in line for citizenship and visas, especially if they are staying in the United States illegally.
Article Links
Obama's Directive Allowing Some Illegal Immigrant Criminals to be Released from Jail
Video: Obama Fails to Keep Promise on Immigration Reform Bill
Works Cited
Batalova, Jeanne, and Alicia Lee. "Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States." MigrationInformation.org. Migration Policy Institute, Mar. 2012. Web. 10 Oct. 2012. <http://www.migrationinformation.org/usfocus/display.cfm?ID=886>.
"Employment-Based Immigration to the United States: A Fact Sheet." Immigrationpolicy.org. American Immigration Council, 29 Mar. 2011. Web. 10 Oct. 2012. <http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/print/just-facts/employment-based-immigration-united-states-fact-sheet>.
Hicks, Josh. "Obama's Failed Promise of a First-Year Immigration Overhaul." WashingtonPost.com. The Washington Post, 25 Sept. 2012. Web. 12 Oct. 2012. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/obamas-failed-promise-of-a-first-year-immigration-overhaul/2012/09/25/06997958-0721-11e2-a10c-fa5a255a9258_print.html>.
Kiely, Eugene. "Romney's Immigration Exaggeration." FactCheck.org. N.p., 18 June 2012. Web. 02 Oct. 2012. <http://www.factcheck.org/2012/06/romneys-immigration-exaggeration/>.
"Remarks by the President on Immigration." The White House. The White House, 15 June 2012. Web. 9 Oct. 2012. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/06/15/remarks-president-immigration>.
Romney, Mitt. "Immigration." MittRomney.com. Romney for President, n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2012. <http://www.mittromney.com/issues/immigration>.
Romney, Mitt. "Remarks to NALEO: "Growing Opportunity for All Americans"" MittRomney.com. Romney for President, 21 June 2012. Web. 9 Oct. 2012. <http://www.mittromney.com/blogs/mitts-view/2012/06/remarks-naleo-growing-opportunity-all-americans>.