April 21 , 2006

War of the Words: Immigration

By JAKOB KANE LOUKAS
jkl001@marietta.edu

I am a pure blooded American. Even though all three of my names are Greek and my mother’s side is Dutch, that is in no way evidence that my family immigrated...or not.

There is no pure blooded American race.  The United States is a salad bowl of immigrants. In the salad bowl each race preserves their own culture while still integrating into the larger American society, unlike a politically incorrect melting pot where cultures become homogeneous.

The United States has always had an open and effective immigration policy and has been better because of it. Immigrants have been the back bone of our nation and they should continue to support us.

We recently witnessed riots in France as marginalized Arabic immigrants vented their rage. Instead of recreating that situation in the United States, we should continue our current policy. The immigrants in this country are productive and employed.  Their not involved in illegal activity for the most part because they know they would be deported.

They are part of our economy and our culture. The hundreds of thousands who came out to march against the proposed new policy show that they are dedicated to staying here, working, and assimilating.

My family was welcomed at the Statue of Liberty when they arrived from Greece. We should continue to embrace the Mexican-Americans. We need them and they need us. 
Together we will all make a delicious salad.

By KATIE SCHWENDEMAN
kjs001@marietta.edu

Immigration is such a hot topic that I'm wary of even handling it with pot holders. America has been dubbed the “melting pot” because of it's diversity of cultures stemming from numerous immigrants in this country.

What would happen if we essentially took all of these immigrants and deported them or convicted them of a felony? Would America be better or worse? That's a hard question to answer. Very hard.

However, according to Title 8 Section 1325 of the U.S. Code, illegal immigration is a crime.
(http://www.american patrol.-com/REFERENCE/isacrime.html)

Personally, I don't mind illegal immigrants until they start whining about rights. If they want rights, they can become legal. If you think that's harsh, check out other countries' immigration laws.

Sure, illegal immigrants are hard workers, and they want to be rewarded for their hard work. However, if they want to be rewarded for their work like everyone else, they should pay taxes like everyone else as well.