Citizenship for Undocumented Minors and Students in the U.S.
The United States is a country founded on one principle: all are welcome here. Our country prides itself on a foundation built by immigrants looking for a new world, a haven for all people. So now in the present day, why is immigration such a debated and divisive topic in America? Over time, the attitude of Americans towards immigrants has immensely changed. A century ago, the world was “neatly divided into countries of emigration... and immigration”, creating a much more straightforward look on migration. Today, however, the topic inspires “anxiety at best, exclusion and xenophobia at worst” among many (Gonzales 2). Undocumented immigrants in the United States constantly live in fear, even people who have
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Policies relating to undocumented minors in the US are of key importance because of how powerful and influential the group can be. Although undocumented minors and students living in the United States lack official rights of residency, immigration policies should be altered to allow citizenship for these future Americans in order to benefit individuals and the country as a whole.
Providing undocumented immigrants a future in the United States welcomes a large, diverse group of people to the country, allowing for improvements in the labor force that would not be possible without granting citizenship. The United States continues to grow greatly due to immigration: “More than 80 percent of the population growth over the next generation in the United States will be via migration”, meaning that more immigrants are entering the country than native-born citizens (Gonzales 3). With this large number of people coming to America from around the globe, the labor force will continue to expand and benefit from the varying skills. Many