The topic of illegal immigration has been front and center since Donald Trump announced his candidacy for president by calling Mexican immigrants rapists. I have written before on immigration and how people have been affected, like my best friend and me. I have seen several comments made by friends of mine, family, and people I do not know.

Everyone is entitled to have their own opinions on a subject. However, many of these people are slandering immigrants and falsely stating laws and regulations. I believe people should be educated about a subject if they are going to speak on it. So, I am writing this article to educate those who do not know and to state my opinions on the subject of illegal immigrants.

So, to get things started I am going to go all the way back to 1846, the Mexican-American War. Many people do not know much about this war. They know we gained something from it and that was it. So, at this time, the United States believed it was their right to basically conquer territory wherever they wished. However, there were people who lived on this land already and a country that already owned it. That would literally be like a government official coming into your house and saying, "Oh, this is a nice house and piece of land."

Then they take it and kick you out with a little money. So what if you had a family living there? They don't care. That's what it was like for the people residing in the land we took. Now to move onto a reason why the war was even created. Slavery was a huge deal at this time. If you owned slaves, you had power. The South wanted to gain more power in politics. They believed they would gain more power if the United States owned more slave states.

A major reason why the war even happened was to start slavery in the lands people once lived in. So back to the government official kicking you out of your home, they expanded slavery in the home you once lived in. You aren't OK with that? Well sorry, again, they don't care. This is what America did to people who resided in the land Mexico once owned.

Now that the history of Mexico and America is out of the way, I want to address the fact that many people do not know the process of getting into America "legally." I saw a comment made by someone I will not name that stated, "like go and get a visa." This comment makes it seem like getting a visa is very simple and cheap. However, that could not be further from the truth. Many people do not know that the United States actually has a limit on the number of visas issued in a year. So, they apply for a visa but then get put on a waiting list. Americans made them think it was so easy though.

Now let's cover cost. Just for visitors to come tour our great nation it is 160 American dollars. So, now they must get American money before even entering our country. Student visas are $160. Exchange visitor visas $160. Visas for A VICTIM OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING is $160. Employee visas are $190. Visas for athletes are $190. Now let's say this immigrant who thought it would be so easy is trying to get into America to be with the one they love. They of course what to be with the love of their life. It cost $265 just for a visa application to be looked at for a fiancé or spouse. You two are just dating? Oh, well no can do. Now that these people have paid the fee, the waiting begins.

Temporary visas can take up to a couple of months to be processed. However, for someone who wants to live in the United States for good it will take years to process. Not weeks, not months, but years. But that's not all; they also need a sponsor. So now they have to wait even longer to hear back about their visa being processed. If their visa gets denied they do not get the money already spent back. Refund? What is that? Some might say, "well his visa was denied; it's probably something illegal." Um, no. It could have just been missing or inaccurate information on the application, filed for the wrong visa, or wait for it, the AMERICAN sponsor does not make enough money. All that hard work and money for nothing.

Now because they spent all that money and failed they decide to just come into America without a visa. They just walk across the border and pass the inspection point. They did not enter the U.S. at any other area other than the designated area. They did not dig tunnels or hide in a trunk. They did not use a fake green card. If they did not do any of the following, then it is not considered "illegally entering." So according to the United States' laws, they are not going to be prosecuted. They can file taxes as anyone else would. However, they will receive anything back. They can not file for welfare either; many people like to think they can.

However, let's say they came into the U.S. in a friend's trunk. This is considered illegally entering the U.S. But they will only be charged with a misdemeanor. Let's remember being publicly intoxicated is a misdemeanor, along with disorderly conduct, discharging a firearm in city limits, vandalism, drinking underage, and reckless driving. They can be fined or imprisoned for at max 6 months. So, no they will not be sent back after their time and yes, they still pay taxes. So, to all the people saying immigrants need to follow laws, I want you to think back on your life. You've never drunk underage? Never been publicly intoxicated? Never vandalized anything? How can you expect someone to come into your country and follow simple laws when citizens can't even follow them?

Next, let's talk about the asylums that so many people are seeking. News flash, they must be on American soil to process an asylum. So, no they cannot just do this in their country before coming here like I have heard so many times that they could.

How can immigrants without visas pay taxes? Well, the government knows they are illegal and allows them to pay taxes. They get TINs that are used as SSN. This also helps the U.S. get out of debt because these taxpayers are not receiving anything back.

I have heard several times "Mexicans need to go back to Mexico," or "Mexicans are stealing jobs." People assume Mexicans are the only people crossing the border. HELLO, that's racist! But according to statistics you are wrong. There are more people that came here from India than Mexico. There are more people from China than Mexico. There are more people from Hong Kong than Mexico. So please, keep your comments about Mexicans to a minimum.

So, to the people who are still reading and saying "laws are laws," here are some fun facts of history for you. Martin Luther King Jr. broke laws and helped people see segregation was wrong. He is remembered still to this day for his brave acts and even has his own holiday. Rosa Parks broke laws. She broke the law by simply sitting. She helped people see how serious the situation at hand was. Miep Gies broke the law. She hid families during the Holocaust with hopes they would live. During the times of these heroes, the law was to hurt, kill, beat, and own the people of their countries. If Martin Luther King Jr. or Rosa Parks were to follow the laws, segregation may not have ended. If Miep Gies had followed the laws of her country, we would not have "Anne Frank's Diary" and hear first hand from a teenager how her life was during the Holocaust in that exact moment. History would not have been made if some laws were not broken.