America has always been a nation of immigrants. Depending on who you talk to, immigrants have either built this country and made it what it is today, or they are destroying this country one illegal immigrant at a time. At least one scholar believes that America needs immigrants more than ever before. What do you think?
America needs immigrants
I found Zakaria's argument logical and quite convincing - the variation in terms of the different races and backgrounds of the citizens that comprise our country means that businesses will be attracted to our country, thereby helping our economic growth. Also, it seems foolish to advocate mass deportation of illegal immigrants as I feel that the logistics in terms of the cost and effort required to do so would far outweigh any disadvantages illegal immigrants may pose to the United States.
ReplyDeleteEdwin p. 3
I agree with Fareed Zakaria's argument that the U.S. needs immigrants. In theory, if we allow the illegal immigrants become citizens we could potentially become " demographically vibrant" by having more citizens increase the work force which means more producers which would increase the demand and our economy would eventually begin to thrive.
ReplyDeleteSince deporting illegal immigrants is not solving the issue why not approach this problem in a different way. Just think if we legalize illegal immigrants they would have to pay taxes (that's a lot of money) which means that could potentially lower the age of retirement which equals more job opportunities for youth, the government would have more money to spend (grants or go to our national debt) and maybe tax rates will go down.
Most people have a problem with illegal immigrants today because we are paying for their education (k-12), insurance (if they qualify) etc. while they are not contributing at all. And legalizing immigrants would fix this problem.
Jada P.2
I believe we need immigrants in America, they help us strive in our economy and help us learn by different cultural backgrounds. Every day when I come to school I see, Asians, Mexicans, Middle Easterns, Africans and whites. Now of course we all know they didn't just appear here they are all immigrants. How would we learn from each other? Who's to say that we shouldn't be a diverse country? Immigrants help America because they take blue collar jobs and help us see different views from the world.
ReplyDeleteImmigrants are fighting to come here, no ones fighting or trying to cross the border for a better life in Mexico or China? We are built on the American dream that if you work hard you have the power to better your life. I believe this is true because we've seen Bill Gates accomplish this. He's worked hard for every dollar he has. How? Well with the opportunity America has given him, the liberty and advantages other countries do not give.
We set an example with culture and business for other countries. We have different holidays, religion and race and we can see that whether we are at the store or school. Immigrants have helped shape America, for example this wasn't the white mans land to start with so, would that be double standard if we deported them? If we deport them what is that saying about America, our beliefs and how we were founded? The immigrants help America and if we deported them it would cost tax payer money and unnecessary tactics to get them out. If we did what the Canadians have done maybe we could see a positive change to the look of immigrants. We want America to grow culturally and economically. We can achieve this by promoting legal immigration.
SIERRA P.3
Zakaria proves a valuable point to Americans. I agree with his argument because immigrants are the foundation of the U.S. It would be contradicting to despise and deport one who's solely desiring better opportunities just like our country's past generations have.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the Dream Act is a brilliant plan. It allows undocumented citizens to work hard in this nation and be successful with the goal and security of citizenship. This would be beneficial to many of them since there's already 12 million living here and are reproducing rapidly in our borders. Clearly, the population of immigrants is still going to increase, so our nation might as well cease the opportunity and view our immigrants as a source of innovation. I believe that if we legalize undocumented citizens, they will be improve our economy through their labor and taxes. Overall, accepting immigrants with open arms will ultimately assure that we are a thriving and "demographically vibrant" nation.
Shania P.2
I agree with Fareed Zakaria. America needs immigrants to add to our workforce. The US is the only developed country in the world who's workforce can support the number of people retiring, and this is mainly due to the large number of immigrants that come to our country. Also, immigration is what has made our country so unique. We have such a good ethnic diversity, which is why our country is often referred to as a "melting pot". I also think that America needs immigration because immigrants bring their culture and ways of thinking, which contribute to the betterment of our society. Immigrants often come here to better themselves--to live the "American Dream." So who are we to disagree with that? Being a "demographically vibrant" nation is what makes the United States so powerful. We have people coming from all over the world who all strive for success and greatness, and who all will contribute to America in whatever way they can.
ReplyDeleteAlexis p.3
I strongly agree with Zakaria's argument and his stance on immigration. In a nation whose identity is so dependent on immigrants and prides itself in having such a diverse and distinctively "American" culture, I feel as if kicking out illegal immigrants or slowing down immigration is hypocritical. In addition, I agree with Zakaria's argument that immigrants make this country vibrant and continue to keep it far ahead of the rest of the world's nations. As Jada argued, immigrants will eventually allow our economy to thrive, and I see far more benefits in allowing immigrants to remain than in deporting them out of our country.
ReplyDeleteIn order to allow immigrants to help our country and our economy successfully, the U.S. government must pass legislation (such as the failed Dream Act) as soon as possible. If not, the United States will, in the near future, fall from its number one position worldwide.
Julia S. P.3
I am a firm believer in the statement of United States being formed by immigrants. I think that it is very hypocritical for people to want illegal immigrants to leave the country. I agree with Zakaria that the United States needs immigrants to remain vibrant. The various demographics of our nation, I believe, are the foundation for our culture. If the United States wants to remain on top with being one of the world's richest and populated countries, then we must allow immigrants to apply for citizenship. I think if we follow the steps of Canada by allowing self-application that it will make the process easier and, like Jada p. 2 said, increase the work force. It is healthy for the nation to continue to accept immigrants into our land because that, from the very beginning, is how we became the strong nation we call ourselves today.
ReplyDeletePamela P. 3
As a fellow human being it does my heart no good to say that I reluctantly disagree with Zakaria. I believe it is a beautiful thing to see someone achieve their American dream when they began with nothing but the clothes on their backs. However, the world has changed a tremendous amount since the 17 and 1800's. We do not need anymore Irish immigrants to settle the Midwest for agriculture. We do not need Chinese immigrants to build railroads from sea to shining sea anymore. America has grown to its capacity geographically (unless the next manifest destiny involves taking over Mexico and Canada) so rather than promoting immigration and adding more burden to the government (yes, legal immigrants become taxpayers if they find work, but that doesn't mean they are making enough to not be eligible for relief government sponsored relief programs) why not completely shut down the borders to ALL immigrants and take care of everyone already in America. America DOES have the power and resources to keep everyone out. It wouldn't require a police state to build higher walls and maintain much higher standards of security. All in all, we do not need immigrants because there is no longer a need from us for them any longer. It is a parasitic problem more than a mutual symbiosis.
ReplyDeleteBrian Wright p. 3
While I disagree with the thought of shutting down our borders, you make some very interesting observations. Immigrants played an essential role historically, but can they play a similar role today? I also like your point about paying taxes but also being eligible for government benefits; we might break even as a nation on that one.
DeleteI agree with you that immigration is not as needed as it was in the 18th and 19th century, however, I believe shutting down borders completely and barring all immigrants is extreme.
DeleteOne risk of closing borders is the consequence towards international trade and communications. The U.S. no longer lives in a time (circa 1930s) where isolationism will lead to self-sustainability. Especially with the outlandish and wasteful American quality of life. By barring immigrants, we reject people with language communication skills essential for international trade and commerce. Not many 2nd generation Asians, Europeans, Africans, or even Latin Americans are thoroughly taught their native tongue anymore. Plus, years of teaching an English speaker to learn another language is much more expensive than accepting an immigrant of the native tongue.
Second, many immigrants fill in empty jobs that most native-born Americans would refuse to fill. (e.g. Farm laborers, City Services, Gardeners, Domestic helpers.) Knowing the proud nature of most Naturally Born-Americans, such jobs would be very difficult to fill with zero immigration. (Seriously, I highly doubt anyone in Period 2 and 3 would settle for farming or cheap labor after going through all these AP classes.) Not to say that immigrants are lesser than Americans, but rather, they are the only people willing to fill all those empty jobs.
So, I believe that we should FACILITATE immigration. Have more restrictions and filter out immigrants non-beneficial to the U.S.
For zero immigration could lead to a stalemate economy like North Korea.
A thoughtful response, but I'll need your name to guarantee that I won't remove this post shortly.
DeleteBenedict
DeleteP.3
Brian I agree with your argument about the fact that we don't need immigrants like we did in the 1800's, but I also believe America set itself up because of the American Dream. America has provided opportunities for anyone to come over and accomplish any goal they wish to do so.
