by Nicole F.
With the possibility of the government shutting down once again in February the issue of immigration is at the forefront of many people’s minds. As Trump continues his mission to build a wall to stop illegal immigrants a lot of Americans are wondering, if the people coming in illegally aren’t bad, why aren’t they trying to enter the country legally? The answer is complicated and far more nuanced than people are aware of and it starts with understanding the process immigrants go through when trying to enter the country legally.
About one million people immigrate to the United States legally a year, but for majority of those people it wasn’t just a process that took weeks or even months, for a lot of people it took them literal years due to where they are originally from, their education level, and more. One of the most common reasons people from Mexico attempt to immigrate to American is through seeking asylum. ‘Seeking asylum’ means that the person has already reached the border and feels that they are facing persecution in their country and are seeking safety in America. Due to the extremely violent drug cartels and gangs throughout Mexico this is a very real threat that a lot of people are facing.
One of the few things most Americans know about becoming a citizen is that there is a test. People have to score a 60% on a test containing questions about US history and civics and while some of the questions are simple, there are a lot of Americans who wouldn’t pass it if they required to take it. This is not the only part of becoming a citizen though. In most cases, to be eligible for citizenship people have to live in the US for at least five years with a Green Card, a process that could take up to ten years. Now just imagine spending ten years waiting for a green card, moving to a new country, and making a home for yourself all with the knowledge that in five years you may have to go back to your home country. For a lot of people this is a very terrifying and real thought.
To boil this down a little more, there are four different ways to enter the country. Winning a ‘lottery’, for a job, for protection, and to unite with family. The lottery is the most simple path to explain. To be entered in the lottery a person just needs to enter their information in on a site and then see if their name is drawn to receive a green card to become a citizen. The biggest issue with this is how unpredictable and unreliable it is. Someone could win the lottery and come to the US and be unable to get a job or find a home with their level of experience and education.
Next there’s a work visa. To receive a work visa you’d need someone to sponsor you and to prove that you aren’t taking a job away from someone who already lives in America, which can be quite difficult. The employer would need to submit evidence that there is a lack of qualified workers for the job or a lack of willing workers, another process that could take several years.
What about if you are being threatened and are seeking asylum? Defining the need for asylum can be very subjective and is another process that could take years. Years that could cost the person seeking asylum their life. You’d need to prove that there is a pattern of serious threats and even then you may have to continue to wait. Imagine having a drug cartel threatening your family and all you can do is wait for what would honestly be a miracle. To quicken the process you would need to put yourself in more danger to establish a pattern and even then the process could still take years.
If you are wanting to join family already living in the states a family member with a clean record would need to sponsor you and once again you would need to wait in a metaphorical line that is years long. These lines are specific to your country of origin and your relationship to the citizen. So say you are wanting to join your daughter and you are from Russia, a country known to clash with the US, it would take longer for you than it would for someone from the UK who wants to join their daughter. Even with that discrepancy, you could still be waiting 10-15 years in both lines.
There are so many obstacles people can run into trying to enter this country and only a limited number of visas are given to a country per year. Meaning if you come from a country with a higher population that adds time. Without a college degree getting a green card is virtually impossible since you are regulated to being a ‘lower priority’ case. Even someone simply seeking a tourist visa to visit family can run into complications. They would need to prove to the US embassy that there isn’t a risk of them staying in the country, meaning that if they have family that they want to visit in the country, they will be denied the right to visit them. If a person coming to the US doesn’t have family who are already citizens, aren’t facing persecution or can’t provide a clear enough pattern, don’t have a job prospect, and don’t win the lottery they will most likely never be eligible to immigrate to the US.
After looking at all of this information, it becomes far more apparent why some people are willing to risk their lives to come into the country illegally. Which is another process that is no where near easy. People sneaking into this country not only risk being detained, but they risk being robbed by gangs or drug cartels. They even risk being killed. I admit that there is a huge problem with immigration, but it is a problem that can be fixed if people are willing to sit down and work on the core of the problem. The system is broken and what we need is reform. What we don’t need is a wall.
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