In this election one of the biggest issues is immigration, specifically illegal immigration. When Donald Trump announced his candidacy, with the Republican Party in June 2015, he said one of his most controversial statements on his campaign. He said in speech, “They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”. They refers to those from Mexico, Central, and South America that are here illegally. The statement received feedback in favor of the statement and in opposition. Since it is such a controversial subject here are my thoughts on immigration.

I am believe in immigration and that it is what makes America the best country. However, I am strongly against illegal immigration. I understand that America is the land of opportunity, but America is also a land of laws. Immigration hits close to home for me because my grandfather is from Colombia, South America. He came here at a young age, and he went through the process to become a citizen; my grandfather pays taxes, he served in the Korean War, and worked hard to live the American dream. When I see illegals come into our country it seems completely unfair to me. It’s unfair because people from other countries that don’t touch the United States have no other option but to go through the citizenship process.

These legal immigrants have to pay taxes, provide civic duties, and work hard. And yes I do know that illegals work just as hard, but what does our country get in return. Pew research finds that “unauthorized immigrants make up 5.1% of the U.S. labor force.”. Currently, the unemployment rate, for the month of July 2016, is at 4.9%. So, while there would still be an excess of jobs the unemployment rate for ages 16 and up would go down. I want to reiterate that I have nothing against Hispanics (I am Hispanic), and I understand that they come here for a better life.

The obligation of a government is to provide for its citizens (keyword: citizens), so the government needs to make sure that our citizens have employment. Moving on, let’s actually analyse Trump’s quote. He said, “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime.”. Both of these are true, but for right now let’s focus on Crime. In July 2015 a woman was shot and killed at a San Francisco boardwalk by an illegal immigrant. ABC news reports that “Sanchez was on probation in Texas at the time of the shooting, and he has been formally charged with Steinle's murder, according to authorities.” the article later goes on to say “Sanchez has been previously deported five times to his home country of Mexico and his criminal history includes seven prior felony convictions, four of which involve narcotics charges, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).”.

That’s right, deported FIVE times, a criminal history with seven felony convictions, and four involving narcotics. However, the sanctuary policies in San Francisco resulted in the release of Sanchez. Sanctuary cities and their policies gained national attention after the shooting. According to the Center for Immigration Studies, it states “Across the U.S., there are over 300 cities, counties, and states that are considered "sanctuary cities". These jurisdiction protect criminal aliens from deportation by refusing to comply with ICE detainers or otherwise impede open communication and information exchanges between their employees or officers and federal immigration agents.”. These sanctuary cities harbour not only illegals but also criminals. Let me be clear, most are here with good intentions having a better life, but they still broke our laws to come here, that is not okay.

The Washington post reported that “Police reported 280 homicides, up 10.2 percent from last year, and 1,097 shooting victims, a 12.6 percent increase. Rapes were up 8.6 percent and robberies rose 12.3 percent, while the biggest change came in the category of aggravated assault, which climbed 27.5 percent.”. From these numbers we can see that crime, including rapes, is on the rise but with sanctuary policies change is questionable. The second part of his statement is “And some, I assume, are good people.”. This statement is also true. We can’t just assume that all of them are bad and are going to cause issues much like we can’t assume that people who believe we should close the border are all against that specific race. To sum it all up, illegal immigrant may come here for a better life, but the bottom line is that they’re here against the law and that is a major problem.