A big topic in this election year has been the candidates' stance on illegal immigration. There are an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States currently w/ approx. 400,000 coming in every year. Most of these folks have arrived as tourists and have overstayed the terms of their visas so they are not the ones that you might envision sneaking across the border in the middle of the night. In order to survive, many of the illegals take jobs that don't require Social Security numbers or they find employers who don't do background checks. Many of these jobs are ones that some Americans don't want. So, these folks are criticized for not paying their taxes. Yet, I wonder, how can they pay their taxes if they're not allowed to have a SS card or #? 
So, my questions for you concern the future treatment of illegal immigrants:
1. Should children of illegals be allowed to go to public schools? Why or why not?
2. Should the current illegals that are here now be given the opportunity to become American citizens? Why or why not? If so, under what conditions? If not, what should happen to them?
3. Should prevent future illegal immigrants from coming to America? Do we need to build a wall? Increased border patrols? Or, should we relax our immigration restrictions so that more people can share in the American dream? Why?
Your answer is due Monday, January 28, and should be a minimum of 200 words. Thanks.
Extra credit opportunity: research one of the 8 remaining Presidential candidates (Clinton, Obama, Edwards, McCain, Huckabee, Romney, Ron Paul, and Guiliani) and find out what his/her views are on immigration. Then, summarize those views in 2 paragraphs in your own words. You can email this to me or turn it in by Wednesday, January 30th.
- One suggestion on research - check the candidate's website for accurate information on immigration. If you just type in "Obama + immigration" into a search engine, you're liable to find all kinds of crazy junk out there. Remember, the internet is a tool, but it's also a place where anybody can publish anything.
37 comments:
Should children of illegals be allowed to go to public schools? Why or why not?
I think that children of illegals should not be able to go to public school. This is so because, for one their parents do not pay taxes like the parents that do pay taxes. Another reason why these children should not be able to go to public schools is because the children may not know how to speak English or proper English which could cause them to be teased and tormented in school.
Should the current illegals that are here now be given the opportunity to become American citizens? Why or why not? If so, under what conditions? If not, what should happen to them?
I think that the illegals that are already in the U.S. should be able to have the chance to become American citizens. They should at least have the chance to become American citizens since they are already in the U.S. Instead of them becoming citizens in the, what I think, ten year period it should be cut in half. We should also let them become citizens because they have jobs and are not paying taxes with the pay they receive.
Should prevent future illegal immigrants from coming to America? Do we need to build a wall? Increased border patrols? Or, should we relax our immigration restrictions so that more people can share in the American dream? Why?
I think that we should increase border control to prevent future immigrants from illegally coming in to the united states. We should do this because we need to stop the immigrants from continuing to come to the united states. This will cost more money ang the government needs to devise some kinda financial plan to get this started.
-Brentson Taylor
4th Hour
I believe that children of illegal immigrants should not be allowed to go to public school for many reasons. The first reason is that the public schools are having money and funding issues around the country. These illegal immigrant’s children who go to public schools cost the school money which it should not have to pay simply because these people are illegal. The other reason is because if these people are allowed in schools, then other families will come into America to get better educations for their children. I believe the illegal immigrants here now should not be able to stay here and get citizenships. This is because these people are taking jobs needed by Americans who are jobless and homeless. It is hard to find jobs now a day and the job positions currently held by illegal immigrants are ones much needed by the jobless and homeless. The illegal immigrants should be taken back to there native country where they belong. Okay, you can make an argument that I am being a little harsh, I mean people are illegally coming here to live the American dream, and they are trying to escape what could be horrible living conditions in their native countries. While I feel we do need to increase border control and have a way to track where people visiting from other countries are, I feel that we should try to help countries governments (not by force and war like in Iraq) such as Mexico’s so they can create good living conditions for their citizens.
Jacob Trunsky
4th hour
Children of illegal immigrants should be allowed to go to school because no child should be deprived of learning and achieving success. Some may have came across the border, whether as a tourist or not, with their parents not knowing what is going on and some may have been born here. Such illegal immigrants only came to America to better their lives and the lives of their children, so robbing those children of a better future and life is just the same as robbing a child that was born American. Illegals that are here should be allowed to become American citizens because they are hardworking and they can help on the circulation of money in America, and if the tax collectors wants them to pay taxes that’s a way to do it. I think only one condition should be given and it’s simple – if they break the law then they will be deported. They should have a stronger barrier to prevent the import of illegal drugs or substances; if they build a wall then there will be less illegals or maybe none at all. Border patrol should increase for the prior reason; if border patrol is relaxed then things could and will go haywire and then the once desired American Dream will be destroyed.
