From the beginning of the existence of people, individuals and communities have chosen to label others based on where they live, how they act, how they look, how well they conform. Though labeling exists, there are also places that call themselves melting pots of people, claiming that they don’t judge, but still, for some reason, have an aversion to accepting who they consider to be illegal immigrants. Welcome to America.
If America itself is a melting pot of people, with no truly indigenous inhabitants, what can really be considered an illegal immigrant? Everyone in the country is originally from a different place, even if you have to go back to the very first of you ancestors. What makes you an American, and theses illegal immigrants not? You became and American, why can’t they? Could it be the lack of the ability to conform, just from not being able to speak the common language? Or maybe it is because they act differently than you, and you find it strange and don’t want to accept it. The fact of the matter is, if there weren’t any illegal immigrants, then there wouldn’t be any us, as all of the original immigrants would have been illegal by today’s standards.
In every community in America and in the world, people expect others to conform to try to fit in. It makes people more comfortable, makes them feel more secure. When people- such as illegal immigrants- do not have the means necessary to conform, people don’t like to admit it, but it scares them. They come up with reasons like: “They take jobs that real Americans need” and “They’re dangerous”. It wouldn’t be a problem unless someone made it one. The issue of employment is a whole other issue.
Many Americans are against immigration because they claim that the immigrants steal the jobs from the Americans who need them. The fact is, many immigrants work for very low wages doing the jobs that no Americans will work. They do the jobs like dishwashing in the back of kitchens, cleaning hotel rooms, and picking fruit for the juices you drink so that the prices aren’t too terrible. Despite what most people think, the jobs that they do don’t steal from Americans, as Americans don’t want to do those jobs for such a low pay.
Just as the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights organization tries to help these so call illegal immigrants, I think it is our job to help immigrants as well. To begin with, we could try to accept them, rather than shunning them and having them try to get by on their own. Imagine this: if you had just moved to a new country with no money, a different language, and nowhere to go, wouldn’t you want help? Just as the golden rule states “Treat others as you would want to be treated”, these people need help, not scorn, and when you want help, wouldn’t you hope to get it? I believe that illegal immigrants should be allowed, as who here wasn’t originally illegal(based on the original immigrants)?