Closed Immigration In America Essay

Words: 1076
Pages: 5

As most already know, in 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Ever since, foreigners of the land that is now the United States of America have been eager to find a new, better life on its soil. Americans encouraged relatively open immigration during its beginnings, the 1700s to 1800s, and rarely did they question that policy until the late 19th century. After certain states passed immigration laws following the Civil War, the Supreme Court in 1875 declared the regulation of immigration a federal responsibility (“Early American Immigration Policies”). The federal government then started making immigration into the United States more difficult and even impossible for some. This set the stage for how immigration is regulated today. Under the …show more content…
By focusing on terrorists, the people that are for closed immigration overlook that the people that are trying to come into the country are human beings just like them. While it is true that criminals do come into the United States both legally and illegally, it does not necessarily follow that those are the only people that are coming into the country. Nationally, from 1990 to 2010, the violent crime rate declined 45 percent and property crime rate fell by 42 percent, even though the number of undocumented immigrants more than tripled. Also, crime rates from 1999 to 2006 were lowest in states with the highest immigration (“Ten Myths About Immigration”). In making this comment, the article “Ten Myths About Immigration” urges us to recognize that immigrants are not the only threat to Americans safety. Other Americans also threaten the safety of their fellow Americans. The United States crime rate is not linked to the amount of immigrants in that area, proving that immigrants are not the only reason we have violence in our country. Refugees work hard to come to America; they are not going to throw it all away for nothing. Fittingly, the immigrants that do commit major crimes, not nonviolent misdemeanors, should be detained until they are deported to keep those in the country safe. Most immigrants are refugees that are solely trying to better their lives, and everyone deserves the opportunity of a better