Nikita Faith Charles, 4th hour
I think that children that are illegal immigrants should be allowed to go to public schools because these children are not completely at fault, they were most likely influenced by there parent or guardian. I think that the main reason that people come to America is to escape bad conditions where they live and to improve and better their lives. Illegal or not they should still be allowed the right of education. I also think that the current illegal citizens should be given the opportunity to become American citizens because everyone deserves a chance. People can’t always control the situations they are in; they may have come to America to get away from a bad life. However I think that they should have to prove that their intentions are true. The government should let them live here for a certain amount of time and after that allotted time they should have someone go and see how they are doing. They should check for things like employment, housing, ect. This is how current illegal immigrants should be treated, but I think that the problem is going to continue if something doesn’t happen to prevent people from getting in. I believe that increasing border control is going to fix this problem. If the borders are where people are getting in then that is the source of the problem.
Emily P- 2nd hour
I think that the children of illegal immigrants should be allowed to go to our public schools. It isn’t their fault that their parents made the choice to move here. If we think about it, if we don’t let them go to our schools, in 30 years we will a generation of worthless, penniless, kids that didn’t have the opportunity to make something of their life. I do think that their parents should have to contribute something though. Since we pay the taxes for the schools, there should be some sort of contribution made by the family to the schools. I also don’t think that we should prevent future immigrants but I think that we need a better system for it. With our economy already in ruins and problems with unemployment, I’m not saying they shouldn’t get to come here, there just needs to be a more efficient system.
Kelsey K. 4th hour
What I think is that the children should have nothing to do with their parent's actions. For most it wasn't their decision to move to a new country, nor was it their choice to leave the one place they call home. Every child should have the right to go to school, get an education. Without it what would they do in the modern day? Where would they go? It not their falt that their parents are illegal immigrants. So why ruin their lives when they are already faced with family troubles and other hardships? Though there is the argument of payment for school, taxes ect. I still think that the kids should be allowed to go to school.
I don't think that we should allow them to become full citizens because if we allow that, we're welcoming more illegal immigrants into our coutry, thus kindling the fire. Instead I think that we should create a process to become legal aliens. To give them social security numbers would mean that we're rewarding them for accomplishing something illegal. They should at least go through the same standards as us though, just let them fend for themselves.
We do need to protect our borders and we also need to give punishment to any illegals that we find and not let them go.
Clare Andrew
Hour #4
1/27/08
Ha! First Comment!!!
There is debate on whether illegal immigrants should be able to have jobs in America and receive the benefits of citizenship. I look at this issue in different ways. I don’t believe that if you are not a U.S. citizen you should not be able to receive the benefits of a U.S. citizen such as healthcare. A reason illegal immigrants should not receive these benefits is that there is already problems with receiving health care for our own citizens and the government cannot spend their money on benefits of citizens of other countries. Also U.S. citizens have to pay a percent of their money to taxes, where illegal immigrants do not have to pay taxes. If there are 10 million illegal immigrants who are taking 10 million jobs without paying taxes, there is a ton of money that could be going to schools, police department, and much more but isn’t, because the jobs are being taken by illegal immigrants who do not pay taxes. I do think though that the illegal immigrants should be allowed to apply for citizenship under certain conditions. The illegal immigrant cannot go on welfare, so they must get a job. The immigrant must pay the taxes that a U.S. citizen must pay. And the immigrant cannot receive benefits on healthcare until they have a job and pay all their taxes.
Jacob Rubin
BLOG 4a
I feel that children of illegals shouldn't be allowed to go to public schools. I know that it isn't a child's choice to be an illegal immigrant or not, but its simply not fair to the tax payers who work very hard to obtain the money that they have to pay in order to keep these schools running. Being an illegal immigrant and going to a public school is like stealing money from tax payers. I feel that current illegals should be given the opportunity to become American citizens, because now that they're living in America I feel that it would just be cruel to not let them become legal. If they are coming over here it is clear that they'd rather be here then their country of origin, and I think it would be wrong to send them back. I think it should require some work to become an American citizen, but nothing too out of proportion considering immigrants usually work very hard, and have little money to waste on some unfair bills they have to pay to become an American citizen. I think we should find a way to prevent future illegal immigrants from coming to America. I don't think we need to build a wall, but we do need to increase border patrols, because its unfair that American citizens are paying taxes so the illegal immigrants can flourish in our country.
Katie Rothenberg
4th hour
The United States has lot of problems, one of them being illegal immigration. Immigrants have been coming into, and staying in America for several years now, and many question have arose on the topic, but few have been answered thus far.
One question with illegal immigration is education. Should the children of illegal immigrants be allowed to attend public school. I think that they should not. If they were not allowed to attend public school, some would say that that is unfair and wrong. However, if you are not paying your taxes to the school system, or to anyone, you are in a sense stealing education.
