Although deportations and sending troops to the border is effective in the short term, it does not get to the root of the problem.
Trump’s new deportation strategy is a complete stretch, and unfair to illegals who were allowed in during the past presidential election. Going after illegal immigrants who were allowed in during the time of 2020 to 2024, and telling them to go back is unjustified. It is the same as uninviting somebody after telling them they were invited. Although sending illegal immigrants back is an option, instead we should have them apply for citizenship while they are here and change the process of applying for citizenship.
Firstly, one reason so many immigrants come illegally is because of the lengthy process. On government official sites it says, If you meet all of the requirements, and you answer all the questions, completing a N-400 application (Application for Naturalization) is about 5.5 months long. Although, other websites say otherwise. “Immigration Help” says that on average the entire naturalization process takes 18-24 months. Can you imagine having to wait 730 days?
Secondly, it is also common for people to immigrate to America for a more financially stable life and with a dream to become rich, but that means the immigrant is most likely starting with less money to begin with. An online fee to fill out an N-400 application is $710. Then to fill out a paper N-400 application it is $760. In order to even submit an application for a price reduction it costs $380 dollars. It is like they are saying, “pay us more money so that maybe we will help you pay less.” The fact it costs money to begin with is outrageous, but more so that the fee is collected on top of taxpayer funded money. Something important to mention is that the N-400 is only a singular application, when applying for American citizenship you have to fill out many more papers, pay much more money, and spend lots of time waiting for approval.
The hard tests also contribute to the difficulty of applying for citizenship. The last step, also known as Civil Documents, is a test to see your knowledge on the land, law, and government of the United States. The civics test is required, and consists of 100 questions. The applicant is tested on a random 10 out of the 100 questions, and the applicant must get at least 6 of them right. Another main test taken throughout the process is an English Test. This test includes segments of speaking, writing, and interpreting. All of the tests through the process require a basic understanding of English. If you don’t know English, then you will be unable to understand it.
Civics Test: https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/questions-and-answers/100q.pdf
Test Yourself: https://americanhistory.si.edu/citizenship/test
During Biden’s presidency, border enforcement was not a priority, and many illegal immigrants came to America. Tax payouts and budgeting aid for illegal immigrants were handed out from the government and from some states. Lots of money went towards helping illegals start their lives here. According to a paper called “The Consequences of Illegal Immigration for Housing Affordability, Government Budgets, and American Workers” by Steven A. Camarota, a congressman and director of research for the Center of Immigration, illegal immigrants during Biden’s Presidential term collected more aid than they paid in taxes. The National Academies’ estimate of immigrants found during the lifetime of an illegal immigrant the fiscal drain is about $68,000. This means they get $68,000 more on average than they pay in taxes. This automatically creates an unfair situation, and shows that Biden’s Administration valued the aid of non-citizens over legal tax-abiding citizens. In my opinion, this was not the correct thing to do. Handouts always create vulnerable and more dependent citizens, meaning if the government changes like it did, non-independent citizens will have trouble. No matter from what political party, and no matter the morals of those who made choices, we have always been making the immigration system more complicated.
The right way to handle the immigration issues and problems is to completely change the immigration process. What we need is a reform, and to simply adjust the immigration laws to a more realistic and less complicated process. The first step to changing the immigration issues would be to completely eliminate the system we have currently. Starting from the base and working our way up, adjusting to a more realistic way of helping people create a future in the United States.
I am not saying it is okay to immigrate illegally. Although the excruciating process to become a legal citizen is not the most efficient, it is unfair to legal immigrants. Even if the process is difficult, it could also be seen as a way to prove yourself, and show your loyalty and willingness to make yourself a part of the country. I understand the struggles that it takes to come to America legally, but there is always another choice. Under hardly any circumstances will I think it is okay to immigrate illegally.
Sites:
https://budget.house.gov/imo/media/doc/the_cost_of_illegal_immigration_to_taxpayers.pdf
https://www.immigrationhelp.org/news/us-citizenship-processing-time
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Citizenship_and_Immigration_Services
https://americanhistory.si.edu/citizenship/test
https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/questions-and-answers/100q.pdf
