Monday, December 3, 2007

Step Five/Six: Modified Brief

Though many believe the opposing views of the illegal immigration issue are too contradictory to allow the matter to be settled, it is possible to mediate the argument by implementing a few new policies. First, the naturalization process needs to be modified. Under the system currently in place, as many as four years can elapse from the time a candidate for American citizenship files out his or her application to the time he or she is actually sworn in as a citizen. The prolonged process is a major reason why immigrants may choose to come illegally. If it could be expedited, perhaps the government would not have to deal with so many people attempting to immigrate illegally. Another new policy that could be implemented by the government is perhaps allowing the immigrants to slowly gain full citizenship over the span of two years. Currently, full citizenship is granted to immigrants upon taking an oath of loyalty. If citizenship rights such as that of minimum wage were granted more gradually rather than all at once, corporations could still hire the immigrants as cheap labor; in addition, the immigrants would be taxed at a rate lower than that of full citizens, thus benefiting the immigrant, corporations, and the United States government. Another major reason why some people choose to immigrate illegally involves the issue of leaving family members behind. Sometimes, families are torn apart by the naturalization process when one member of the family is deemed ineligible for citizenship. If this is the case, the member(s) of the family who gain citizenship may try to bring the other members of their family into the country illegally. The ability of an entire family to immigrate should be simplified. For example, if one member of a family is granted the right to be a citizen, the other members of the family should have more minimal requirements to be allowed citizenship. In this way, families can remain together, again decreasing the illegal immigration rate. Another issue in the immigration controversy is how to handle illegal immigrants caught by the government. Currently, those living in the United States illegally are deported to their country of origin. However, the fair way to deal with this group would be to judge them according to how long they have lived in the United States. If they have lived in the U.S. for four years or more, they are obviously not a disturbance, and should be granted the option of going through the naturalization process while still living in the United States, as long as they attend periodical “check-ups.” Those who have been in the United States for less than four years should be deported, but should still have the option of going through the naturalization process while living in their home country. Lastly, the most obvious way to put a complete stop to illegal immigration is to increase border control. Hopefully, the programs described above should be enough to dissuade most people from immigrating illegally; nevertheless, some would still attempt to do so. To put an end to it, border control must be strengthened.

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