Another question is should the current illegal immigrants be allowed to stay in America, and become citizens. Seeing as there is little to nothing that we can do to find and remove 12 million people from the United States, it would not be a bad idea to let these immigrants stay in America. Things is, since they have been getting by in the way they have all this time, some special conditions and promises have to be made and kept. These illegal immigrants have to pay their taxes, and somehow make reparations to the government.
Preventing illegal immigration is a daring task any way you slice it. Some resources should be put into preventing and controlling it, but America has bigger problems than illegal immigrants at the moment. We don’t have the time, money, or manpower for an increased control on the border, and how are we going to build a thousand mile wall?
When you consider that these propositions are coming from the government that couldn’t even rebuild the levies in New Orleans to keep the water from getting in, we have a long way to go before illegal immigration has a solution.
Chris Andersen
4th hour
Yes I do feel that he children of the illegal immigrants here now should be able to attend public schools. Hopefully if they attend public schools throughout there life they will grow up and not make the same mistakes that their parents made. But I feel that they should only be allowed to attend public schools through elementary school or they should give there parents a deadline in which they have to become a legal citizen in the country. But I really don’t think that they should allow the kids to go school and be labeled as illegal immigrants all of there life. If other people find out about the kid being an illegal immigrant then those kids are going to be labeled as illegal immigrants for the rest of their life. And they are probably going to get talked about for the remainder of their school years.
Courtney Pace
4th hour
I don’t think children of illegal immigrants should be allowed to attend public schools. If you are an illegal immigrant you don’t pay taxes, so they aren’t contributing to the public school system, so their children would be getting free education which I don’t think should be allowed. I don’t think current illegals should be granted citizenship, they should of filed all the paperwork to become a citizen and been granted citizenship before entering the country. Illegal immigrants should be shipped back to their homeland and go through the citizenship process like everyone else. I know some illegal immigrants come for a better life and to do good, but some come for the wrong kinds of reasons and contribute to crime, unemployment rates and overpopulation. Giving illegal immigrants American citizenship just because they live in America isn’t right. I’m not sure what to do with all of the current illegal immigrants, but giving them the opportunity to be citizens just because they live in America just wouldn’t be right. As far as for the future, I do think in a sense we do need to build a wall. I’m sure if we built an obstacle like a wall it could significantly reduce illegal immigration. We must reduce illegal immigration because illegal immigrants can overcrowd hospitals, commit crime, and have jobs which are taken away from American citizens.
David Rogers
2nd Hour
In my opinion, I really do not have a problem with immigration unless it is illegal. Without the papers, I think they shouldn't be able to come here unless they have papers. But, if there able to get through though I won't have a problem because that's the government's and the border patrol's fault. If a family of illegals are able to get through the border, I think that the children should be able to go to school because if the children move here and want to learn the american culture, what a better way to then to send them to school. Nobody will know about them being an illegal and the children would be able to have fun and become friends with American children. I think that if the illegals are already here, I think that they should be given the oppurtunity to become an American citizen because it would be a waste of time for the government to just send them back. I mean, why not give them and chance and never have that monkey on their back that there an illegal immigrant. The conditions of these papers that say they can be a U.S. citizen is if they have enough money to afford a shelter, if they can speak English, and if they understand the rules in the U.S., then they can become a official U.S. citizen. Overall, I think we should relax our immigration resrictions so that more people can live the American Dream because if the illegals want to come to American so badly, then let them come here because they just want to live life and see what the American culture is like. In conclusion, if the illegals get through the border I think they should be able to become a U.S. citizen, send there children to school, and have our government relax on the immigrant restrictions.
Mike Moffat
2nd Hour
A big topic in this election year has been the candidates' stance on illegal immigration. There are an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States currently w/ approx. 400,000 coming in every year. Most of these folks have arrived as tourists and have overstayed the terms of their visas so they are not the ones that you might envision sneaking across the border in the middle of the night. In order to survive, many of the illegals take jobs that don't require Social Security numbers or they find employers who don't do background checks. Many of these jobs are ones that some Americans don't want. So, these folks are criticized for not paying their taxes. Yet, I wonder, how can they pay their taxes if they're not allowed to have a SS card or #?
So, my questions for you concern the future treatment of illegal immigrants:
1. Should children of illegals be allowed to go to public schools? Why or why not?
2. Should the current illegals that are here now be given the opportunity to become American citizens? Why or why not? If so, under what conditions? If not, what should happen to them?
3. Should prevent future illegal immigrants from coming to America? Do we need to build a wall? Increased border patrols? Or, should we relax our immigration restrictions so that more people can share in the American dream? Why?