DeleteBut I don't agree with you on your opinion to shut down all borders. I believe by doing that America is limiting itself to prosperity and further exploration in all fields of studies.
Sunny
Per.3
I agree with Zakaria's stance on immigration. I think that America needs immigrants. America is know for being a melting pot, and this has been a true reflection of our economy. It is hard and nearly impossible to tell what our economy would be like today if there were never any immigrants present in America.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to deportation, there is neither the man power nor money to deport all 12+ million immigrants that are present in America. The easiest and best way to deal with this is to allow them to stay and help the economy with their work.
Ibukun P.3
Hi everybody!
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Fareed Zakaria that immigrants are a positive thing for our country! America has had a reputation of being a place where people from all over the world can come and pursue their dreams and I think that that's amazing because it has created such a unique and diverse nation.
Anyways, I think that it's really sad to do the mass deportation mentioned in the article because I think that it's unfair for somebody who was born here and automatically became a citizen to have more opportunities of accomplishing their dream goals than somebody who wasn't.
The Dream Act is awesome because it lets people come here and work hard to become what they aspire to be. They won't have be be in constant fear of being caught or deported.
Immigrants in the USA have done nothing to harm us, they come come here wanting to thrive and to take that away from them is mean!
Arby from period 2 (:
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
DeleteI agree with Fareed Zakaria because immigration is what makes the America. If in the past, the U.S allowed people to immigrate, they shouldn't deport them now just because they may increase the population and exceed its limits. Part of the reason this country is known to be the best is because of the opportunity they give. Also, the more immigrants we have, the better economy we'll get.
ReplyDelete-stacy p.2
I also agree with Fareed Zakaria that immigrants are needed in this country. America was built off of immigrants coming here and working hard to build this great nations. This country is known for being the "melting pot" of the world, and has strived off of all the diversity of the culture that this country offers. Not only do immigrants help improve the economy as Jada said because the U.S. population is aging and the potential of more unfilled jobs and talent shortages may impede economic growth, but they also bring language skills and international linkages which open new, global business and trade opportunities.
ReplyDeleteThere are several issues with the proposal of deporting: first of all it is very impractical to remove all 12+million immigrants as Ibuku said, but this also separates the us born children of the immigrants from the parents.
It seems like a more reasonable solution to allow the immigrants to stay and utilize their potential.
Natali A. P.2
I disagree with Fareed Zakaria because even though it is true that America is a country which began with immigration, the way that the government wants immigration to go is wrong. I believe this because I don't find it right to put the undocumented immigrants before the immigrants who came into America legally. I therefore don't agree with the dream act because it encourages more illegal immigration to increase because of what the act promises to the undocumented immigrants. A negative affect of the current illegal immigration is that the legal immigrants in this country have harder times finding jobs because the undocumented immigrants are illegally being paid lower wages, meaning that those who are legal are not getting the priority. Those who come into this country need to do so legally or not at all
ReplyDeleteTalin Miller, Period 3
I agree with Fareed Zakaria that America needs immigrants, however illegal immigrants cause somewhat of a problem. Yes, having immigration diversifies America and makes it a 'melting pot' but there needs to be some sort of immigration reform. Having illegal immigrants hurts our economy in a way because it causes people who are actually citizens of America to lose job opportunities because immigrants will take their job for lesser wages. Another reason is that citizens pay for the taxes that the undocumented people don't pay for. Undocumented citizens are also hazardous to the nation as a whole. If we can definitely find a reform to take the already existent immigrants without papers and allow them to go through a process which can make them documented it could help America. This shouldn't be done willy-nilly but it could prove to be a good cause in the long run.
ReplyDeleteAnju p.2
I totally agree with Zakaria's comments that immigration greatly impacts America. Immigration definitely boosts our economy since people are willing to work. As a result, they will be able to create jobs and give rise to many businesses, thereby bolstering the US economy. Furthermore, wages would increase in the process also.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I disagree with the policies that some countries, especially Canada, are taking. They should not be limiting incoming immigrants just because of their skill levels. If a country limited immigration just to peoples' abilities, it would lose diversity. A country cannot discriminate immigrants based on their skill levels since they have no idea what impact they will have on their country.
America was founded by immigrants from Europe in the early 17th century, so it is important to not that it still has a positive impact on us today.
Siddharth S. period 3
I do not fully understand Zakaria's introductory argument. My question is stated below directly below. My views on immigration are in the following paragraph.
ReplyDeleteZakaria says that other countries are not as "vibrant" as America because their populations are growing older which is extending the retirement age and leaving few jobs for the younger generations. America, he argues, is at an advantage because we allow more immigrants who in turn have children, increasing the number of youths in our nation. But the immigrants are coming from those nations which Zakaria has said to have older populations, which would mean that America's population would be increasing in its elderly population. And that would mean America is in the same situations as the less vibrant nations. And if he means to say these immigrants are benefiting us with their children, then what is happening to the people of other nations that is preventing child birth? Why are all the child bearing families only in America? I may be understanding this incorrectly, so if someone can clarify it for me I would seriously appreciate it.
As for immigration it is easy to see that illegal immigrants’ lack of contribution to the tax pool is not in any way beneficial to this nation. I personally don’t know of any other problems, but that does not mean there are none. Deporting all of this nation’s illegal immigrants will take away resources (I’m basically talking about money) that can be better allocated to face more pressing matters, such as education and health care reform. With that being said I still believe that something should be done to change immigration laws. Zakaria did say that dealing this this problem should be done sooner rather than later and I also agree with that, but I don’t know if spending energy on this at the present time is the most efficient use of this nations time, man power and intelligence. With regard to legal immigrants I am utterly indifferent. I see no difference in being born and raised in America and moving through the proper channels to live here legally. To sum it up I believe that illegal immigrants should be dealt with, but I don’t know how or when it should be done and legal immigrants are as welcomed as my neighbor’s baby.
Sarah McNair-Wilson
Period 2
I'm in favor of Zakaria's stand on immigration. It is certain that the American population has been greatly affected with the massive surge of immigrants. Although immigration has been a serious issue in America for quite a while, laws that have been passed to limit the flow of immigrants, such as the deportation of 12 million immigrants, have surely been proven to be ineffective. Immigrants will continue to find loopholes through these anti-immigration laws, so rather than spend millions of dollars to deport them we should be able to use them as sources to boost our current economy. The American economy can be strengthen through the use of immigrants by giving them jobs that the natives aren't willing to take. It is necessary for Americans to realize it by now that we are in need of these immigrants to keep our economy booming as stated in the article. After all the US is known as the "land of opportunities", in which immigrants try to pursue the American Dream to allow them to become successful which also results in the economic success of the US.
ReplyDelete-David P.2
I do not disagree with Fareed Zakaria's argument, it is accurate to state that immigrants provide a young, useful and diverse work force, and like anyone else, they do deserve the opportunity to succeed and thrive just as much as any other human being. However, Zakaria only briefly mentions the amount of ILLEGAL immigrants, and he fails to mention the impact they have on the average American tax payers wallet, this includes cost of education, medical, and other public services and the fact that illegal immigrants aren't paying taxes themselves. NOW, it would unfair to say that someone does not deserve a genuine education or service because they are illegal but they should go through the process of becoming a legal citizen. I understand that it is very difficult to become a legal citizen, but if the legalization process was more permissive then i find immigration completely reasonable, and according to Zakaria, our nation SHOULD be more permissive for the sake of a necessary work force to drive America.
ReplyDelete-Molly p.2
I thought Zakaria's arguments for immigration were strong. I agree that we do need immigrants to do the jobs as workers and manual laborers to get things accomplished for businesses. I feel though that we do need to be more conscious of the undocumented workers and make it easier for them to become legalized but that they should have legal documentation before we give them our jobs. The US needs to get away from following European culture on immigration because it is declining and look at how Australia and Canada are legalizing and allowing immigrants to thrive in their nation so that we can have more documented immigrants helping our economy meet its full potential.
ReplyDeleteMaddie Van Balen
P. 3
I agree with the view of Fareed Zakaria, undocumented immigrants in and almost certainly going to reside in the Untied Sates are an important advantage to the country. Beliefs and social morality aside, the deportation of undocumented immigrants would hurt the economy of the country in the long run and put us the situations other countries have already experienced. As Zakaria said, "No matter what people say, at the end of the day there is no solution to the undocumented workers issue that is going to involve mass deportation. The U.S. is not going to do that. We are not a police state". Accessible citizenship would only benefit the country and regulation is always necessary with consideration to multiple causes and effects of immigration, period.
