There is a huge difference between immigration and illegal immigration and a lot of
people today seem to think they are synonymous. Because of the apparent confusion,
here is my attempt to clear it up and also offer my opinion and possible solution to the
issue.

Legal immigration — the most crucial key to our country’s success. It has been
welcomed since the forming of our country. Legal immigrants can become citizens of the United States.

Illegal immigration — when someone enters or stays in the country illegally. An illegal
immigrant is not a citizen of the United States.

Legal immigration is arguably the backbone of the United States. According to the 2010
census, about 25 percent of the population are either foreign born or children of immigrants.

Immigrants make up a huge part of our population and that is the beauty of America. If you want to count citizens with grandparents who are immigrants, the percentage is even higher than 25 percent.

If you are against people coming to this country legally, then that’s pretty bad. However, if you are against illegal immigration, this does not make you a racist or a bad person. This means that you support the laws of this country and do not think that it is fair that people who want to enter the country legally might have to be put on a waiting list and pay thousands of dollars in fees.

How do we fix this problem? Although illegal immigration is unlawful, I think that it would
be cruel to round all of them up and send them back to the countries in which they were
born. I say the United States should offer them citizenship on the stipulation that they follow all the steps and pay all the fees necessary to become legal.

I feel deeply sorry for the people around the world who are waiting to come here legally but are unable to. However, I think the alternative to amnesty is inhumane. The only illegal immigrants who do not have a place in America are ones whom have committed crimes. While I think deportations of illegal immigrants who are criminals is necessary, I do not believe the same for people who are willing to become a citizen.

What we need to do to prevent illegal immigration in the first place is strengthen security
at our borders and keep better track of people who overstay their visas. Unfortunately,
the United States has been weak on illegal immigration, which is why we are in this
tough spot today. There is no way to go back and fix the problem, so let’s just try to
eradicate the illegal immigrant problem within the U.S. by giving them the opportunity to
become citizens; and crack down on illegal immigration in the future — whether that
means building “the wall” or some alternative.

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