July 4th is Independence Day in the United States of America - that was the day the founding fathers adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4th 1776 and declared this country independant from the Kingdom of Great Britain.
July 4th then, was an immensely happy ocassion for the fore fathers and the population. July 4th continues to be a day for joyous celebrations, great felicitations and of course, plenty of spectacular fireworks throughout the country.
America has always been welcoming towards immigrants from across the globe. This great nation continues to welcome new immigrants with open arms, particularly, if the process was conducted through legal means.
It is one of the greatest legacy of this vibrant country - giving new immigrants the opportunity to make something out of their lives, which otherwise may not have been possible in their countries of birth.
This rich legacy puts America in a unique position in the world and makes it stands out from the rest of the world. At the same time, immigrants living in this country have worked extremely hard and dedicatedly to help build this country. Immigrants have helped to put America on the pedestal as the greatest, most powerful nation in the world, almost untouchable.
Today, this same immigration policy has caused a rift among top political representatives of the country. There is the 'controversial' Arizona immigration law - SB 1070 - for which the Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a lawsuit against the state from implementing it.
While states have the authority to pass laws in regards to same sex marriages, abortion rights, and other matters, immigration laws have always been an issue that the Federal Government has the jurisdiction to oversee.
The DOJ is arguing that the Arizona immigration law "interferes" with the US foreign policy. It also notes that a state should not "criminalize aliens whose presence is known and accepted by the federal government," (excerpts from an online article).
The State of Arizona is in a prime spot at the Mexican border where the people from Mexico can easily 'slip' over illegally in Arizona. According to the latest count, over half a million illegal Mexicans are in Arizona and over 12 million undocumented aliens are in America.
That is cause for pause. This is a big, hot button problem that the government has to tackle and fast. One can sympathize with Arizona. But, at the same time, if all the states are allowed to make their own immigration laws taylored to suit the individual states, this could create chaos among states and Federal Government, not to mention funding, resources, etc.
I will be speaking for millions of people when I say, let the immigration reforms be an issue that the Federal Government deals with. After all, Congress and the House have representatives from all the states and they will all be contributing their inputs to the immigration reforms, but please make it happen very soon.
Please remember that the immigration coin has two sides: country giving people new opportunities; people helping to build the political and socio-economic growth and development of this great nation.
We should call on our local representatives to come up with 4 or 5 criteria for the immigration reforms, like those undocumented who has been in the country for over 8 years (cut off date), have clean records, went for higher education, those with petitions, those with little children, etc. Simultaneously, seal the Mexican border as close as possible, as practical as possible.
The immigration problem needs to be solved. It would be impractical to send back the over 12 million illegal immigrants to their countries, excepting those who have criminal records. The best the government can do is to bring out reforms that will help the ones meeting the creteria to pay their fines and lead them to the path of legalization. This will help them live with dignity and stop them from being exploited by unscrupulous people.
And, to quote President Obama, "Yes, we can!" And we must solve the immigration problem sooner than later.
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