Amnesty By John Kavanaugh Summary

There are few topics in America today that are more hotly debated than immigration. Because of our nation’s economy and current leadership, immigration seems to be a much more sensitive topic in today’s society than ever before. From the time our country was founded, people have immigrated to America for a better life. In an effort to escape religious persecution, war, or just to have better opportunities for their family, immigrants have tried to make their homes within the borders of the United States. Illegal immigration has reached epic proportion and everyone can agree that a solution is long overdue. Although many states

America has, is, and will always be a nation of immigrants: the great melting pot. In the years that have passed since Emma Lazarus' poem was inscribed on the Statue of Liberty "the golden door" Americans have seen times when the door was open wide and times when it was close shut to most immigrants (Sure 4). Many people look at the present immigration problems as a purely modern dilemma. The truth is America has always struggled with the issue of immigration, both legal and illegal. Changing times, however, makes it imperative that our government reexamines and adjusts today's immigration laws to today's standards. Those standards, however, are not easily defined. Too often the issue of

The debate over illegal immigration has been a constant and ongoing struggle in the United States. Millions of illegal immigrants are living among us in the country, we have more entering daily. Recently, President Barack Obama touched on the topic with his immigration executive order. Unfortunately, with the republican takeover of the white house, many of his actions are not being supported. This is viable evidence that there are people who want to help fix the immigration system in a way that will benefit illegal immigrants and give them a fighting chance to prosper here in the United States. With that being said, there are also powers who do not want to see that happen because they believe that it is not in the best interest of the United States to open their borders to illegals. This puts to question what the next steps for the United States will decide and how that will affect Americans across the country. My goal of this essay is to enlighten the moral concerns in the debates pertaining to immigration.

A recent push to provide amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants in today’s society has become a very contentious issue for Americans. While most United States citizens agree that illegal immigrants violate the basic core of fundamental immigration laws, there remains an unprecedented controversy regarding the possibility of granting amnesty to this growing sector of the population. While some citizens may argue that a mass legalization of immigrants could spark growth in the United States, others speculate that amnesty could create turmoil throughout the country. In the preceding testimony titled “Mass Legalization for Unauthorized Immigrants Is a Bad Idea” by the American Immigration Control Foundation, the author claims that a mass

In the United States, there are over 40 million immigrants, both legal and unauthorized (Auclair, Batalova, Nwosu 1). Of that 40 million, an estimated 11 million immigrants are not authorized to be in the country (Krogsadt, Passel 1). In recent news, there has been quite the debate over whether or not there should be amnesty or citizenship offered to some or all of the undocumented citizens in America. I have a personal attachment to the subject. I believe there should be a clear and easy pathway to citizenship for immigrants with some restrictions. I support this idea because they provide for older generations, younger generations, and fill jobs

The book “Undocumented: How Immigration Became Illegal” by Aviva Chomsky describes what the process of immigration is actually like and how complicated and rough it truly is for an immigrant. Especially those who have crossed the border illegally and/or those who possess illegal documents. However this book questions what does it really mean to be illegal. As well as throughout the book it illustrates that immigrants are being treated rather closely to how slaves were treated. The work they do connects these ideas as well as other facts such as families being disconnected, immigrants being trapped in a certain part of the world, unable to travel far, and the tiny amount of rights they have compared to an average white american citizen.

One of the most defining traits for the United States of America is that the nation is one made up of immigrants, it is a basic building block that can not be overlooked, nor should it. That being said, it is important to countless citizens to be open when it comes to immigration, while keeping the country hospitable to its citizens for generations to come. However, this attitude to immigration is a fairly recent phenomenon in American history, especially in regards to immigrants coming in from non-Western European countries. With the introduction of the Immigration Act of 1965 and the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) came about the changes to immigration policy that would forever change the face of the nation and create the diversity that has become a point of pride. The sentiment is not felt nationwide, however, as the immigration patterns brought about with these two acts has brought hostility as well, especially from those who feel that immigration is a threat to the country as a whole, specifically illegal immigration. Immigration, and its illegal counterpart, is an issue that defines this period in American history, and while it did not necessary start off targeting Mexican and Latino immigrants, it has very much been immortalized within the communities and become the face of immigrants to the nation as a whole.

