Thesis Statement

Thesis

The United States was formed out of the efforts of immigrants who journeyed to an unknown land hoping to have a brighter future. Several Irish immigrants came to America during colonial times and contributed to the establishment of the Declaration of Independence; yet, when thousands of them left Ireland due to the potato famine, they began being treated as uncivilized apes who only served as laborers who were willing to work for a low pay. No group of people were more alienated than the Irish during the 1850s, no group taken more advantage of or looked down at as much as them. Throughout history, immigrants from various regions have undergone the same treatment as the Irish. Instead of learning from past mistakes, the United States has repeated the same process decade after decade and it is time that this cycle is put to a stop.

To ensure that the hardships of the Irish are not repeated, the US Congress should create a reform immigration policy that has a clear path to citizenship for those working and living in America without papers, is fair to families and ensures family unity, protects the rights of workers by promising fair conditions for both native-born and immigrant workers, and secures the borders and other ports of entry while upholding human rights. To gain legal status and ultimately citizenship, immigrants must undergo a vast background check and show commitment to gaining an education and contributing to the well being of the country by paying taxes. Family plays a significant role in the success of new generations and thus shall be protected. The United States government has the duty to keep families together unless members of such families show disrespect by violating the laws of the nation. Immigrants are often exploited by businesses because of their illegal status and are largely underpaid. To protect the rights of all workers, it is critical that companies verify that all of their employees are legally in the United States. In addition, the immigration system must be adjusted to go hand in hand with the American economy in order to guarantee that native-born workers are not at a disadvantage and that new waves of illegal immigration are not encouraged when job demand is high. Due to national security issues, the borders or other ports of entry would continue to be under high surveillance; however, immigrants hoping to enter would not be put under life-threatening conditions, as they were before.