I do not think children of illegal immigrants should be penalized. I think these children should be allowed into the public school system. While their parents would be illegal, if they were born in the United States, then they should be considered citizens, and therefore have the rights that all citizens have. I may have a less frequent opinion than others, but it’s what I feel. Personally, I think the current illegal immigrants should be allowed the chance to become American citizens. Now, someone could make the opposite side of the argument and say they should be able to become American citizens for three reasons. Number one: they’re simply bad people. Number two: they just do not care that they have overstayed their visas and welcomes. Number three: they’re taking citizens’ jobs. I think current illegal immigrants should have the option of becoming American citizens. This would be for one reason. I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt that they are not just evil. They have overstayed their visas because something that they do not want to go back to is happening in their home country. I think we should keep an eye on borders, but at the same time, we should go to wherever the most immigrants are coming from and see if there is something horribly wrong. If there is, I think America should let up border patrols to that country or those countries if possible. I think building a wall would be totally unnecessary and ridiculous. If something was wrong, we should help those people live the American dream honestly, not the way they are living currently if they are illegals.
~Jessica Morrison~
Illegal immigration has become the hot topic this year, and has been for the past couple of years. From Bush’s address to the nation on immigration policy, to rumors of a wall being put up between the US and Mexico, illegal immigration has found its way into the nation’s political agenda; and it isn’t going anywhere without a fight. It is easy for the United States, “the land of the free” to just give these people the boot. It is easy to say no. It is easy to go in, find these people, and throw them out of our country as if they were never here. But what if we were in a role reversal? What if Mexico was the opportunity for us to be free? And what if we didn’t have the resources, the money, the patience to legally make our way to the place we so desperately wanted to be? If you and I had illegally snuck into Mexico, and had made a living for 25 years, would you think it would be right for us to be suddenly taken away from the country we had been loyal to for over 20 years? In my opinion, the United States of America has no authority to purposefully reject anyone from their right to freedom, whether they be of black, white, green, orange, or purple skin. While we must protect our borders, we have no right to exile persons from this country who have loyally served it since the day they arrived. So yes, I believe that children of illegals should be allowed to go to public schools. Yes I believe that current illegals that are here now should be given the opportunity to become American citizens. And finally, for the time being, I do believe that we should prevent future “illegal” immigrants from coming to America. But the solution is not to build a wall, not to use brutality, not to use force. It is to make Mexico (in this situation) a better place, so that these people won’t be fleeing their country to find refuge, to find freedom. We should create freedom in other places (however not at the expense of another culture, another religion, or another way of life (i.e. crusades)), so that these people will not have a reason to illegally break into our country. And that is MY stance on illegal immigration.
Tyler Friedman
4th Hour
Illegal immigration is a large topic this year, during the presidential debates. To respond to the first question, I do not think that children of illegal immigrants should be able to go to public school. I think that they are robbing the American taxpayers who pay for public education. One other reason that I think that children of illegal immigrants should not be able to receive a public education, is that many public school districts are already short on money and if illegal immigrants are able to go to school for free it will only continue to put the school districts into debt.
To address the second question, I think that some illegal immigrants that are currently living in America should be able to become citizens. I think that if the illegal immigrants could prove that they had a steady job, were educated, and had not committed any crimes, they should be able to become American citizens. If they became American citizens they would then be able to send their children to public schools, but they would also have to pay taxes like all other Americans.
Lastly I think that we need to do something to restrict the number of illegal immigrants coming to America. I do not think that building a wall or stepping up border patrols would do much good. I think that the money could be better spent, on forcing companies and employers to run background checks on employees and to make sure that all employees have a social security number. This way even if the illegal immigrants could get into the United States, they could not find any work, so they would have to return to their home country or try to gain legal citizenship.
Todd Sekmistrz
4th hour US History
Children of illegal immigrants should be allowed to go to public schools because they are only children and most likely it isn’t their fault that they’re here. Also if they aren’t allowed into schools and they grow up in America there will be a lot of uneducated illegal immigrants who can’t do anything with their lives because they’re uneducated. Having educated illegal immigrants who can make a good life for themselves is much better than having uneducated immigrants. Current illegal immigrants should be given the opportunity to become US citizens but they should have to pay fines because they are illegal immigrants. They should also undergo a short probation period of 6 months to 1.5 where their citizenship is limited. In order to keep illegal immigrants from entering the US we need to increase border patrol. That way it doesn’t seem like we’re excluding ourselves from the world but we are still keeping illegal immigrants out. Also we should require more employers to perform background checks, to catch illegal immigrants. Anyone inside of the United States, including illegal immigrants in the country should have the opportunity to become a citizen, however if they are caught they should be deported to their own country.
Robbie L.
