Immigration: Past and Present
...1, 2001 was executed on our country, we became more cautious than ever before. Americans need to know that they are safe and that security is at it’s peak. Not only should we be aware of those of Middle Eastern descent, but we should also be cautious of anyone, of any nationality, even our own. It is estimated that in 1993 approximately two to three million illegal immigrants entered this country. Even recently in the sniper shootings near Washington D.C., one of the two men arrested was an illegal immigrant. To think this one person caused such a national crisis, that could have been avoided if we were more aware of who is entering our country. Although it is stated that only .6 percent of the United States’ population are immigrants (illegal and legal) it does not appear that way (Brimelow 33). Brimelow goes on to explain that the numbers are not spread evenly over the United States; however, and therefore this number seems drastically larger. The six major cities that immigrants settle into consist of: Los Angeles, Anaheim, Chicago, Miami, New York City, and Washington D.C. (36). This fact can lead to the conclusion that not only are our busiest cities needing more supervision but also more attention for immigration and those entering illegally. A statistic from 1990 shows that if immigration had not been allowed after the year 1790, our population would be 122 million, opposed to the 249 million living in the United States as of 1990 (Brimelow 48). The difference between the two is 127 million people, all of whom must be admitted and supervised by someone. 127 million people, is it possible to thoroughly investigate 127 million people? Is our country safe letting 127 million immigrants in, especially after those exact people threatened the lives of our citizens and all that America stands for? No. Everyone should have the right to come to the United States and feel free and truly be so. It is a shame that others do not feel the same way and take that dream away from the people of our country whether they were born here or not. Although immigration causes citizens of the United States to be slightly alarmed and cautious of their well being, it is important to remember that heightened security not abolishing immigration is the answer. “Since this nation’s founding, more tha...