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Illegal immigration: should we fight it or embrace it
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One of the hot topics among policymakers is illegal immigration. People are concerned that people are crossing our borders and working without paying taxes. The popular approach is to deport these people, but I think an alternative approach might be more efficient.
If our nation focused more on helping immigrants become legal citizens instead of sending them away, we could solve a lot of problems. Generally people come to the United States to seek employment opportunities not available in their own country. Many businesses hire them without documenting their hours to the government, resulting in untaxed labor. But if these immigrants gained legalized citizens, their hours would be documented and they can be taxed on their labor.
Immigrants are very hardworking and have served the economy by performing jobs that many of us as naturalized citizens would not do. Tasks such as construction work are necessary for businesses to
prosper. There are some organizations in Georgia that help people assimilate, particularly working with refugees. International Rescue Committee and Refugee Family Services have helped refugees gain
citizenship for many years.
International Rescue Committee and Refugee Family Services provide a variety of immigration services to refugees. They help them gain green cards, get access to travel documents, seek employment
authorization forms, and gather social security cards. Furthermore, these organizations help them learn English so that they will be familiar with laws in the United States of America.
International Rescue Committee is located in the city of Decatur, while Refugee Family Services is headquartered in Stone Mountain. These organizations have many caseworkers and volunteers that
help assist with their cause. Refugees that they assist come from many countries, including Burma and Sudan. The clients served by these organizations learn how to assimilate and they contribute
to the nation by performing legalized work that puts in tax money for many government services.
75 percent of refugees settle into the city of Decatur, where the International Rescue Committee of Atlanta is located. However, there are other refugee centers in that city, including Refugee Women's Network and Refugee Resettlement & Immigration Services of Atlanta. These organizations are also able to provide their services through the help of many caseworkers and volunteers, just like how the International Rescue Committee and Refugee Family Services have done so.
If the government provided these kinds of services to immigrants in general, not just refugees, then the economy would be stronger and less people would be deported. The struggling economy has
concerned many people who worry about job losses. However, with more legalized immigrants helping to construct businesses, more jobs would be available and unemployment rates would go down. Less people would be homeless and America would be a more diverse nation. Our country needs a stronger and more diverse work force, not more people being deported.
If you would like to know more about how you can help immigrants from around the world assimilate to American life please visit the website of the International Rescue Committee at http://www.theirc.
org/where/united_states_atlanta_ga/ or go to the link for Refugee Family Services at http://www.refugeefamilyservices.org.
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