I think that since the illegal immigrants are already here, the children of the illegal immigrants should be allowed to attend public schools. I think that it was most likely their parents’ decision to immigrate illegally to the United States, and therefore, the children should not be punished. Again, since the illegal immigrants are already here, I believe that they should be given a chance to become American citizens. I think that they should be given a certain amount of time to prove that they should be allowed to become an American citizen. I think that if they stay out of trouble with the law, and they maybe perform community service or something, they should be allowed to stay in America and become a legal citizen. I think that it might be a good idea to increase border control in the future. I don’t think that it will be terrible if there were a few illegal immigrants, but I don’t see any reason why the immigrants should have to be illegal. I think that it is reasonable in saying that these immigrants should immigrate legally instead of illegally. I see no reason in why the immigrations should be illegal, when the immigrants could legally immigrate to the United States.
Sidney M.
2nd hour
I believe that illegal immigrants should not be allowed in America. I can understand why people from other countries like Mexico may want to come here. Countries like Mexico do not have fresh water, and many people are poverty stricken. Although all of these may factor into the reason why they want to come here, I do not think that it is fair to the American citizens who were born and raised here. The economy is bad enough for American citizens already, but illegal immigrants are taking jobs away from legal Americans. Also they are not paying taxes that other Americans are, giving some illegal’s free insurance and benefits. I am still undecided on whether or not building a wall is the right decision for America or not. On one hand it would potentially keep illegal immigrants out of the country. Although this may keep them from getting in through the Border States, there would still be other ways for them to get into the country. One of the reasons I don’t think they should build a wall, is that it would raise our taxes even higher than they already are. As of right now, I believe that we should tighten our border control so that it is harder for illegal immigrants to enter the country. We should definitely not relax our border so that they can share the American dream, because if they were true Americans they would go through all procedures, so that they could openly have all of the rights of being an American citizen.
Katie B.
4th hour
I feel that children of working illegal immigrants should be given the chance to go public schools within their areas. I feel if these immigrants are trying to make a better life for not only them but their children then why would we send them back? People born in the United States are extremely lucky. We have things that some countries haven’t even heard of before. Our working conditions are like heaven to other working conditions within other countries. We’re just privileged compared to other countries. I wouldn’t understand if our up-coming president made a law about illegal immigrants not being allowed to grant citizenship. I think the immigrants actually doing something to better their life should be given a chance to stay in the States but the other immigrants that are smuggling drugs and just no good should definitely be sent packing. I feel like our border control could use a little help, building a wall would definitely help prevent the rush of illegal immigrants. But at the same time I don’t think we should put a lock on our country, we should still share the “American Dream” weather they’re American or not.
Bianca Kea
4th hr.
In general I don't believe in illegal immigration, but there isn’t anything I can do about it. Illegal shouldn’t receive all the perks of being a true American citizen like going to school. They passed the border one way or another and are risking everything to live in the United States ILLEGALLY. If they sent their children or even themselves to school that is going over the top. They are living here and should slowly Americanize themselves beginning with getting a job. The illegals that are currently here should be given the right to be come American citizens because, even though they broke the law they obviously have reasoning and if they are wiling to do what ever it takes (brutal work conditions in mines for example) they deserve the citizenship. I think we should build a wall across our border and increase border patrols. There are so many illegals living here right now that it’s hard to keep track of them. Our ancestors earned their lives slowly, as should they.
My thoughts on illegal immigration contain mixed views. First of all, I believe that an education should be available to anyone, whether they broke the law or not. An education for a child is a priceless gift. We cannot punish a child for what there parents have done. However, this will not make my decisions on the other subjects and more lenient. For those who are already in the U.S. illegally, they should not be given a better chance to become a U.S. citizen than someone else who has obeyed the law. They must wait in line just like everyone else. They should be sent back to their country until they can become a citizen. I also believe that immigrants should be prevented to a certain extent. More immigrants should be allowed to become citizens, but at the same time, border patrol should be increased. Furthermore, a wall does not seem suitable to prevent people from coming across the border. If they desire it enough, a wall is nothing. More security should be enforced to keep illegal immigrants out. One great solution to all of this is to require Social Security numbers and background checks for all jobs. If these are enforced, there is much less of a drive for people to illegally immigrate to the U.S. Ben Zakaria
The illegal immigrant situation is a very hot topic in this presidential campaign. In my opinion children of illegal immigrants, who were born in the United States should be allowed to go to public schools and have the benefits of all American citizens because that is what they are an American citizen. We should not be allowed to punish the children for what there parents are or are not. For illegal immigrants already living in the U.S. we have to figure out a plan to integrate them into the American society and at the same time not allow all immigrants in so that other families that were born here and have lived here all their lives do not lose their jobs. We should make some American citizens but we can not allow all of them to be citizens. I think that we must prevent future illegal immigrants from entering the country. The reasons for this are that immigrants are coming in and taking jobs from American citizens and they are using our public systems and institutions without paying the taxes that keep them running. We should not relax our immigration restrictions or build a wall because these ideas would cause more problems than they would solve. Increased border patrol in my opinion is the best idea that has presented itself thus far.