ReplyDeleteMonica J.
Period 4
Everyone seems to be addressing this issue with the mentality that undocumented immigrants are generally parasitic in nature and are invading this "perfect" country for the sole purpose of stealing jobs and sucking the money out of the average American's hands. I see these people as I see any other person, attempting to gain any possible opportunity for a better life, whether they come from good or bad circumstances. In fact, some of these people are more like refugees, escaping circumstances that deny them and their families the liberties which we take for granted. Personally, my family and I immigrated from South Africa. Granted, we have done so legally and have obtained our greencards in 2011 through a long, expensive process that took approximately eight years. We plan to apply for citizenship soon, but doing so would take more time and money. However, my family and I immigrated to America for the exact reason I explained earlier: opportunity. South Africa, as you probably don't know, is a very challenging place to live right now. There is widespread corruption, poverty, unemployment, crime, disease, and many other social issues. Despite this, however, South Africa is a beautiful country, and home to most of our family and friends. My parents took it upon themselves to leave this beloved home of ours because they wanted a better future for our family. Thus, I partially understand the situations of illegal immigrants. They most likely are desperate to come here, but unable or unwilling to pay or wait so much for the legal process of immigration. I believe tax dollars should rather go toward making this process more affordable and faster, so that immigrants from anywhere and any circumstance could have a better chance of being a legal resident or citizen in this country. This welcoming attitude would steer immigrants away from illegality and promote following the law. The U.S. Government would help immigrants intead of allow them to illegally live here, and then maybe devote resources to solving domestic issues. For immigrants, legality comes with minimum wage, taxes, basic rights, and a better opportunity to obtain insurance, education, and other bare necessities of life. This will lead to a surge in America's working population, immigrants' income, immigrants' spending, and therefore the economy. Also, these immigrants wouldn't take jobs away from Americans because they'd probably still be willing to do the menial labor they do now. The children of immigrants would have a similar or better chance of being educated and impacting the future economy. So, immigrants can live here safely and freely, and Americans can live here without fear of immigrants harming their liberties.
ReplyDeleteJason Hartogh p. 3
I value and appreciate the perspective you bring to this debate!
DeleteJason you're so smart thank you for having an opinion
DeleteI can relate to Jason's argument because I too am an immigrant. I was born in India and my family and I moved to the states for the same reason most immigrant families move for: better opportunities. My family has also come her legally and are green card holder for 4 years now. And we definitely wish to apply for citizenship. But we are applying for citizenship because it guarantees for family job security. Its harder for immigrants to get a stable job to support a family without at least a green card. So in order to accomplish our "American Dream" we have to go through a much more rigorous process.
DeleteWhy...?
Sunny
Per. 3
I agree with Zakaria's arguments for immigration. I believe that we do need immigrants to do the jobs as workers and manual laborers to get things accomplished for businesses. One main reason I believe that we are better at immigration is because our nation’s foundation was strengthened by immigrants from the beginning. One pattern I see from European nations such as Germany and France, or from other nations such as Japan, is that many of their immigration struggles come from a “need to preserve their ethnic culture.” Most immigrant nations such as Australia, Canada, and America, were all established as colonies while other nations such as Japan and Germany are “Motherlands” of one specific ethnic group. However, such archaic thoughts have proven malignant to a nation’s demographic. The US needs to get away from following European culture on immigration and encourage immigrants to come rather than make it unattractive to an aspiring immigrant.
ReplyDeleteBenedict Mamaril
P.3 .
I agree with Zakaria's arguments and believe that they are reasonable. I feel that with the right regulations and system of immigration that a lot of benefits can be achieved from it. For example in Canada the application for legal immigration can be sped up for skilled workers so in result you're getting more skilled workers while providing diversity which a country like America thrives on. Deporting all the illegal immigrants is unmoral in my opinion and I do feel like that they can also provide benefits as well but we need to offer a bridge for them to earn citizenship or some status that has them paying for taxes so they are contributing in that aspect as well. The immigrants already here are here to stay and that's not the problem to focus on but instead the possible future illegal immigrants instead. The whole process of citizenship is what needs to be reformed because I think more immigrants can really help a country as stated in the article but our immigration process is so long and drawn out that most resort to illegal ways to get to our country. If you reform that system instead America can benefit economically through those immigrants's taxes and work while still staying true to the melting pot mentality of America.
ReplyDelete-Adrian M.
P.2
I agree with Zakaria's argument on immigration being vital to the nation's well being. Like what Ibuku had said, America is known for being a "melting pot" or "salad bowl" and through the diversity of cultures and ethnicity America has grown economically because of the diverse knowledge that people/immigrants can bring(offer) to the American businesses. Zakaria's statement of how these immigrants will help the nation with it’s new,” young worker, producers, consumers, investors and spenders.” Supports the fact of how economically and knowledgably rich the nation would be having them here.” and so the pros of having immigrants stay in the US out weights the cons they may bring by being here because they will help drive the US to an even better state than those countries who still follow the traditional European ideals of immigration and are struggling.
ReplyDeleteCrystal Kim
P.3
I agree with the author's statement that the "...issue of immigration needs to be handled sooner rather than later." But, I firmly believe that this problem needs to be solved much more rapidly than the author had implied. Illegal immigrants do not pay taxes; yet they use the resources paid for by taxpayers, which consequently leads to an increase in taxes. If an immigrant lives in America legally, by all means he or she should have the same rights as well as duties as that of an American citizen. But, an ILLEGAL immigrant should not be allowed to go about everyday life as if they have not committed the crime of improper entry. What is the point of the legislatization process when millions of (illegal) immigrants undermine its authority? Yes, I understand that moving an entire life, and even lives, to American is costly, but so is paying for the "American dreama and opportunities" for those here illegally.
ReplyDelete-Meagan Mandala Period 2
Some of you might be wondering why I chose to have you read this article at this particular moment in the semester. We are in the midst of discussing American political culture, and I'm curious if you think that immigrants add to or detract from our culture?
ReplyDeleteI firmly believe that at the heart of the anti-immigrant position is a deep fear that immigration threatens American culture; that a rapid influx of immigrants will cause this nation to lose that which has made us great.
I feel that people often hide behind the argument that somehow legal immigration is acceptable but not illegal immigration, but if every Mexican immigrant in this country were here legally, I still think we'd see a generous amount of nativism.
Time will tell if this nation will be able to absorb the current influx of immigrants into the culture; no nation, to my knowledge, has ever had to accommodate so much demographic changes in such a short amount of time. I remain optimistic that the same values (liberty, equality, individualism, etc.) that defines us as Americans will continue to define us despite our rapidly changing demographics.
What significantly separates America from other cultures is that we have a very diverse and what Zakaria likes to call a "vibrant" culture. It is not uncommon to be in a classroom full of different types of races. I come from a family of immigrants. My parents both came to America from Korea with the mindset of achieving the "American Dream". America needs immigrants. We are a nation built on the idea of liberty. I believe that prohibiting immigrants from having that chance defeats the whole purpose of what our nation was ignited on.
ReplyDeleteI understand that a surplus of immigrants may cause one to believe that it is negatively affecting our nation in the sense that they may be taking up our jobs or our space, if you will, but immigrants have shaped the way we follow our traditions today. For example, the Christmas tree and Kindergarten are both derived from German cultures. Had we not had German immigrants, our society would have celebrated Christmas without the tree or we would not have a Kindergarten system.
Also, if one is concerned with the plethora of immigrants, I believe McCain's Dream Act is a great incentive. The Dream Act basically states that a permanent residency will be granted if he or she has good moral character and has graduated from U.S. high schools or if he or she participates in the military or a higher education, the immigrant will be granted with a temporary residency.
I believe that accessible citizenship will only help America continue to be the top nation.
