Veronica Kruthoff

English 1101- Hughes

Tuesday/Thursday
Illegal Immigration? Illegal Aliens?
In this years presidential election, one of Donald Trump's most notorious and
controversial arguments is based predominantly on illegal immigration. He proposes stopping
illegal immigration by building a wall to make America great again. This idea has been met
with heated debate. Supporters rally behind itthey see it as a solution to encourage immigrants
to enter the country legally. Critics denounce it, calling it racist and immoral. Across the country,
voters are asking: would a wall actually be effective? How would it help, or how will it create
bigger problems? Why come to the US illegally instead of with papers? How would the US be
affected if there were no more immigrants? While these are some concerns with illegal
immigrants the bigger question like building a wall, taking jobs to those who deserve it, and
getting overpopulated are sparking up the immigration topic.
My mom, along with most of my aunts and uncles from my moms side, did come to the
US illegally. They tell us stories of the difficulty of their voyage for better opportunities, and the
challenges they faced settling down once they got here. These stories were always my favorite to
hearhow different the ones who came here without papers were from those of people, like my
aunt, who came here with papers.
According to the IRS, an illegal alien, also known as an Undocumented Alien, is an
alien who has entered the United States illegally and is deportable if apprehended, or an alien
who entered the United States legally but who has fallen "out of status" and is deportable. As

illustrated in the chart above, undocumented immigrants living in the United States in 2013
amounted to approximately 41.3 million, making them only 13 percent of the U.S population.
The U.S. population is
growing by a net gain of one
person every 13 seconds. As the
U.S. gains more people, this makes
resources harder to get and
the U.S. less affordable to
live in. While the United
States cant control how
many kids are born in the
U.S., it can prevent
immigrants from coming
into the country illegally by
keeping the tension and
hopefully the population more controllable. With a high population it iseven just thirteen percent
of the population identified as undocumented, it is affecting our country. It means more carbon
dioxide, less water, more competitive colleges and fewer financial resources, and fewer available
jobs. Californias population is currently 39,144,818; 38.6 percent are Hispanic and 27 percent
are illegal (Census). A higher population means more people are driving and releasing toxins into
our atmosphere. While we cant control who is born here, we can control who comes here.
One of the most important concerns of U.S. citizens is that the illegal immigrants are
stealing their jobs. When talking to my mom one subject that is not really brought up is her work.

My mom, and four of her siblings, work at a factory. I always ask her why she hasnt changed
jobs now that she has papers. She always response with es donde yo empeze y es donde voy a
terminar. Its where I began and its where Im going to end. She then explains how shes not
very fluent in the English language and shes comfortable there. The unemployment rate is at 5
percent in the United States; whites have a percentage of 4.3 percent while Hispanics have 5.6

percent. (U.S department of labor)

When immigrants are coming to the United States they are hoping for better opportunities and a
better life for not only them but for their family or future family; in reality most immigrants are
working in a more dangerous and heavy basedthe most dangerous, manual-labor jobs.
To be eligible to apply for an immigrant visa, a foreign citizen must be sponsored by a
U.S. citizen relative, U.S. lawful permanent resident, or a prospective employer, with a few
exceptions, explained below. The sponsor begins the immigration process by filing a petition on
the foreign citizens behalf with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). (U.S.
Visas)

My aunt Livo was the only one who

did not have a visa or papers. Her son
moved to the United States and it was
five years before she was able to see
him again. My aunt told us of all the
times she kept having to apply for a
visaeither the government did not
approve her, they lost her application,
or they denied her interview process,
so she spent thousands of dollars to
finally be reconnected with her son.
While the process of obtaining a visa
may not be the easiest, it should at
least grant those who show great
background, proof of family over
living in the United States, proof of
returning if it is vacation purpose
only, or educational or work purpose.
When building a wall may seem like
the only solution to some U.S. citizens, if immigrants want to get to the U.S. and cannot do so
legally, they will find a way. If we do build a wall they should reform the process of the visas so
more will come to the U.S. legally and making this country safer yet letting those who deserve to

be here to come, letting them fulfill their dreams by doing the process the right and the safest
way. Creating less tension between the U.S. citizens and the illegals and both of the countries.

Veronica
Overall, this is a good start. Your personal stories make the ideas come alive.
Heres my feedback for your final draft:
Make sure you are framing this essay as a conversation between two sides. So, say things like
Opponents of a wall argue or Proponents of undocumented immigration believe Let
them speak for themselves. Quote them directly. If you simply summarize what they claim (i.e.
[they believe] immigrants are stealing their jobs), you run the risk of strawmanning their ideas.
Ultimately, there are many ideas in this essay, but you must explicitly discuss the dialogue. What
do proponents of a wall (or undocumented immigration, depending on the specific conversation
you wish to discuss) argue? What do opponents specifically argue? Why?
Then, explore where the overlapwhere they agree. When you find a point of agreement, you
can work toward a compromise.
Dont forget to add the Works Cited page! Make sure all sources are properly cited. I pointed out
ideas in the essay that are not cited.
Be sure to review all marginal comments for more details.
If you have any questions, please dont hesitate to contact me. I look forward to reading your
final draft!

Works Cited