Daniel Mooney
2nd hour
1. No I do not think that children of illegal immigrants should be able to go to public schools. The reasons are for one, they are in this country illegally so why should they be able to have the benefits of a public school system.
2. I think that the current illegal immigrants living in our country, should be able to become citizens as long as they past a citizenship test, and continue to live a good lifestyle.
3. I think we have to prevent anymore illegal immigrants coming into our country. Its become a huge problem and hot topic for debate, in the presidential race for example. Building a wall and increasing border patrols would work the best.
No, children of illegals should not be allowed to go to school, THEIR PARENTS DON’T PAY TAX MONEY!!! Since they are paid under the table there is no tax money from that kid’s parent, meaning the state is giving the school money for that kid from someone else’s tax dollars. There education is not our responsibility, there parents came here to find a better life for them and their family, that’s fine with me, but to come into our country they have to follow the rules that we live by!
Yes, illegals that are here now should be given an opportunity to become citizens there part of our country and we have to accept it. They work there butts off to survive, and this is how America all started, were all just a bunch of immigrants coming to live in America, only Native Americans can claim that they didn’t immigrate here. Just give them a Green Card and wait like the rest of the immigrants 15+ years to get your citizenship.
To prevent future illegal immigration make it easier to become a legal immigrant. People wouldn’t come here illegally if they could do it legally. But as American’s we made it impossible to immigrate here, you either have to have money our power in some other country to come to the U.S. Boarder patrol is tight enough the few that do come into the U.S are desperate, many die a brutal slow death just trying to get here, so its not the board patrol that isn’t doing their work.
Mostafa Bendali-Amor
3rd Hour
I think the children of illegal immigrants shouldn’t be allowed to go to public school. It doesn’t make sense that someone who isn’t paying taxes and isn’t a citizen should be allowed to use our school system paid for by taxes. However, I think they should be allowed to go to private school considering they would have to pay for it out of their own pocket. I think the current illegal immigrants should be allowed the chance to become a citizen, but I think only under certain circumstances. They should have a set specific amount of time in which they are allowed this opportunity and if they exceed this time period they should be deported back to their original country. I think somehow a new system needs to be made in which they keep stricter tabs on the people coming in and out of the country. Somehow tracking the specific citizens amount of time spent in our country and they should be given a frequency limit to ensure they aren’t just going back and forth while still living in America. I think that it simply isn’t fair to the registered citizens to have illegal immigrants using the countries resources and not paying taxes.
Jasmine Page
Should children of illegals be allowed to go to public schools? Why or why not?
I pick both, No they shouldn't be allowed to go to public schools because it isn't fair that American children are getting the same education as those that aren't allowed in America. I think that children of illegal immigrants should go to a private school, or another school out of the country because since their illegal, we as Americans shouldn't take responsibilty with their education because they aren't suppose to be in the United States.But then I think they should go to public schools because their parents are trying to make a better life for them, and giving them the same education as Americans, and Americans have a very nice education,and those that come to America illegally, are just trying to do best for their children.!
Jasmine Page
4th hour
1. Should children of illegals be allowed to go to public schools? Why or why not?
Yes I think children of illegal’s should be allowed to go to public schools because maybe the reason for the parents taking the family to the United States was because they wanted a good education for their children. But maybe they couldn’t afford to have their kids not be able to have a good education and a low income job. And since they are illegal, they wouldn’t have to pay taxes to the school, so that’s a plus for being in the us instead of Mexico or other places.
2. Should the current illegals that are here now be given the opportunity to become American citizens? Why or why not? If so, under what conditions? If not, what should happen to them?
Yes I think that the illegal immigrants that are now in America should be able to become a citizen because they are already here and why throw them out? They had already started a life here. But they would have to go through the process legally.
3. Should prevent future illegal immigrants from coming to America? Do we need to build a wall? Increased border patrols? Or, should we relax our immigration restrictions so that more people can share in the American dream? Why?
I don’t think we need to build a wall and waste money on it just to prevent more illegal immigrants from coming across the border. But we should have a little more guards to try to prevent a whole lot of illegal immigrants coming across the border and getting away with not paying taxes.
jourdan garlinghouse
2nd hr
I think that children of illegal immigrants should be allowed to go to public schools because they are still children and need an education. The current immigrants that are here now should be given the opportunity to become American citizens under certain conditions. And for the ones that cannot become American citizens, they should have the right to stay in America. I do not think that preventing illegal immigrants from coming to America will do anything because they will still find a way to get in. It would be useless to build a wall because it would cost a lot of money and it would take very long to build because the border reaches from California to Texas. The immigrants would probably try to climb the wall at night like the people did when the wall was built in Berlin. Increased border patrols may not help because some people would try to sneak around to get out. I think that the government and some Americans overreact when it comes to illegal immigration because most of these people are leaving their families to come to America so they can get a job and support their family. We should loosen up our immigration restrictions so that more people can share in the American dream because everybody should get the chance to be happy and be able to support a famiy.