Tabitha Kim, period 3
I completely agree with Fareed's argument. I can only see immigration as something that would help this nation rather than hurt it. Immigration is what makes this country so diverse, not only in ethnicities but in cultures, beliefs, and customs. I think what some immigration opposers are forgetting is that most of these people come, not with the intent to steal our tax dollars and break the law, but to have a better life for themselves and their families. With that said, are there illegal immigrants that are breaking the law and living wrecklessly? Yes, and there are americans out here breaking the law and living here wrecklessly as well. We cant throw all dreamers under the bus for a few stupid people. If anything, instead of trying to deport illegal immigrants, we need to make the naturalization and citizenship processes simpler and easier. It can take anywhere from 2-23 years to recieve citizenship. But the system isnt static, so you may start out with a two year wait, but end up with a 7+ year wait. Even the process of getting a green card take a long amount of time, not to mention both processes also require payment. My mother, who did come here illegally, tried for citizenship, but simply gave up trying after waiting for 10 years. Even her green card process took over 3 years to obtain. And like most other immigrants, she came for a better life. She comes from El Salvador, and if you dont know about whats going on there, as well as in several other central american cocountries, i suggest you educate yourself on the matter. Gangs are rampant, the country is undeveloped, and overall, her family wasnt doing well there. Luckily, my father was able to help her, but some arent that lucky. My point is, we as a country benefit from immigrants, and to deport them simply for trying to pursue a better life is not the solution.
ReplyDeleteSavannah, p. 2
Zakaria makes a compelling argument and I do not completely disagree with him in the sense that immigrants have made "America demographically vibrant" which in turn have set us apart and made us a successful country. However I also do not completely agree with his entire argument that he presents. First and foremost John McCain stepped away from his "own creation" only after The President gained control over the Dream Act through executive action and took out the portion of the act that was concerning boarder security. The Whitehouse is not interested in securing our nation's borders, but instead is wanting to skip that step, focus on reforming immigration through other means and wants to give type of amnesty to the 12 million immigrants that are already her illegally. Not only is pardoning the 12 million illegal immigrants of their actions a slap in the face to ever legal immigrant in this country who went about entering our country the right way, it is also an invitation for a massive influx of other immigrants who would also like to take the short cut and enter illegally because they know there are no serious repercussions. Now I am not saying that we need to deport every illegally immigrant and as Zakaria pointed out that simply will not happen, that is morally wrong an impractical task, nor is it the answer. However, our national government needs to step in somewhere and somehow.
ReplyDeleteZakaria presents the question, is America "managing it [immigration] well?" And my answer to his question is no. I believe border security is the first step before any reforms can be carried through successfully. Border security would not only prevent another 8 million immigrants from entering into our country illegally bring the grand total to 20 million as Zakaria predicts, but it would also enforce the laws that our Nations should uphold. Secondly, because we will not deport the 12 million immigrants who are already in this country, nor should we, Congress must create a sensible solution that will not be a pardon, not offend already legal immigrants who went about things the lawful way, and also give them some sort of legal status. With that being said immigrants should be able to offer something to the US economy. Many illegal immigrants are taking advantage of the welfare system that are intended to help American citizens and are funded by tax payers. So not only are illegal immigrants not contributing to society by paying takes, but some are also eating up tax payer funded programs that are for in need American citizens. Furthermore, immigrants should be required to be skilled in some field of work and be educated in order to make a contribution to society.
Immigration is a tricky subject because in some ways immigration is benefiting our country- through diversity of cultures and demographic vibrance. However in more ways illegal immigration has become a huge problem that congress can no longer overlook or stand by and observe state results. The government needs to take action. America is the land of opportunity and as much as I support the American dream for anyone and everyone, America also does not give free handouts and fail to enforce laws. Immigration needs be addressed and everyone should take head to Zakaria's warning- That we are not learning from our mistakes, but "letting some of our most crucial advantages slip" and without action the issue of immigration will worsen to the point where there may be no plausible solution.
Jessica Heim Period 2
To be honest this article brings to point the main issue of what immigration does for other countries. Americans do not realize how much immigration has helped out our country, in both economic and political view points. But the area it helps the most with is the economy. As prideful Americans, we often feel that if we are to work somewhere it should be a place that has dignity and respect, so we often look over jobs that are hard and physical tiring. But immigrants take over these jobs for us, since they need the money due to the conditions that they are most likely living in aren't very favorable. But those who are often for more immigration reforms don't understand the importance that they hold. Like the example used in the article, Japan is currently one of the world leading powers that is suffering from major under population, in which one of the key factors is its extremely harsh immigration laws. In order to be allowed in Japan you need to have a visa for one of the three following: Student, work, or spouse visa. These also do not give you citizenship, meaning that you will have to eventually leave the country. This is one of the reasons why the country is slow declining in population. What I feel Americans still are unable to admit, especially hardcore nativists, is that this country is staying a float because of immigrants. now i agree that we need to somehow put an end to these massive influx of immigrants. But the laws that should be put in place should be able to balance out immigrants that are coming and immigrants that are either dying of old age or leaving the country. Through a solution like this we can begin to put behind us the argument of immigrants and focus on more important matters that concern us and the rest of the world.
ReplyDeleteJoseph Nunez
P:2
I found Zakaria's arguments to be intriguing and appealing to a more logical side of me.However, as a descendant of my Grandmother who immigrated legally to America from Nicaragua, I find it hard to take a clear stance on the issue of illegal immigration.Although my Grandmother did it the "right" way, she was still an immigrant to this beautiful nation none the less. So for me there is no clear cut black and white solution to illegal immigration because its a very gray subject. Illegal immigrant workers help form the backbone of not only American culture but also the American labor force so I don't believe that the solution is to just deport them. But then I remember that in America we have laws, and we like to follow those laws. Though I do find it ironic that some Americans can idolize a fictional character like Batman that does bad things to bad people for the greater good, but then turn their backs on an illegal immigrant that is working for them and their family's greater good. I find myself to be more lenient to the idea that we should give illegal immigrants the tools to become citizens of America and help continue to make this nation prosper as it has throughout it's history. After all this country was founded by people who were willing to go against the government and create a better life for them and those around them. I believe an immigration reform is due in this country and that it should not look to punish or provide amnesty to illegal immigrants but to truly benefit Americans and those willing to become one.
ReplyDeleteMatthew R. Period.2
Mr. Zakaria is correct when he stated that the demographically vibrant United States of America needs immigrants. When he said,"Business people will tell you that one of the reasons they still look at the U.S. as a very attractive market for the future is it will have lots of young worker", that's even possible thanks in part to the increase in immigration, and their increase in reproduction. Immigration seems to be helping to grow the economy. America shouldn't cast away people who are helping. That is not what America is. America is a world power who should be the example on how to do things. America needs to adopt smart immigration laws that welcome the immigrants who look to help and be productive members of society, like what Canada is doing. There is no point in kicking out immigrants who are already here, instead America should look to helping them to become American citizens who benefit America.
ReplyDeleteTyler Clausen Period 2
What is America than from the emigration of Britons to the so called newfound land? What is America than from the actions of the patriots who laid down their life, as many do today, in the name of liberty? What is America? Who makes up America? Who are you?
ReplyDeleteAmerica is the epitome of a melting pot of emigration from all over the world and to say that we are not or to interrupt/block the progressive demographic nature of our nation by persecuting illegal immigrants is incredible. If you preach your admiration and deep respect for this nation, are you so improbable to believe that an illegal or legal immigrant shouldn't believe or want to be apart of the same thing; or maybe no, and they are absolutely and totally driven by success or affluence.
What inclines people to emigrate to this country? The fact that we take in more immigrants? The desirability of America, of the American Dream? We have what many others do not: liberty and justice.
Due to a "fault" in humans, we Americans, are prone to sympathetics and greed. It's awesome to believe that we can be both. It is true that illegal immigrants lower the standard of pay and jobs in America and that they take American jobs, but what is the American Dream and how did it come around to be? From the American people, no? The same American citizens who are hiring illegal immigrants? Americans taking jobs from Americans? Oh heavens no!
It is of fault on both.
I believe it is wrong for illegal immigrants to be here especially because it is a complete slap in the face to immigrants who spent years to obtain citizenship however it seems this so called American illegal immigration "crisis" is inescapable. Instead of trying to remove the cause of illegal immigration, since it appears to be so inevitable, why not instead take control of what can be controlled, and grant some sort of degree of citizenship to illegal immigrants, by an almost matching sacrifice and by an almost matching process in which legal immigrants paid, to have them at least contribute legally to this nation. If looking for a solution to illegal immigrant fervor, other than the improbable action of mass deportation, renders us to the vulnerability of loosing some of our prestige, by all means make it rain!
What is America than but the reflection of the people of its nation.
America is beautiful, advantageous, and successful, and is a reflection of the people within it.
