Week 2 journal

Week 2 Journal Immigration has long been a critical issue for the United s. And numerous massive efforts to resolve this issue have been carried out. In the article entitled Editorial: Put Immigration Reform to a Vote, Mr. Speaker House Speaker John Boehner is being challenged by the public to bring the immigration reform bill to a vote in the House. However, the passing of the bill still faces a major obstacle—the insistence of the Democrats to grant illegal immigrants a chance to acquire citizenship. But the Republicans believe that this idea is flawed, for it will merely draw more undocumented immigrants to the country. The arguments of the Republicans have merits, but I think the problem is how Boehner is representing the bill—he is largely representing the Republican Party. As stated in the article, he should represent the entire House, not only the Republicans (Fresno para 5). Nevertheless, based on the arguments presented in the article, it seems highly likely that the immigration reform bill will get enough votes in the House floor.
On the other hand, in California, as reported in the article California Makes Strides on Immigration Reform, the issue on undocumented immigrants has been partly settled. The Legislature acknowledged the importance of undocumented immigrants to the society, and argued how vital it is to integrate them to the society (SFGate para 1-2). Undocumented immigrants have been a part of the American society for so long and whether we like it or not, they have already contributed to the nation’s growth, or, perhaps to its problems. It is time to grant them certain privileges that would still take into consideration the opinion of the American citizens. After all, the position of undocumented immigrants is still controversial and needs further consideration. The decision to award undocumented immigrants with a ‘ driver’s privilege’ instead of a ‘ driver’s license’ (SFGate para 4), I believe, is a smart move since it remains questionable whether they should be eligible for public benefits. Nevertheless, in a nutshell, it is apparent that the Legislature has recognized the continuous change in demographics and the importance of coping with these changes.
In the meantime, I believe that the planned 700 more miles of fencing along the southwest U. S. border is not the answer to illegal immigration (Connor para 1). I think that instead of suppressing the presence of undocumented immigrants we should implement measures that will inform these illegal immigrants that their status is still contentious but that their basic human rights are still respected. I believe that borders’ fences are not the solution to the problem, but all-inclusive immigration reform. The government should try to mend the problem at the root, not take steps that will only solve the problem at the surface. These fences will only escalate the price and peril of crossing borders. Many people, particularly smugglers, will take advantage of such situation. We should recognize the fact that these undocumented immigrants are only seeking a greener pasture or a better life, and they see America as the path to their dreams. We should not discourage that.
Works Cited
Connor, Tracy. “ Price tag for 700 miles of border fencing: high and hard to pin down.” NBC News. 21 June 2013. Web. 17 Jan 2014.
Fresno. “ Editorial: Put Immigration Reform to a Vote, Mr. Speaker.” The Fresno Bee. 1 December 2013. Web. 17 Jan 2014.
SFGate. “ California Makes Strides on Immigration Reform.” SFGate. 15 September 2013. Web. 17 Jan 2014.