I think the current illegal immigrants that are here in America now should be given the opportunity to become American citizens. I’ve seen documentaries and reality TV that features young adults who have lived most of their life illegally in America because their parents never received citizenship or thought of their child’s future as an American citizen. These young people have worked really hard in school and could have a very bright future ahead of them, but they can’t get into the colleges or universities of their choice because they don’t have a social security number. This limits many options for jobs and education, and sometimes even results in forcing them to move back to their home country. In this case, I don’t think it is fair that the process for citizenship can take years and years, or possibly never happen for some, especially for those who are only in the situation because of their parents’ mistakes. I know the process is a long one because there are so many applications from immigrants or non-citizens, but I feel that there should be a way for those with good records and education to be granted citizenship faster. I don’t think the process should be easy enough that anyone could come here and be given citizenship without working for it, but they should be given the opportunity to have citizenship, especially if they can prove they will bring something positive to the country and its economy.
Christine Aiello
2nd Hour
1. Should children of illegals be allowed to go to public schools? Why or why not?
No, children of illegal immigrants should not be allowed to go to public schools. First of all, their parents do not pay the taxes that fund the schools. All other kids’ parents do. It’s unfair to allow someone to use a service if they don’t contribute their share in paying for it. Not allowing children of illegals will also reduce illegal immigration. Illegally immigrating would seem less rewarding if parents knew their children wouldn’t be allowed to go to school. The choice between no school and no taxes or both school and taxes would be an easy one to make.
2. Should the current illegals that are here now be given the opportunity to become American citizens? Why or why not? If so, under what conditions? If not, what should happen to them?
No, illegal immigrants currently in the U.S. should not be granted amnesty. Illegal immigration is a crime and should be treated like one. Allowing illegal immigrants to stay would be the same as allowing someone to get away with murder. Any illegals discovered in the U.S. should be deported back to wherever they came from. No exceptions. Allowing illegals to stay would only portray our country as a pushover and encourage even more illegal immigration.
3. What should be done to prevent future illegal immigrants from coming to America? Do we need to build a wall? Increased border patrols? Or, should we relax our immigration restrictions so that more people can share in the American dream? Why?
America needs to increase its strictness on illegal immigration issues. The best way to reduce illegal immigration is to make it seem less appealing. This includes not allowing children of illegals to attend public schools, requiring background checks for all jobs, and banning illegals from entering the U.S. after they are deported (even through the legal citizenship process). No education would take families out of the illegal immigrant pool. Background checks would take everyone else out. Banning entry to the U.S. would make more potential illegals consider the legal citizenship process. These solutions seem more effective and less costly than others such as a wall and increased border patrol. Why spend money on that when free solutions are available?
Stefan Rush
2nd Hour
Our country has many problems in its hands including crime, illegal drugs coming in and even illegal immigrants. Our country has to stand up and clean this problem. Childern are going to public schools , BUT how are they paying for school and even household payments? These people are taking jobs away from people who could use these jobs to support their family who are real U.S. citizens. So I think we should have a tightier watch on jobs to ensure that illegal immigrants dont take these jobs when U.S. citizens could pay for their childierns school.
For those immigrants that are already here should be gathered in a immigrant center to held for a time period so they can find a place to settle and leave the U.S.
While we still have millions of illegal immigrants in the states. Now to pervent future illegal immigrants from coming into the states we should have a tightier sercuity and more immigration stations to enforce immigrants to get passports I.D.s to get in the states rather then goin to jail if they get caught coming in the states illegally.
Lenny Rundblad
2nd Hr
I think that the children should be allowed to attend public schools. It’s really not their fault that they’re parent s decided to break the law. Besides, their education shouldn’t be compromised because of someone else’s bad decision. To give the people who came here illegally is a hard choice. ONJ one hand, because we know that they have a harder life in Mexico, we’d want them to be here, but not by the way that they’re using. But on the other hand, to let them become citizens without any penalty or even a fine really isn’t fair. If we’re going to let them off with just a fine, how bout we go to the prisons and find all the people that were put in there unjustly an let them get off with just a fine. We can’t let people who actually broke the law get off the hook, but people who were wrongly convicted don’t even get a second chance. As far as the future, I do believe that we need to find a way to increase patrol AND figure out a way so that it doesn’t take so long to become a citizens so that Mexicans won’t feel s if they have no choice BUT to come illegally.
