Immigration, specifically the differences between legal and illegal immigration, has come to the forefront of daily political conversation, commonly attributed to the policies of the Trump administration. The immigration issue has had no problem acting as an election decider and national emergency, affecting those of all ages and backgrounds, even those here in Newton.
Sophomore Gadiel Espana said, “We don’t have anywhere to go, if you really think about it, if you’re from Mexico in particular, there’s a lot of crime… so our only real safe space is the United States, which still has crime, don’t get me wrong, but like, it’s a much safer environment.”
Issues of crime and lack of safety in their countries of origin have been cited as a leading cause of immigration to the United States. Many believe that this cause has an inevitable effect, however, increased crime on a domestic scale.
“Well, I mean, you just have to see how much of an issue it is, not only because we have so many but because of some of them, they’re not just coming here to live, they’re coming here to traffic. They’re coming here to bring in a bunch of drugs…” senior Max Antonowich said, “And what it’s doing to our people, it’s raising inflation. It’s making it more expensive for us. I just think with their policy, it’s just what they believe, and I think that that’s what their narrative is.”
In a time of rising inflation, trouble finding jobs, and rising house and interest rates many have begun pinning economic woes to the influx of illegal immigrants. They claim these individuals have been avoiding taxes and stealing American jobs.
“I mean, you understand, like roofing crews and some jobs like farm hands, I don’t think we are [too dependent], though. I think there’s enough people that are kind of unskilled that, you know, they could do a job like that. And you know, you look at our unemployment rates, and I think that certainly speaks for itself,” Antonowich said.
Many claim this as a false issue, nothing more than political propaganda to win an election. Some stating that the United States has always been a country of immigrants and immigrant jobs are just a matter of economic development.
“I don’t think they are at all. Because I think the Trump administration has identified the wrong cause to the economy and why they think that illegal immigrants are holding too many jobs. They just aren’t, especially in the capacity that they want to get rid of them…” junior Max Rose said, “As it really just goes to the people who own the businesses paying them very, very poorly, and it leads them to take those jobs, as we’ve seen throughout history.”
A separate topic in the umbrella of illegal immigration has been the separation and alleged mistreatment of families at the hands of the recent policies. Both sides of the argument can agree on one simple idea: The children should be the main priority for all parties involved.
“Especially if they are at a very, very young age, like a newborn to a toddler range, because it’s not really their choice to leave their country, and they don’t really have a say in whether or not they can or do leave the country.” Rose said, “So children, especially of illegal immigrants, I think, should be allowed to stay within the United States if their parents are deported, even if their parents were deported.”
Common ground between political platforms can also be found in immigration reform, all sides believing that new avenues and pathways to legal American citizenship should be explored. A common proposal has been speeding up the process of legalization.
“Speed up the immigration process. It took my parents and my grandparents to migrate here. It took them four years to get all the legal documentation. They didn’t get visas. They just waited in Mexico to get all the documents to come over… but I feel like the process for people to come here has gotten really bad, to a point where the reason why there’s so many people coming here illegally is because the process to get here legally is insanely difficult. The process of immigration to this country really needs to be overhauled, because there is just so many issues with it,” Espana said.
Conservatives share similar views, citing a monotonous and lengthy process as a leading factor in the immigration crisis.
“But with the rate that we’re deporting and stopping illegal immigration, yeah, we should probably increase a little more ways we bring people in, just because that is a good thing to have diversity in our population that creates lots of opportunities for businesses and stuff,” Antonowich said.
Illegal immigration has firmly placed itself as an issue that needs to be studied and analyzed.
“So I feel like it’s not just like a government thing, but I feel like it’s just human rights. Like, if you really think about it, it’s more like just the common courtesy of a person to help someone in need. I feel like that overrides everything that the US government says about that,” Espana said.