Kristian-Frankie Ripley
P.3
I agree with Fareed's argument. I believe that more immigrants mean more benefit there will be to US. One thing that makes me believe this that US has a unique culture that is a combination of diverse ethnicity and culture merged into one. So this 'US' culture will be ameliorated if there were more immigrants coming in to US making vibrant culture as Fareed mentioned.
ReplyDeleteyoung hohoho suh per.3
"American demographics remain very healthy...it is entirely because of immigration." America's demographics have always been different from those of the rest of the world. However, that is because America was founded on values fundamentally different from the rest of the world; colonists were essentially the first immigrants, craving liberty from the life of their native land and thus leading them to try to protect that same liberty for other incoming immigrants. Therefore, it is true that America is fortunate demographically due to its swell of immigrant population. While I agree with Zakaria's statement that America has an economic edge due to its growing population and diversity of immigrants, I feel that he is misled about the financial stability of America. I understood his words to mean that he believed that America was doing very well financially, and that is because of the influx of immigration. However keep in mind that this article was written four years ago, and while we are beginning to improve economically, we are still stuck a sort of depression. Now that is not to say that this is solely the fault of illegal immigrants, who could bring potentially innovative ideas to the table, more so than the government, who has let this problem go unchecked for so long with little progress on how to allow illegal immigrants to become legal citizens and prevent continued illegal immigration. When the article was written, it was said that there was a population of 12 million illegal immigrants. Those five years he mentioned is almost up, meaning that soon there will be 20 million or more illegal immigrants in America -- and it will continue to grow. While deportation is a solution that is disapproved of by many, due to the fundamental belief that everyone deserves their chance at the "American dream", there have not been many other solutions to illegal immigration which are ideal. In this I find a flaw in Zakaira's argument, for he goes quite in depth on the failure of a proposed solution to illegal immigration, but barely skims the surface of alternative plausible solutions -- merely stating the countries who have improved their immigration policies and are potential risks for surpassing us demographically and economically. Since the point of news is to gain public opinion on various matters, I feel that he should have been more detailed on how these countries evaluated their immigrant-friendly laws and the time span it took for them to implement them. Overall, I belief that the core theories stated in this article are well-intentioned but insufficiently tries to answer the questions that it proposes. Immigration is beneficial, but illegal immigration is a problem -- no matter which way you look at it, and something needs to change.
ReplyDeleteJulia Jacob, p.3
I believe that Zakaria’s approach on this topic is appropriate and influential. I concur that America needs immigrants for numerous purposes. America is seen as the land of opportunity, and if the immigrants were viewed as normal humans, rather than “aliens” hopping a border, as many Americans do, more people would understand and accept their optimism and aspiration to enhance themselves and their standard of living. Immigrants add diversity to the United States, which promotes America’s pride of its wide array of citizens and appreciation of countless cultures and beliefs, also known as the “Melting Pot”. Immigrants also amplify the workforce, like Jada and Pamela said. Immigrants are eager to work and earn money in the United States, so many of them settle for jobs such as working in the fields and picking plants, which are jobs not many Americans vision doing. The effects of immigrants possibly being deported is best shown in the Alabama immigration laws that backfired, and caused Alabama a lot of damage and loss of valuable capital. This article, http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/undocumented-workers-immigration-alabama , shows the negative effects of harsh immigration laws. All in all, immigrants should be allowed to endeavor the pursuit of the American Dream, which meanwhile they benefit the American economy.
ReplyDelete-Aubrie Jones P.2 (:
I agree with Fareed's statement that the United States of America needs Immigrants. I believe without immigrants, this country would lack an immense amount of labor force and cultural differences. Immigrants come to this country because we are a nation of opportunity and success. Personally, I believe Americans would not do any of the jobs we have illegal immigrants do at the moment. Americans would not do half of the agricultural jobs we have illegal immigrants do for a low wage, because Americans constantly need excess. Immigrants provide many different cultures that we embrace in the United States. Because of immigration, kids all over our nation know people originally from India, Nigeria, South Africa and Mexico. It’s beautiful to learn about other countries culture’s directly from someone who once lived there before. Personally, my grandparents emigrated here from Mexico over 50 years ago. My grandfather worked every day a week at a construction site while my grandmother did the same as a seamstress. My father was born in LA and raised in California his entire life. After years of spending parts of his life in Mexico and the U.S. my father decided to join the United States Marine Corps. If my grandparents never immigrated here, and worked their hardest every day of their lives, my father would not have been given all of the wonderful opportunities in this country.
ReplyDeleteKristina Per. 3
^^^^So I'm in Period 2, not 3. I'm sorry.
DeleteKristina Munoz Per.2
You're so smart! I agree that "without immigrants, this country would lack an immense amount of labor force and cultural differences."
DeleteJason H p.3
In his argument, Zakaria make 2 very valid points on the immigrants issue that I completely agree with. First concerns how the U.S. has decided to deal with an aging population. As a first world country, the U.S. does have to worry about an increasing aging "native" population. Like most first world countries, people tend to only have one to two children and thus, most first world countries' populations are shrinking. He mentions both Japan and Germany which I believe are excellent examples of this problem. In Japan currently, the government is in panic mode when it comes to it's population demographics because there are now more elderly in Japan than young folk. This problem is so prevent over in Japan that several towns have closed their maternity section of their hospitals because no one is having children. By allowing immigrants to come into our borders, the U.S. are guaranteed a workforce. However, I also completely agree with Zakaria's point that the U.S. is handling immigration regulations poorly. They say that those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it and I believe that is exactly what is going on in the U.S. today. We have failed to learn from our mistakes and thus, in terms of immigration regulation, other countries are doing better than us. Thus, it's time for the U.S. to stop "kicking the can" (as Zakaria put it) and start reforming out immigration policy.
ReplyDeleteNathalie Du Per. 3
While Zakaria raises good points on the stagnancy of immigration reform in the United States at the current moment - bringing up the optimistic birth and quick death of the Dream Act - his argument for immigration is one of population which is weak. Zakaria points towards other aging nations such as China stating that they're losing their youth and thus their most productive members of society and sees the rapid influx of immigrants(not explicitly stating, but referring mostly to the illegal population) as the reason the US still remains "demographically vibrant".
ReplyDeleteThe implication that we "need" over-friendly immigration policy simply to replace members of the workforce who age out and retire is a drastic oversimplification of the situation at hand. The problem is not with immigration, it is with illegal immigration. Referring to the CIA Yearly World Factbook(2013), legal immigrants(those without citizenship but maintaining legal permanent residence) make up 16.4% of the Civilian Workforce, a large portion of these being skilled or high educational jobs due to the competitiveness of the immigration process. Referring to a survey done by the Pew Hispanic Research group in 2010, illegal immigrants are approximated to be 2.4% of the Civilian Workforce. Comparing the disparity in figures, the 12 million undocumented workers clearly are not contributing as much to the population of the US as Zakaria indicated compared to legal immigrants.
I will not cover how optimal methods of dealing with the undocumented workers currently living in the US illegally because that is another monster of its own with two ugly possibilities in store for the future at their extremes: one where families are separated and the lives of these immigrants become a living hell fueled by draconian policy and hostile intentions or another where illegal immigration continues without minimal deterrent.
In order to find a realistic solution to immigration we cannot think in terms of optimistic cliches such as "the American dream", all doing such does is detract from the argument at hand and turns a logical argument into an emotional one. Illegal immigrants deter from the established process at hand and all in all are not only a logistical issue but an economical one.
Zakaria is right when he states that immigration does drive the demographical vibrancy of the US but his focus on illegal immigrants is incorrect. What needs to be done is cracking down on illegal immigration which opening the gates for legal immigration, those who wish to immigrate eventually will. Opening legal immigration does multiple things. For one, the US is able to sift through the pool of applicants and streamline the most promising candidates, those from good educational backgrounds with promising skillsets over those who will ultimately delve into unskilled labor. Unfortunately, allowing more immigrants with a guaranteed timeline, will still have illegal immigrants for those impatient from waiting on such a schedule perhaps enraged by their lack of priority but harsh regulation on illegals will prevent this. If we're going to look towards of a progressive future of immigration, we need to look towards a sustainable model for the future, not putting a bandage on the wounds of the present.
