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(Letter from Angelina Gomez)
Dear Senator Feinstein, Different immigration policies in the past have had a huge impact on the demographics of our country. The Hart-Cellar Act of 1965 stripped away the previous national quota system and established a preference system. After this change, a huge influx of immigration, especially of Asians, was seen. I believe that the policy had a positive effect on our country. The American culture was enhanced by many different cultures, and the growing immigrant population became a strong and able work force that still participates heavily in our economy today. Much of our country's economy comes from immigrant workers. According to a 2005 report from the Congressional Budget Office, immigrants comprise 14% of our nation's work force. More importantly, immigrants hold between 20% and 40% of the jobs in some of the most essential industries, including farming, food preparation, building and grounds maintenance, and construction. Immigrants are obviously vital to our economy, and if their services were to be hindered certain industries would be devastated. California, with its huge dependence on immigrant laborers, would be especially affected by any legislation restricting the employment of immigrant workers. This dependence on immigrants is evident throughout our country's history. In fact, the first people to come to America were immigrants. The current immigration issue is too complex and multifaceted to be solved by one action or even through one school of thought. That is why I direct my concerns to you. In the past, you have been an independent and often bipartisan voice on many issues. This attitude is going to be the most effective in reaching a comprehensive solution to the immigration problems our country is debating. I agree with your vote on the May 2006 Immigration Reform Bill for a few reasons. First, to manage the problem with illegal immigration, our country needs to establish more ways for people to immigrate legally, and we also need to create new paths for illegal immigrants to become legal. The bill creates more options for these people, and hopefully, we will see a drop in the number of illegal immigrants. The bill also addresses the issue involving immigrant workers. I believe it is very important to recognize the impact that immigrants have on our economic system, while still promoting the employment of US citizens. By establishing a guest worker system, immigrants could continue to fill an important niche in our economic system, and the rights of US citizens will still be protected. However, I do not agree with more recent legislation concerning the building of a fence on the US-Mexico border. Immigration is not a simple problem of who comes to the US and how they get here. It is a broader issue concerning what to do with our immigrant population, especially the large illegal sector. Because of this complexity, the issue cannot be resolved by border enforcement alone. While border security is necessary to protect us from drug and weapons trafficking, as well as to keep track of who is leaving and entering the country, we need to avoid the mistake of leaving these jobs to a wall. We don't have enough money to build a wall big enough to effectively block all illegal immigration. Also, a wall sends a very hostile message to our neighboring countries. By recognizing the ways that our country benefits from immigration, creating new ways to process and protect these immigrants, and keeping our country free and open, the US can create a policy in its own best interests, as well the interests of our fellow nations. Sincerely, |