by Olivia Bredbenner

Created on: August 03, 2008   Last Updated: January 21, 2009

Many years ago we were a country with open borders. That is how we became the great melting pot that we are today. However, we now find ourselves a nation in over our head. As we try to keep out those that in their desperation ,tried anything to come to our America. We now struggle with the realities that have fallen upon our shores. Now it has become necessary to tightly close our borders. The cost and the efforts, to keep the illegal out has now taken on a life of its own.

If we were to create a path to citizenship for those that reside illegally on our land. Some thoughts we may need to consider are:

* Will we be filtering through the millions of the illegal that we have assimilated into our culture of today?

*Would it work if we reached the earnest and hard working among them in a non- threatening way?

*Can we require them with the proper direction and guidance to follow a path to citizenship?

*Should it be required that an illegal be gainfully employed and live up to the responsibilities of being a citizen ?

If the illegal have already melded into our communities. Most standing at corners of our towns awaiting work. How can we in all honesty continue to use their skills and then complain about their presence at the same time. It seems to be a real display of our own hypocrisy.

Some of us have opened the doors of our homes to those that are hard working family men and women. Many illegal are building and as well cleaning our homes. Some are even caring for the children in our country. How can we pass judgment on other cultures and not know how to handle our own?

Perhaps those who have acquired citizenship can be part of a system to help others do the same. They would have all the communication skills and they are already accepted in their communities. Perhaps we can create real positions of employment for those that have proved themselves by being good citizens within their communities. Maybe if the stigma is removed from the process it would have a better chance of success.

There are some illegal with criminal intent, who have harmed our children and have committed crimes. It is the criminal element that should be removed. They are the "bad apples" that are spoiling our soil. They should be filtered out of the other illegal and swiftly deported. Our other illegals should expect to pay a fine as they enter into a program for becoming a citizen.

For those illegal that have been here in our country and have made a living and have raised a family. We should be able to reach them through schools and hospitals etc. Nevertheless, we will then have opened many complex issues. This is an undertaking that would take our on going commitment for many years. This will be an evolving cultural process during our lives and the lives of our children and grandchildren

.

Our country has incorporated many cultures into the fabric of our American lives. We can do it again. this is our challenge, this is our charge. Nevertheless, for me it far outweighs the vision and the complexity of tearing families apart and having them move further underground to avoid deportation. Only to have them return again and again to feed the hunger for our America.

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