Udit Gupta. Period 2
I agree with Zakaria's viewpoint but I am also aware of the counterargument that can take place within this topic. Immigration has proven to benefit the United States economy and I 100% believe that the U.S would not be as technologically advanced and industrialized without immigration. However I do realize the issues such as overpopulation and competition within the labor force as well. I tend to use a more moral perspectve when it comes to immigration due to my personal beliefs and can't stand the thought of families being ripped from their homes and sent back to a country that obviously did not satisfy their needs and wants. Therefore I must agree with Zakaria and be pro immigration.
ReplyDeleteGino Franco P.2
I found Mr. Zakaria's argument to be very interesting, especially when he speaks about how our country is "demographically vibrant". In my opinion, the United States is a country made up of endless opportunities and should be open to accepting new cultures for the very reason that we are succeeding with immigration more than other countries would like us to be. Immigrating from the Philippines and going through the very long, stressful, and tedious process of acquiring greencards to be able to reside here legally was no walk in the park. We have all the intentions to apply for citizenship in the future, but just coming from this type of situation and background wasn't easy. However, my family and I came to America for the exact reason that America is the land of opportunity. The Philippines is a third world country and it's a very hard place to live and to make something of yourself. My parents only wanted the best for our family, which is why they sacrificed everything to get to where we are today. If I were to describe immigrants as anything, it would be refugees. Immigrants are simply people trying to build a better life for themselves and/or their families because they were deprived of this opportunity all of their lives. This is why I understand the eagerness of immigrants to come here. Granted that it took my family and I lot of time and money to go through the legal process, most immigrants don't even have that much. People who were born and raised on American soil, I think, tend to take advantage of the liberties and opportunities that they have had since they were born and don't understand what it's like to be brought up in places that don't have the means to offer any of that. I believe that instead of trying to find a way to keep the immigrants out, the government should be spending more time and money(from taxes) to make this process more convenient and affordable. After all, Zakaria said it himself, "We have this huge strength in immigration."
ReplyDeleteSamantha Leyesa Period 2
I do strongly agree with Zakaria in the sense that not only do we need immigration for a more demographically vibrant nation, but for economic revitalization and reductions in concentrated poverty as well. The individualistic America has proved successful over the years especially when it comes to how we have handled immigration. As Zakaria stated, we need to not let it slip through our grimy little hands if we want to remain the example of success for other countries. I personally am all for immigration because I don't see it as competition for jobs or unfair to Americans. In my eyes I see determined people who want to try and work as hard as they can to hopefully obtain a better life than what they were limited too prior to their immigration. Zakaria is the homie and he knows what's up.
ReplyDeleteNicole
P.2 :-)
I disagree with Zakaria. While our nation was built by immigrants, I agree with Brianna that our nation has greatly changed since its founding. We are no longer dependent upon immigrants for our workforce in any way. While I do agree that the economy will suffer to an extent by banning illegal aliens, I believe the pros out weigh the cons. For example, illegal aliens can go to our colleges and universities and can take our spots. We have been the lawful and abiding tax paying citizens so are we really willing to let foreigners come in and take our spots in our universities and colleges which in some cases have not paid a dime for? True maybe they do pay some taxes if they have jobs, but that just does not sit right with me because it's not fair to us American citizens. Furthermore, I disagree with the laws that encourage illegal aliens such as the one which allows them to obtain drivers licenses. I cannot comprehend as to why we should reward these illegal immigrants. However, I am not against lawful immigration by any means. I firmly believe we must make the process of obtaining citizenship and in the meantime bulk up our border control defenses by extending the fence to completely cover every square inch to keep illegals out.
ReplyDelete-Matthew Swart Period 2
*citizenship easier
DeleteMatthew Swart Period 2
I agree with him completely, America can benefit greatly from immigrants. Speaking as the son of an immigrant father who came here illegally, made himself a citizen, and now pays more tax money then most people; immigrants benefit the economy and they are also just people trying to have a better life, they are the American Dream
ReplyDeleteAlexander Pinon Per. 2
I agree with what Zakaria had to say about immigration and how it is a beneficial thing that happens to the United States. Immigration has shown to be a vital role in more ways than just cultural, it has also played a part in population size and in the economy. But, with that said, I do believe that there should still be some sort of process that makes it so that not just anyone can immigrate to the United States. For example, a test should be administered to prove that the immigrant has English speaking and writing skills. In addition to that, if the person or persons have had previous criminal records they should be put under a watch program for determined period in order to prevent crime being brought into the country. So, in all I believe that we should have some sort of standards by which we allow immigrants to live and participate in what makes America a culture melting pot.
ReplyDelete-Alexanre DuBois Period 2
Many developed countries are now facing population ageing. With a population top-heavy with the elderlies, many countries will have a hard time finding younger workers to replace and take care of the elderlies. Their social security programs will be hard to sustain with so many old people to support but so few young people to pay for them. Economic output will decline with a smaller labor force, translating into a slower economic growth. Not many countries on Earth hold the same allure as America to immigrants. So instead of shutting our door to immigration completely, we should take advantage of America's magical attraction that enables population growth even at this age. (Note that this is based on the assumption that immigrants consisted mostly of younger people, which seems reasonable since they can and are willing to take more risks as they tend adapt better and learn new skills quicker). Now, America should continue to allow immigrants in but legally. Undocumented immigrants (whether or not they are really taking away Americans’ jobs or indulging in welfare programs paid by American tax dollars is up to debate) are vulnerable to human rights abuses, and it is cruel and irresponsible of us to allow them to come in easily, stay, and be abused. Tighter border control needs to be implemented, but an easier legal way for immigration should be provided. The Dream Act is a reasonable solution to undocumented immigrants who were brought here as young children, educated in American schools, and are as American as the native born. It would be unreasonable to deport them back to their parents’ home country and tragic to deprive them of educational and career opportunities forever simply because their parents brought them to the U.S. illegally.
ReplyDeleteNow the difficult question is whether we should only let in skilled and smart immigrants. It would be a great advantage to us to only allow the skilled and smart to come, but wouldn't it also be contradicting the American Dream, that anyone can rise to the top through hard work? The harsh truth is that many unskilled immigrants come to this country in search of opportunities that were previously denied to them simply because of their birth or socioeconomic status. Many countries lack the social mobility and equality that we take for granted. Primary education is not free everywhere. All in all, most people would probably agree on the immigration of the skilled and educated. The difficulty lies with the immigration of the unskilled.
Christina C. Period 3
Oh my... My entire blog just got deleted... Well then. I guess I gotta rewrite everything!!!! (anger, not excitement) I am very very sad. I agree with Zakaria's view on immigration and think he gave an accurate and insightful on the state of America and immigration. even if this was in 2011. America is known as the melting pot, or some such metaphor, and I think that embodies the individualist society that welcomes immigration. I talked about Japan and how it's collectivist and xenophobic and how they're population's decreasing, which was in the article. But I don't feel like covering all that AGAIN. The main point I got to is that there wouldn't be such a problem with undocumented immigrants, for the most part, if the application process wasn't near impossible. I once saw a show where they asked US born citizens questions from tests in the application. Needless to say, practically none of the questions were answered correctly. I don't know if that's more of an attack on the questions or on the ignorance of some citizens. But that's beside the point. I also saw something that talked about how translators for soldiers in the Middle East had an unfortunate run-in with US Citizenship application. These were translators who risked their lives, and saved American soldiers lives. So obviously they were threats to insurgents and when one translator and his family was threatened, He tried to move himself and his family to America for safety. But they were greeted by the redundant process. right before i was gonna submit my original blog I saw comments below the article that were saying things like, "Legal Immigration. Yes!! Do it legally and wait in line". Now that may not be exactly what they said, but the part about waiting in line is what got me. The problem with that is the the line is years and years and years and years ands years long. But whatever I guess. We all have our opinions and hopefully mine isn't sounding arrogant or ignorant. I also liked the part in the article with Canada's immigration policies and how they're more welcoming. That sounds nice, but I don't know how many people exactly wanna move up to the Great White North. My first was better, but whatever.
