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First let me say that I believe that basics such as medical care, food, and clothing are basic human rights. As such I believe everyone regardless of immigrant status should have access to basic medical care and resources. What this issue brings up is the much broader topic of immigration practices and red tape.

I really believe the word "entitled" is really inappropriate for the subject matter. The concept of entitlement implies an element of privilege and illegal immigrants are disenfranchised from the system. People come to this country for what they hope will be a better life and we need to look at immigration laws and determine if we are making the process harder than necessary.

I have a friend who came to the USA from Mexico legally. He was sponsored by an uncle and through hard work eventually became an American Citizen. What I have been told by immigrants is there are two ways a person can move here legally. One is to be sponsored by a relative or an employer and another way is to enter the US via a student VISA. Immigration laws may have changed since then but I believe these are still the main standards.

In 1994 I worked at an office where I scheduled interviews for recruiters and college students. It was not unusual to see students from other nations earn more than one degree in the hopes that they could find an employer who would be willing to sponsor them for permanent residency. Unfortunately for them many employers do not wish to hire people who are not citizens or permanent residents.

Since when did something as basic as health care, food, clothing, and shelter become a benefit? As a government the United States has managed to fail even their own legal citizens by treating these basic human rights as entitlements. If I want to drive where I live I need a license which is a privilege and if I abuse that benefit then the license can be revoked.

The only reason why I am a citizen of the United States is due to my birth. I certainly haven't done anything to "earn" the privilege of citizenship yet no one would question me receiving health care if I'm in need. However this line of debate has the underlying assumption that anyone who comes here from another nation has to prove their worthiness in order to have legal status. While I don't advocate doing away with immigration laws and standards I believe the current system is archaic and needs to be change.

Learn more about this author, Marti Wilkinson.
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