Immigrateful

Most of my great-grandparents were immigrants. They came from other countries through Ellis Island, and most came with nothing. They came to America, not because they spoke English, not because they were wealthy, not because they wanted to sightsee. They came to America for one reason – hope. They were not aristocrats, scholars, or white-collar workers as most did not have a high school education. So why did they survive? They survived because of one thing – hard work.

You see, the immigrants from the early 1900’s and even before their time did not have welfare. They did not come to the US to get handouts or food stamps. Yet many of these immigrants became great Americans or at least left their families something even if it was not great riches. Many groups that immigrated into the US in the early 20th century did an excellent job of assimilating themselves into the culture, while maintaining their own cultural traditions – oh yea, and they all learned English.

However, what rights should immigrants have? Of course, I mean legal immigrants, which are those that enter our country through an official process and are given approval to become citizens. Those that do not become citizens should not have the same rights as those who are citizens, for this would make citizenship worthless and enforcing laws and taxes impossible. To be a citizen of the United States meant something to those early immigrants, something more than just a change of scenery. It meant an opportunity to achieve whatever hard work could get them, nothing was out of reach – they were not stuck in a “class.”

The problem then becomes, what is the criteria for citizenship? Are we being too hard on immigrants by making them speak English and hold a job? Some people think that immigrants should get extra benefits to encourage them and give them a chance to succeed. This is ridiculous but comes from a welfare mentality. I mean, should we allow people on welfare to vote? They do not pay taxes and therefore are not much different from an illegal alien. They enjoy privileges without carrying their part of the load. It is no wonder then, that we do not hold immigrants to high standards because after all, it is their right for us to feed them and give them spending money.

So why is there this big push for giving driver’s licenses and other benefits to illegal aliens? What have they done to deserve all the benefits of being a citizen? We need to protect our border. No, not from people who want to come to the US and become part of our culture, but from those who just want to leech off the prosperity given to us by our hard-working great-grandparents (and their kids and grandkids). It is not wrong to recognize other cultures and to take pride in our diversity, but when the citizens have to assimilate into the immigrants’ culture, there is a problem. It is not as if we are asking more out of immigrants than we are of our current citizens and those who work hard will be rewarding for their efforts.

To compound the problem, those who live here and have not been truly naturalized (meaning they earned it) have a problem with American ideals and want us to listen to them. Sadly, many politicians will listen to their pleas for aid because it translates into votes. It does not mean anything to be American to these people and yet they cry ever louder for more handouts and government aid.

We do not “owe” these people anything. We do not need them to exist as a society and therefore it is their privilege NOT their right to become US citizens. Moreover, all we ask is that they learn English and become a citizen through the proper channels. This is not too much to ask for all the freedom and opportunity that America offer – is it?