ReplyDeleteMichael M.
pd. 3
I really like when Zakaira said,"this is a perfect picture of the new world where people are learning from our strengths while we are letting some of our most crucial advantages slip." I believe that The U.S represents itself as an independent and thriving country that likes to give other countries advice yet we can't take out own advice. for example, the situation with immigrants. I think that immigrants are great and that we do need them here. immigrants do take up a lot of our population but they are not hurting anybody. I feel like that if 12 million immigrants are already here we should try to help them instead of deporting them. the U.S complain about immigrants taking other people jobs or not paying taxes, well if the gov't wants immigrants to help our economy they we just need to help them first by legalizing as many as we can. Making the Dream Act was a step to helping them and we should bring it back. I believe that immigrants are harder worker than most Americans because they have a reason to and they want to be able to stay in a country that can help them achieve as many goals as they can. Th U.S is known to be the Country of opportunity. if we are known as that then why cant we share that with the rest of the world. What is funny is that The U.S started has a country filled with immigrants coming from all over like Spain, France, Ireland, etc; yet they don't really like then now. we cant even call ourselves full Americans because in a way we are all immigrants. Regulations on immigrants are not all bad; look at Canada and their regulations for immigrants; they have prospered. All in all, i agree with Zakaira's article.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Yulissa Cardoza
Period: 2
I agree with Fareed that we should increase our total number of immigrants, but I also believe that we need to "filter" the immigrants and get rid of the inept ones. I believe we need to create a legal immigration system where people apply according to specific regulations. Immigrants who steal their way into the US will not be eligible.
ReplyDeleteSami Per. 3.
I strongly agree with Zakaira because in order to maintain this great nation we must include all of our immigrants, it is what has made America the Great become one of if not the most successful country in the entire world and all of this is due to the fact that people come here to fulfill the legacy that this great nation is solely based on which is the American Dream. This country is made for oppurtunity and as Sierra stated that our founders weren't exactly born here they were immigrants as well and shouldn't they be put back to where they came from? America grows soley on and is actually quite dependent on immigration because it increases our economy, and there is no official form of religion or culture in America because we are so diverse and the reason being is due to all the different ethnic and cultural background that this country has collected with the roots being of people migrating to start a better life here. The United States is the land of oppurtunity and it has had a worldwide outreach and if immigration came to decrease or cease completely it would definitely effect our economy, our government, and the legacy all together of the American Dream.
ReplyDeleteNadia Almusleh
P.3
I completely agree with Zakaria's opinion and stance on foreign immigration into the United States. Immigration gives hope to the nation because of the mass people in brings in and the young people that will soon become the leaders of the nation. Immigration provides more workers for
ReplyDeleteAmerica and also brings in many intelligent individuals that greatly impact the world. The increasing amount of people will also help the economy of our nation and contribute to the unique diversity that America has. Immigration can come with great benefits and seeing how America itself was built off of immigration, it should be allowed to continue.
Andrew Kim Per. 3
I do agree with Fareed Zakaria because immigration supplies workers. Work force continues to get smaller, but immigration provides new young potential workers, consumers, and investors everyday. Countries that are beginning to accept more immigrants are booming. I strongly believe having immigrants is the right step for America if we ourselves want to continue in being a superpower. We have the results of the benefits that immigrants bring to America.
ReplyDeleteAzmine Bhuiyan P.3
I agree with Zakaria's argument about Immigrants being an important asset and a very distinct quality only America is known for. America has created a great opportunity for everyone to come and accomplish any goal one sets out to. I believe if we deport all the illegal immigrants, we would not only lose a large part of our labor force, but also we would just be deeper in debt. I believe that illegal immigrants shouldn't be deported but we should just try to minimize the incoming values.
ReplyDeleteSunny
Deleteper. 3
I agree with Zakaira's argument. The United States is a country of immigrants. Our founding fathers came to this country for a better life. One without oppression, where they were free to work hard and reap the benefit. I think immigrants do make up a significant percentage in our nation's population. I also believe that immigrants are more hard working than Americans are. They know what it is like to have to persevere and struggle and still may not achieve their goals. This is a land of opportunity, and that opportunity should not just be for the people already here. This being said I do believe so many illegal immigrants is a problem. I think the citizenship process should be easier. We should also have standards set to determine who we let in this country. Thus being said, I do agree with Fareed's point.
ReplyDelete-Jessica Parker p.2
I am retyping this blog from scratch because a couple of hours ago the website erased everything I had written when I had pressed publish. Anyway, the decision on immigration in the United States is a bit obscure. IN THE UNITED STATES, where the very foundering settlers and ideals came from over seas. How could this be? Immigrants are what make us unique. No where else in the world will you find a more diverse culture. Our government was based off of this belief that there were bound to be large amounts of people with contrasting beliefs and ideals. That is why we have a freedom to practice religion and free speech. In fact, according to Madison’s Federalist pages the government was built in a way that encouraged different branches to express and push for their beliefs. In this way, immigrants have contributed. Immigrants are the founders of minority factions which have over the years grown in strength. Even with political power, not many dare go near the topic of immigration for fear of getting burned. Immigration has been growing rapidly and uncontrollably turning itself from a warm camp fire to a crackling forest fire. The longer someone waits to make a concise decision on the issue. It has begun to split up our nation turning state against state and state against the federal government. There is no way to completely snuff out immigration because it is our founding, but we can bring illegal immigration down to a slow trickle. I am not nativistic or discriminatory, but it must be done because if we expect people to apply for the lengthy process of citizenship the least we can do for them is to stop people from gaining equality to them by illegal means. Although this is easier said than done because the United States does not necessarily have billions of dollars to spend on deportation cases or immigration officers and a wall will not choke off illegal immigration. Immigrants are a necessary part of our lives even illegal ones, but we can open up more opportunities to those illegal immigrants if they went through the proper channels. The United States is all about equal opportunity, but we cannot give it to someone who persists in hiding from the government or if the government remains idle.
ReplyDeletePaige Hutchings
Per. 2
I agree with Zareed in the fact that we need immigrants to prosper. Many are willing to take the jobs us Americans aren't willing to do. They also allow more diversity and understanding of other cultures and the talents they bring. However, I think an increasing population of immigrants will make the economy worse. Firstly, I don't think our nation is ready to take on so many immigrants. Unlike Canada and Australia, we still don't have a policy that would benefit both immigrants and the nation. I think since the regulations on immigrants has not fully developed, we will not be able to adjust to the different demands of the different immigrants as well as Americans if one ever arises such as jobs. I think we should have jobs that require an employee to have an American citizenship to ensure that not all jobs will be taken by immigrants. I don't see immigrants as "job-sucking parasite" as I do believe some immigrants deserve jobs than some Americans, but we also need to ensure jobs for the people who have taken the time to get citizenship. Another issue immigrants might have is racism. Immigrants tend to get discriminated because people stereotype, which could lead to racial persecution. Secondly, we need to be able to differentiate the immigrants who will help our economy from those who won't. I'm sure this would be hard to do with all the immigrants, but I thinks we should try to find a way where we can find the immigrants who are mooching off the economy at the expense of others and deport them. I know there are immigrants who really need to stay, so I'd be willing to find a solution to get them to stay while the moochers are deported. I think once we are fully adapted to the immigration population we now, then we can start accepting more imigrants and be able to fully understand the needs of the diverse population of immigrants. In the meantime, I think we should keep the number of immigrants from growing.
ReplyDelete-Bradley Mangunsong
Per. 2
I meant Fareed* not Zareed.
DeleteI agree that immigration is beneficial to the united states - only if it is legal immigration. Illegal immigration, on the other hand, hurts US citizens and damages our US economy. For example, many hard working citizens who graduate from decent colleges with degrees cannot find jobs because of these illegal immigrants taking those jobs away from us
ReplyDeleteIn addition to this, illegal immigrants generally do not pay taxes, but they still receive tens of billions of dollars from free health care benefits, free education benefits, and free housing assistance! Why do they receive so many advantages if they do not follow the rules?
Also, the US spends billions of dollars annually on education for children of illegal immigration. Does the US not know that we have trillions of dollars in debt?
Thus I believe that legal immigration is completely OK and that this group of immigrants deserves the same rights as US citizens, but I am against illegal immigration and believe we should stop this IMMEDIATELY!
-Tarik G, per 2
Considering that our Founding Fathers of our country are immigrants from Europe, there is nothing more American than being an immigrant. I agree with Zakaria and his viewpoint on immigration. Immigrants are needed to keep this country in balance. They create jobs and give rise to many businesses. They will continue to allow this country to grow. Because immigrants keep America in an economical balance, it should be easier for them to get their green cards. For example, being from Palestine, an occupied country, I have plenty of family trying a obtain a citizenship and they find it extremely difficult. It took my uncle 10 years to obtain his green card. I think the Dream Act would be beneficial and help immigrants become successful. Everyone wants the opportunity to have a better life and live the American dream.