I believe that children of illegal immigrants should be allowed to go to public schools. They have just as much right as anyone in the US to get an education. Even though they are seen as aliens to other people they should be allowed a normal education. If they weren't allowed it would be like when we had blacks and whites treated differently. They would have to get their education from home schooling or dont get one at all. I also believe that the current immigrants should be allowed to become American citizens. If they want to be Americans then why wouldn't we let them. I suppose if they didn't want to be Americans then they could have easily left. If they do eventually become American citizens they shouldn't be allowed any position that deals with the government. Like mayor, president, etc. We should keep our border patrols the same and allow only a certain ammount of illegal immigrants to come into the US. If we get too many immigrants in then there will be less room for everyone and less supplies. If the US had more room and there was enough money in the currency then we could loosen up the secruity. Overall, the US should allow a certain ammount of immigrants in the U.S. Too many although will cause lack of space and supplies.
2nd Hour
Nick Theisen
I don't think that illegal immigrant’s children should be able to attend public schools. The public school system runs off of the money that the community pays threw their taxes. Illegal immigrants don't have to pay taxes which means that they don't contribute to the funds for public schools. Why is it fair that a poor American who has just as little money as illegal immigrants have to pay taxes for public schools but an illegal doesn’t even pay at all? Yes I think that all current illegal immigrants should be given the opportunity to become American Citizens. They should be giving the same rights as current Americans such as paying the same amount of taxes. I don't think that they should be able to vote for the first elections after they become American citizens because if you don't punish them in some way then other illegal immigrants will think that it’s ok to stay illegal for a while making tax free money under the table until they have enough tax free money to able to support themselves as American citizens paying taxes. Yes I think that we need to prevent future illegal immigrants from coming to America because they cost us a lot of our money to be able to support them. I don't that we need to build a wall, but I do think that we need to up the border patrol a lot.
Tyler Howe 4th hour
I think illegal immigrants should be sent back to their countries of origin and given the opportunity to apply for legal citizenship status. Children of illegal immigrants should only be considered legal citizens if they were either born in the US or have parents that have gotten their legal citizenship status. If the children don’t meet either of these conditions, then they should not be able to attend public schools; otherwise they should be given full rights as an American citizen. Current illegal immigrants should be given the opportunity to come legal only if they pass an English reading, English writing, and a United States government test. This way they will be able to be productive members of American society and be able to live independently and support themselves and their families. We should defiantly prevent illegal immigrants from coming to America however, we should allow anyone who wants to live her apply for legal citizenship status. We should build a wall along the Rio Grand River on the American side and we should also deploy more coast guard ships in the river. We should also station border control agents at the wall to ensure that anyone coming over is a legal citizen of the US.
My view is that current illegal immigrants in the united states should be give the opportunity to become American citizens based on the face that they do so many jobs that Americans would never do. The things illegal immigrants do for the country a lot of the time goes unseen by the eyes of the people that live in it. If illegal immigrants did not do the jobs that a lot of them do such as garbage work, sewer work, which are actually to be thought of as low class jobs I don’t know who would. Not a lot of Americans see the good that illegal’s are doing for this country they only see the bad.
In response to question 3….I do not think that we should prevent illegal immigrants from coming to America because of like I said before all of the hard work that they put in to the low class jobs. Also I think that America should live up to their word and let the immigrants see this so called American dreams first had for themselves. In my opinion there should be a place by the boarder where immigrants go after the visas have expired so they can take a citizenship test and become Americans and live the American Dream.
Divon Shammami
Jasmine Smith 4th HR
1. I believe that children of illegal immigrants should be able to go to public schools. The reason why I fell this way is because children don’t have a part I the decision of where they are going to lay their heads every night, they just do what their parents tell them to do as they should. Think about if you were in that position as a child being told you can’t learn here because your parents made the decision of bring their family to a better environment to raise their family. What defense do you think that child would have; “why can’t I be taught, is it because my parents decided to provide me with a better environment that I lived in before, I’m sorry”, yeah I don’t think so. So this is the reason why I think those children in those types of situations shouldn’t be punished for trying to go to a public school and get a better education.
2. I believe that the immigrants that already reside here in the United States should be given the chance to become American citizens. Under the conditions that they do everything that an American citizen is required to do. For example they would be required to pay taxes, that’s the big one and they should also they should be obliged to do something as simple as drive with a license. With the regulations of any American citizen, they should be able to stay here in America.
3. I totally believe we should relax and loosen our immigration restrictions. The reason why I think this is because we all want what they call the American Dream. To me if I was the president or the leader of the immigrations in America I would be honored that people want to come to America and dwell in America. This also is a plus because they would enormously help increase our economy, because they would have t buy our merchandise. So this is the reason why I think we should lighten up on those policies.
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