Introduction
Thomas Suez, the president and general counsel of the MALDEF maintains that a comprehensive immigration legislation that is due to be drafted in congress in 2010 is still the organization’s main priority. In his speech in San Fransisco on 13th November, he said that the new legislation should open way for undocumented immigrants in America to be documented with minimal penalties. He further continued to say that measures such as the right of gays and lesbians to sponsor partners, undocumented agricultural workers with five to seven years to gain legal residency and children who have entered US illegally as children to gain legal residency through collage admissions, should be entrenched in the legislation (Egelko, 2009). A comprehensive legislation that entails documenting illegal immigrants in the US is a step in the right direction for the country. This is due to the benefits that the country would accrue. In addition to this is the fact that, it would be in accordance with the respect for human rights that the country stands for.
One of the most important benefits US derives from immigrants is labor force. A senator, Kennedy was quoted in the National public Radio in 2006 saying that for the US to be energized economically, socially, culturally and politically, it needed new and young workers with skills that the immigration brings. This is because America cannot provide its economy with the amount it requires and therefore has to rely on immigrants for their skills. The immigrants land the American soil with no money and in some case no language skills with hope for a better life for their children and families. They work hard and ambitious and abandon their traditions-bound roles in their native homes to make America it is. Growers groups in the country have complained recently of labor shortages due to strict immigration laws. This has led to some growers in Northwest last fall to loose a lot of investment due to lack of labor to harvest cherries and apples. Others in North Carolina did not plant cucumbers of fear they wouldn’t find workers (CQ Researcher, 2008 & Binswanger, 2006).
Another issue raised by Suez and which is of great benefit to America is providing legal residency to illegal immigrant children through collage admissions. This is an issue that should be widely supported as many states have discriminated these children in provision of in-state tuition and loans. One such state is Virginia where law makers are determined to pass a legislation that bars in-tuition for illegal immigrants. The children had no input in the decision to migrate to the US but they are discriminated on this basis. Failure to access in-state tuition and students loans makes it hard to afford college and university education and therefore chances for improving their own lives are curtailed. They cannot return to their countries of origin since chances are that things are worse than here. As the chances for pursuing their dreams and improving their lives are denied most turn to low wage jobs at such an early age, which can lead to frustrations and engagement in social ills such as crime and drug abuse. This is a burden to our country, which could have been avoided if appropriate legislations that are sensitive to the plight of these young people and that puts into consideration the benefits that US accrues from nurturing these talents are put in place (Rosenbaum, 2006).
Conclusion
A comprehensive legislation that entails documenting illegal immigrants in the US is a step in the right direction for the country. This is because it will honor the rights of people and due to the benefits US gets from immigrant such as labor force, a dynamic society both economically, socially, culturally and politically.
Reference List
Binswanger, H., (2006). Immigration Quotas vs. Individual Rights: The moral and Practical Case for Open Immigration. Capitalism Magazine Online.
CQ Researcher. (2008). Immigrant Debate: Can Politicians find a way to Curb Illegal Immigration. CQ Researcher. Vol 18, Issue No. 5. P 97-120.
Egelko, B. (2009). Immigration: Latino Group’s new Leader Urges Change in Strategy. Street Chronicle.
Rosenbaum, T. (2006). Educating Illegal Immigrants. Cavalier Daily Online. Web.