Immigration and the 2016 Presidential Election
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By: Nick Ustaski
The 2016 United States Presidential election is going to be one of the most interesting elections in recent years not only because there is an abundance of interesting candidates, but because there is really no distinctive frontrunner for either political party at this point in time. GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump has probably made the biggest splash in both the news and talks of possible presidential candidates, particularly his comments about immigration to the United States from Mexico. Since the initial settlements in North America centuries ago, immigration has and always will be a representation and part of the United States and its history. Every American has immigrant ancestry and the question in most recent years is when does the United States finally block immigration, legals or illegals, into the country completely. Donald Trump has taken a truly radical stand as a presidential candidate when he declared that illegal immigration needs to end and that it is corrupting the United States. Trump believes Mexico’s leaders have been taking advantage of the US because illegal immigrants exploit the system and send millions of dollars back to their country and not using it in the United States. Trump’s policy is based on three center points: building a wall at the Mexican border as a way to increase enforcement, ending birthright citizenship, and prioritizing American workers with restricted legal immigration. There are many that disagree with Trump’s plan, but he has gained some support from others who believe it is time for this change to happen in America. U.S. Republican Senator Jeff Sessions from Alabama endorsed Trump’s plan and said, “This is exactly what America needs.” Trump’s plan essentially says that immigrants hurt the American economy. The end goal for Trump is to have Americans back at work instead of using foreigners and putting special interests ahead of Americans like many politicians actually do. Trump himself said, “We are the only country in the world whose immigration system puts the needs of other nations ahead of our own.” With an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants currently in the country along with future illegals and legal immigrants, the United States is approaching a crossroads with an issue that will need to be addressed.
Immigrants do of course make the United States such a culturally diverse place to live. Many immigrants come to the United States seeking a fresh start or for many other reasons; each individual has a different reason for wanting to come here. Just like the American ancestors centuries ago, the United States has been a place where people could come and live in peace and be free. Whether it is time for immigration for illegals and legals to end is going to be a heavily debated issue in the near future. Donald Trump has put himself as a GOP frontrunner as a result of his drastic immigration policies it will be interesting to follow how the other candidates respond. Today, the Democratic Party and most of the Republican Party have abandoned American workers in favor of special interests and seek cheap foreign labor, Trump is arguing to change that. Whether the majority of American citizens agree will be decided in the next several months and mostly importantly on Election day, November 8th, 2016.
Thank you for visiting our firm’s website in which we do specialize in immigration law and following my legal blog posts this summer.
- Nick Ustaski