ry? That in America you’re only guilty if you’re caught and then only if you don’t agree to leave quietly. The lack of punishment for illegal migration is one of the reasons behind it’s increase. That however is just my opinion and the would not disappear even if strict punishments were the norm. It is clear that the debate and controversy over immigration will not go away anytime in the near future. What is not clear however is how the nation will fare in the midst of such debate. In the past Americans were proud to be that one shining hope in the world. They were willing to accept the tired and poor, but America has changed and immigration must change also. To those in underdeveloped countries the Statue of Liberty and her invitation to a better life must be hard to resist. What they don’t see is what lies beyond her golden torch; a country teeming with people in fierce competition for that elusive dream of a better life. As a student of history and someone who is proud of my heritage I want to say let them come. Let all who need a better life come to America and try to build it here. As a realist I know that our country can only support so many people. There are only so many jobs, so much land for housing, and so forth. Maybe someday in the near future there will be a balance found between the economics and the humanitarianism. A balance that will allow those searching for a better life to come to America and know that they add to our nation’s success. The days of “give me your tired, your poor” may have to end but our door should always be open to those longing to work toward a better tomorrow in a land of freedom. Bibliography Works Cited Amselle, Jorge. “Immigrants: Helping or Harming the U.S.?.” The World & I 10 (1995): 60. Bean, Frank D., Barry Edmonston, and Jefferey S. Passel. Undocumented Migration to the United States:IRCA and the Experience of the 1980’s.Wash...
