Discussion Post - Immigration

According to the Pew Research Center and government information, immigration from Mexico and other Latin/South American countries declined and has been consistently stable for the last decade. Now, of course any research done on illegals is hard because they are, in fact, undocumented and are trying to stay that way. But it’s a good indication of where immigration is at in this country.


Professor Peter Andreas at Brown University, thinks this is because illegal immigration is spurred on by periods of high demand for labor. Research conducted by Standard and Poor Financial showed the change in immigration was noticeable by 2008, and was sharply down by 2010 which coincides with the recession.


I do not think building a wall is an exercise of ethnocentricity, nor a huge response to national security; but I do think it hinges upon the idea of national security more.


I believe the current crisis of so many refugees from Syria is a great explanation of why America is conscientious of illegal immigration. I believe this because if someone were to google Syrian refugees, they would see thousands of displaced people; or if they were to watch “White Hats” on Netflix that follows the rescue crews in Syria, or the documentary about the Mexican drug war “Cartel Land”, the altruistic side of oneself will inevitably say, “What can be done to help!?”


If immigration is looked at from this perspective, I think America doesn’t have a problem with wanting to help people. In fact, another study done in 2013 by Pew Research showed that 76% of Americans thought it was unrealistic to deport every illegal immigrant; and another conducted in 2015 showed 72% thought illegals already here should be allowed to stay.


Where America gets scared is when they see images of Paris and Brussels, of people overdosing on drugs we’re told are from the south. America is very aware of the threats involved.


My hometown best friend’s dad “jumped the fence,” made a living and raised a family here in America. He is one of the greatest men I know. As for another great friend I have here at college, his parents were deported while he was in high school. He and his little sister in elementary school were left to fend for themselves. And on top of those examples, I associated very closely with illegals while I lived in Virginia. I’ve seen their terrible conditions they currently live in, but have heard of the even harsher conditions that came from. 

So, I believe America wants to help, and what the desire for a wall shows me is that America wants immigration done better not done away with. I don’t think a wall means, “We hate Mexico, stop coming.” I think it means, “Come, but just do it the right way and we do not tolerate illegality.” If things are done in the right way, in a way that uplifts rather than demeans, I think people won’t have to resort to illegal extremes and lives of crime so much.