ReplyDeleteSavanna Tafish
P.2
I agree with Zakaria's beliefs on foreign immigration into the United States.
ReplyDeleteTo oppose the idea of further immigration is to cut at the tightly woven fabric of the quilt that is United States itself. Was this country not built by colonists hailing from the British Isles? Were they not immigrants or the descendants of immigrants? As far as history can tell, these great men were not native to this land of opportunity.
Yet, these great men adapted to this environment and thrived. They built one of the greatest nations to exist! So, if these men, being hard working "non-natives", were able to build something great through their hard work and perseverance, who's to say that a person trying to immigrate to the United States today can't do the same?
The idea of the "American" culture (in my belief) is not centralized on the kinds of food that are eaten, the music that is listened to, or even the languages that are spoken. I believe that the culture of the United States revolves around a mindset. The mindset to work and toil without falter until one reaches their goals, to truly meet the entirety of the "American Dream", is what the true culture of this great country is. This willingness to suffer the difficulties and hardships along the path to greatness is one uniting factor between all the great Americans of the past; no matter what land from which they originated.
So, if people trying to immigrate and naturalize into this land of opportunity are willing to buy into this ideology, why shouldn't we allow them the inalienable right to the pursuit of happiness? Wouldn't their elevating themselves in the United States only benefit the country even more?
Some would argue that, while these immigrants are improving themselves, many natives are losing out on opportunities that these immigrants have "taken" from them. However, that is the wrong way to look at the situation. Rather than thinking of the immigrants as "stealing" jobs that should be given to American citizens; why not see it as an opportunity to improve?Instead of fighting and blaming others for their inability to acquire a job they feel entitled to, people should seek ways to move further up the "food chain". The American people should take the competition created by this influx of immigrants as a means of motivating themselves to exceed what they once wanted. They should seek out a college degree, a masters, or even a doctorate! Rather than complaining about immigrants "hijacking" jobs from hardworking Americans, they should live up to the mindset that this country and its culture was built on. Simply put: work to achieve your dreams.
Hermes Pelayo P.3
DeleteI agree with Fareed that immigrants are an essential factor to the success of the US. Without immigrants, there wouldn't be a US. Regardless of whether they are illegal immigrants or close to citizenship, I believe they should be given the opportunity to be part of the US workforce in order to provide for their family.
ReplyDeleteIn the article, Fareed mentions the Dream Act. I believe that the Dream Act should be revived to aid the minors who immigrated to the US. They should be given the opportunity to gain permanent citizenship for it may not have been in their power to make the move to the US. They shouldn't be punished for the decisions of their parents.
Trisha Tulud
Per 3
Immigration is almost certainly crucial to the success of the US economy, in that Zakaria is, in my opinion, correct. However, there have to be limitations or else our country risks being flooded with a sudden, drastic increase in cheap-labor that will require health care, welfare and other government services without necessarily being able to put it back into the system. Those who wish to embrace immigration have to ask themselves the crucial question: Who's paying? Because if the citizens are unwilling to accept higher taxes or slashes in government programs, they should also be unwilling to accept open immigration. It is because of this that I am hesitant to accept Zakaria's argument.
ReplyDeleteThe arguments could be made and have been made that the US is a country of immigrants historically, but I must counter with the reality that immigrants have never been so expensive, and that jobs have perhaps never been so scarce. The problem is that the immigrants will still be entitled to minimum wage, so outsourcing would still be the more attractive option for many companies. This is a problem never before faced by America, so one cannot look at the past and make judgments about the present situation based on it.
-Derek Croxford, Period 2
I agree with Zakaria because America itself started with immigrants. A country of immigrants is what made America the strongest and most diverse. By having immigrants we are giving more opportunities for people to thrive and achieve their American Dream. Other counties where the immigrants come from might not have the same rights and liberties as America offers so why should we take that opportunity away from them? They bring us more jobs and help our economy grow as more and more people join the work force. Immigrants have done nothing but help us grow and become the great country we are today, so why would we want to change the way immigrants should be handled? Why fix something that's not broken?
ReplyDeleteLisbeth N.
p. 3
Where as I don't disagree with Zakaria's opinion I don't full heartily accept his argument that the with the immigrants it will give us the ability to thrive if a large portion of the community is in poverty and incapable of moving up the ranks with the limited amount of jobs available for the average employee, and with a large some of the lower paying jobs accumulating immigrants for lower pay than an average worker would receive, prevents many workers from climbing out of the rut that they are currently in to allow foreign people to prevent American flourishment.
ReplyDeleteTrevor
Per. 3
Immigration reform proves to be a necessity in America today. Time and time again federal reforms simply do not do the job when it comes to enforcing anti immigrant laws. Instead from going from the top down, America should let the roots flourish and leave the power of immigrant control to the states. Governor Jerry Brown provides good reasoning in his quote that California is a "state of opportunity". I'm sure Washington received that message and should understand that immigrants serve as the base to our entire economy. They serve as the hefty cheerleader on the bottom of the pyramid. Though an eyesore, though unconventional, they are necessary to support all those on top. That being said, any federal reforms on immigrant control should be sure to support them, or else they too will come tumbling down the pyramid.
ReplyDeleteKhalil Muhammad
DeleteP2
* i submitted this earlier today, but it never went through.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Zakaria that America’s "vibrant demographics", due to immigrants, is beneficial to our nation. Economically, illegal immigrants continue to fill our demand for low wage workers, they open up more markets to accommodate consumers of varying incomes, and increase money circulation. Culturally, immigrants have positively influenced many things we see in the media today from music to film. However, our economy has also suffered due to illegal immigrants. It is not fair for citizens to pay taxes that provide for immigrants that do not contribute to our country as a whole. As America continues to provide illegal immigrants with more benefits, I wonder where the line is drawn between being a U.S. citizen and illegal immigrant in some cases. As America continues to add in more benefits for illegal immigrants, the allure to illegally migrate to the U.S. grows. Zakaria brings up a good point with the question “If we can’t bring ourselves to deport 12 million people, are we really going to deport 20 million?”. I believe illegal immigrants are inevitable in our country. Therefore, the U.S. should continue to focus on reform and find a better way to document immigrants and make them citizens so that they can pay taxes and continue to contribute and receive the benefits of a citizen.
-jocelyn v. p.2
I agree with Fareed Zakaria because of the principle our nation was built on.
ReplyDeleteThere are many reasons why people around the globe view America to be a world leader. Many countries strive and desire to have the economic and military prestige as the U.S., but one thing that sets this country apart from all the others socially, is by the interpretation of what defines culture in America. What makes this country so unique and highly thought of is due to the diverse demographics and its willingness to give anyone a chance to improve his/her life in a new environment.
Stripping that principle away from society through deportation or any other means is like stripping away our fundamental ideals. Like Mr. Zakaria said, our country is “ not a police state”, and nor should we be. Sure the growth of immigrants will increase and will be impossible to take action in the near future, but as of right now, deporting immigrants that is “larger than the state of Illinois” is impossible as well.
To be honest, I don’t have a proper solution to how we can fix the over populating amount of illegal immigrants (or I would be in the White House right now). All I see is that people from all over the world are coming to the U.S. in hopes of a better life so why not start by the base and try to supply resources and aid (if the country is willing) to better their economy and social interactions?
-Jenny Hong P3-
Fareed Zakaria proves a good point. America has strived on immigrants since its upbringing. He even states that we now have enough immigrants as the population of illiniois. I do believe that immigrants are a good thing and I really liked his view that it keeps young people within the work force. This will be an aid to businesses for years to come. I also believe that we should follow what Canada is doing and focus in more on skills. Maybe we can make a new set of laws that hold a certain criteria for the immigrants in order to ensure sucess. Finally, Zakaria is right. We are losing a huge opportunity here but if congress can get its act together maybe one day we will see a new America.
ReplyDeleteArmando Blancas p.3
This article is stating that in order to keep our lead in the world's economy, we need immigrants. Which I do believe in, to a certain extent. Yes, immigration does help with the economies equilibrium, but that doesn't mean we should not enforce our immigration law just so we can keep our economy booming! Fareed Zakaria is saying that there is no point on trying to get the illegals out of this country since there are already to many and the numbers will only increase as the years go by. Yes, that is true but there has to be something we can do to stop that number from increasing. Yes, LEGAL immigrants should be allowed in this country but allowing illegal immigrants undermines our counties sovereignty!
ReplyDeleteSandy Lule
P.3