Candidate Calculator 2008 Election

Path to Citizenship for Illegal Immigrants

Summary

In 2006, Congress rejected President Bush's comprehensive immigration reform package, which included citizenship-path-for-illegal-immigrant provisions. In 2007, piecemeal immigration legislation has been debated in congress as opposed to another comprehensive bill.  

Path to citizenship proposals in general apply to illegal immigrants who for more than five years have lived within the law, held jobs, paid taxes, and demonstrated attempting to integrate into American society, by learning English, for example. Under certain path-to-citizenship proposals, these people would have the opportunity to become U.S. citizens after paying a fine, clearing any back taxes and meeting other general citizenship requirements. Illegal immigrants who have lived in the United States from two to five years would have to leave, but could then return under the temporary workers program. Illegal immigrants who have been in the United States less than two years would have to leave but could apply for the temporary worker program.

Estimates of illegal immigrants in the United States vary from 10 – 20 million, and the rate of illegal immigration rises annually, more than 1 million a year for the past several years. Almost all of these illegal immigrants enter the United States by crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

Yes: Support Path to Citizenship for Illegal Immigrants

Like it or not, millions of illegal immigrants are entrenched in American society and will continue to come, regardless of proposed border fences or other security measures. Therefore, it makes economic, social and moral sense for illegal immigrants who have proven their character to integrate as openly as possible into mainstream society through a path-to-citizenship program.  

The United States needs the labor they supply. Path to citizenship would ensure that their income is taxed, the industries that hire them are regulated, and they are treated humanely by employer. Additionally, the more integrated immigrants become into American society, the less likely they are to engage in crime or fall into poverty, all of which drain U.S. public safety and welfare resources. Finally, America was built by immigrants. Every era in our history has seen waves of immigration from different parts of the world. Today is no different. They are pursuing the American dream and helping to create it.

Illegal immigrants are here and are not leaving. Better to accept the reality and work with them through a path-to-citizenship program than to push them into the shadows and foster a huge underclass of illegal immigrants that the government has little influence over.

You support this or similar arguments. 

No: Against Path to Citizenship for Illegal Immigrants 

Twenty years ago the United States passed immigration legislation that allowed illegal immigrants to stay and become citizens. Since then, the flow of illegal immigrants has increased, as well as the problems associated with illegal immigration. Path to citizenship is amnesty for breaking the law. Rewarding lawbreaking is wrong. Amnesty failed 20 years ago, and it will fail again. Path to citizenship will encourage more illegal immigrants to flood the United States, costing the United States billions in education, health care and public safety funds. These new illegal immigrants, emboldened by a path-to-citizenship proposal, will have under-the-table jobs that go untaxed, costing the government billions in lost income tax revenue, and take jobs away from U.S. citizens.

You support this or similar arguments.

Additional Information

 
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