.orgChristopher Simmons
Immigration Policy: A Comparison
Immigration is a hot topic in the United States and is going to play a very important role in the upcoming 2008 presidential elections. This political issue seems to separate along party lines as do many other hot button topics. The Republicans take one stance while the Democrats take a different approach. As U.S. politics continues to divide itself along red and blue lines, is it possible for political parties and political candidates to come together in a bilateral effort to fix the so-called problems at hand? For sake of simplicity Democratic and Republican candidate platforms will be analyzed. Interestingly enough, similarities are more prevalent than are differences.
Republican nominee Senator John McCain from Arizona, along with both Democratic contenders, Senator Hillary Clinton from New York and Senator Barack Obama from Illinois, stress the importance of strengthening border security. Increased strength will come from increased border enforcement personnel, improved infrastructure, and more effective screening at ports.
McCain, according to his website, believes that in order to be successful and increase border security, the United States needs to build strong alliances with Latin American countries, promoting democracy and rejecting the beliefs of authoritarian leaders. He also advocates holding down taxes in an attempt to allow American businesses the ability to pay competitive wages. Assimilation of the immigrant population into mainstream American culture, learning English, and studying American history and democratic ideals are also important parts of McCain's approach to illegal immigration within the United States.
Clinton believes in comprehensive immigration reform. She also is a strong believer that it is the responsibility of employers to insure their employees are legally documented and adhere to the law preventing employers from hiring and exploiting illegal immigrants. Clinton also believes that portions of immigration requirements need to be altered to eliminate the harmful effects that the immigration process has on families. To Clinton the family is one of the integral parts of American society, and only though determined support of American families can the harmful effects of immigration be curbed.
Obama, much like Clinton, believes that in order to restrict illegal immigration the employers must comply with laws preventing the employment of undocumented workers. To deal with the current mass of undocumented workers Obama would allow illegal immigrants to pay a fine, learn English and go to the back of the immigration line, as long as the immigrants are in good legal standing within the United States. Economic development within Mexico and Latin American are also crucial to reduce the amount of immigration into the United States.
Living in a country built on the backs of immigrants we, as citizens, should strive to correct the unjust immigration policy. The upcoming presidential election will enable us to make the right decisions to progress and embrace the immigrant population. While John McCain and Hillary Clinton both possess specific and effective immigration reform ideals, the plan of Barack Obama is strongest. McCain looks at the issues related with immigration simply as national security, and Hillary Clinton views immigration as a destruction to family values. Obama presents solutions that include both of these viewpoints along with a plan on how to legalize the current 12 plus million illegal immigrants in the nation. Barack Obama presents the most comprehensive solution to the current downfalls of our immigration system.
My name is Christopher Simmons. I was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. I am currently a sophomore at CU, majoring in Political Science. I hope to go to law school after graduation. I find politics fascinating and hope to one day become involved in government.