by D Par

Created on: August 13, 2009   Last Updated: August 16, 2009

Absolutely, undocumented and illegal immigrants should have a roadmap to US citizenship.

Isn't that what we all want? We want these immigrants to be citizens, essentially to be legal residents and members of this great country. Sure, ideally they would come here legally and follow all the necessary steps to make that happen. But sadly, it doesn't happen that way.

So, what happens with these illegal and undocumented immigrants? They use services and put a strain on our government. Many don't pay any taxes at all. If we let them become citizens, all of them would have to pay taxes, thus alleviating much of the problem. Plus, they would be able to legally live in the US with their families, and therefore keeping money flowing in the US economy instead of the money being sent to Mexico.

Another issue with this debate is the labeling of these undocumented workers as "aliens", "invaders" or "criminals." These labels dehumanize real people, and make them seem evil. That stereotyping is wrong on so many levels. There are good Mexican immigrants, and there are bad Mexican immigrants. There are good white people, and there are bad white people. There are good Asian people, and there are bad Asian people.

We can't judge an entire group of people as one. In fact, most illegal immigrants are actually good people trying to make a living and support their families, and they would become citizens if they had the chance. Sure, there will be a small segment of malicious drug dealers, but these people can be found in every group of people.

These immigrants are not "terrorists", a laughable accusation that some want you to believe. Yes, they have committed a crime by crossing illegally. But haven't we all committed a crime? We don't call people who jaywalk or speed "criminals" when we talk about them. We're all criminals.

We've all done illegal acts, some of us more than others, but we all have the right to correct our mistakes and become productive members of society, not be chastised for our bad actions.

A lot of the opposition to immigrants strikes me as xenophobia. I see comments like "I don't want my kids to have to speak Spanish" or "I don't want to be taken over by Mexicans." These comments reveal nothing other than great xenophobia. Fear of foreigners, plain and simple. What's wrong with learning another language?

While I understand English should forever remain our primary language, we should expose ourselves to the world. Kids in Europe learn two, or even three,

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>