Nathan Thornburgh, a senior editor of Time magazine, stated that “Whether you fine illegal aliens or stick them in English classes or make them say a hundred Hail Marys, at the end of the day, illegals would be allowed to stay and become citizens... That 's amnesty. And that 's a good thing for America. Amnesty won 't depress wages - globalization has already done that. Amnesty will not undermine the rule of law. It sounds counterintuitive, but with immigration, forgiving a crime may be the best way to restore law and order” (Thornburgh, Nathan). This idea provides a new view on illegal immigration, promoting that sometimes it is okay to forgive and forget, and in this case amnesty could be the

The Heritage Foundations, Tim Kane, Ph.D., writes “America’s exceptional status as a ‘nation of immigrants’ is being challenged by globalization. The biggest challenge for policy makers is to distinguish illusory immigration from real problem. The supported approach from recent years ‘a policy of benign neglect’ is no longer an option.” Members from the Senate and House of Representatives both recognize this and should be given credit for their efforts to craft this proposed comprehensive law which today, is known as the ‘Amnesty Plan.’ I strongly agree with this ‘Amnesty Plan’ and feel it needs to be pushed through due to its solid pillars. Such as, having

Immigration is a contentious issue in politics that seems to be stagnating. There is a massive population of illegal immigrants, and some people feel they should be granted amnesty, while others think they should all be deported back to their respective home countries. The question of how to handle their American-born children is another issue altogether. There are many moral questions to consider. It is controversial, and some state laws, like the one in question in this court case, raise more questions about how to handle the problem of illegal immigrants and legal immigrants vying for the same opportunities. The Chamber of Commerce sued the Governor of Arizona, on the grounds that the statues in the Arizona state law went beyond what the federal law in place allowed for. It is considered politically correct to not discriminate, especially when it comes to the hiring in the

The two Catholic Social Justice themes that relate best to the issue of immigration are the themes of global solidarity and rights and responsibilities.

Every person is a human being, not an “alien”, and deserves every right, privilege, and freedom everyone has. I believe granting amnesty to immigrants can bring happiness in both the country and immigrants. For those who do not know what amnesty is, it is an official pardon for people who have been convicted of political offenses. My topic is about granting amnesty to immigrants in any country and to let them have every right a legal citizen has. I will be covering mostly on the immigrants who are currently living in the United States. Having illegal immigrants “Can help with the country 's economy”, “Bring a better life for immigrants”, and let them have more benefits. It also gives their “Children a better education and gives them better opportunities to succeed in school and have a better job”. Granting amnesty will help for both the country and people since these “Immigrants also pay for their taxes and work really hard for whatever job they have”. Also, It is nearly impossible to get rid of all the immigrants that live in the United States. “There are currently over 11 million immigrants in America”, just imagine the cost to get rid of them. Immigration is not such a bad thing. They are normal people who want to live in the American dream. They want the best for them and their family. They do not want to bring in trouble in America since America helps them live in a better life, that is all they want. America gives

I am writing in response to the article ‘Endless waves of Illegal Immigrants floods Rio Grande Valley” by Jana Winter for FOX NEWS on July 14, 2015. In this article, it mainly focuses its attention on the negative aspects of illegal immigrants and makes the reader believe that immigrants are the problem. The article, makes illegal immigrates seem like they are all criminals and villains. On top of that, this articles doe’s little to no explaining on the reasons for why immigrants to come to the United States. Having grandparents and parents who were illegal, I know some of the reasons and motives behind the decision to migrate to the United States such as escaping poverty, providing a better future for their kids, and the opportunity to pursue the American dream. If these points were added into this article, Americans would be more sympathetic to the situation of millions of immigrants and make movements to get legislation passed that would offer citizenship, work visa, and green cards to illegal immigrants.

“Somewhere in this world there are parents lying awake at night afraid of a knock on the door that could tear their families apart, people who love this country, work hard, and want nothing more than a chance to contribute to the community and build better lives for themselves and their children.” (Clinton). The first deportation law in the United States was the Alien Act of Illegal immigration has long been a problem in the United States, especially since the latter half of the twentieth century. In recent discussions immigration has been the subject of heated congressional debates. Deportation along with the subject of immigration, has recently become an immense issue in the United States. On one of the hand, some argue that millions of undocumented immigrants should not be allowed to live in the United States, and should most likely exemplify fear of getting deported. From this perspective, it is said that if they are undocumented, then these immigrants have broken the law and therefore have a criminal record (Sandy). On the other hand, others argue that millions of undocumented immigrants should be allowed to live in the U.S. without any fear of getting deported. My own view is that, and I specifically state, that millions of undocumented immigrants should be allowed to live in the U.S. without any fear of getting deported.

Immigration is a controversial topic that has impacted our society for decades perplexed by policies media coverage, perceptions based on one’s own lack of knowledge, personal experiences and a host of other factors that influence how our society views immigrants and immigration policies. The United States is a diverse population of people and filled with experiences that come from various walks of life that contribute to enhancing our social culture, economic development, and cultural acceptance.