When it comes to the issue of immigration laws & stuff pertaining to immigration, there is plenty to get me riled up (I've got a little bit of an Irish streak in me...lol). But seriously, what some folks just don't understand are the factors which serve as the drive for why people regularly enter the United States, be it illegally or no. I'm not solely talking about Hispanics, but also Africans & Asians along with Europeans & the premises for why they come to seek better opportunities here.

The first & foremost reason I could think of right away is that the employment opportunities in their respective homelands are limited, if not scarce or nonexistent. The United States, they feel, is a place where the possibilities of finding work are endless & by coming here they could improve their fortunes drastically. This isn't to say that everything will be a breeze in terms of landing that perfect job but by coming into the USA, their chances of making a more promising living will increase exponentially (since their chances of eking out a decent living back in their native countries aren't exactly the best).

Reason #2 is: they're fleeing from oppressive governments, civil war, ethnic violence & other war-related conflicts. For these particular individuals, their chances of living out a free life over here without having to look over their shoulders at every turn are outstanding. So it is without surprise that they flock to the USA, feeling that it's a safe haven, a "land of the free."

The final reason, first & foremost, is: just to survive as best they can. Knowing firsthand that back in say, Brazil, mere survival was a daily concern, they come into the United States doing whatever they can to maintain their well-being & existence. (although I don't condone some of their approaches which they use to, as it were, "get by.") Taking advantage of the loopholes which they see in our immigration laws, naturally enough they flock into our country in droves in pursuit of the good life, something which they felt they were prevented from living to the fullest back home.

So where does this lead us? If someone gets caught doing this crime or that & is found to be an illegal/foreigner who hasn't fully attained American citizenship, que mas? Why is it that we have to declare them persona non grata & deport them from the United States? Not all illegals/foreign nationals/etc. are as bad as we make them out to be; like you & me, they're awesome, law-abiding citizens, doing their best to live the promise of a better life which brought them to the USA in the first place. When we deport them, we're not only taking away their dignity & humanity; just think of the horrors we're subjecting them to if they end up back in their native countries (that is, if their nations want anything to do with them). We're also taking away their freedom in the process. And in a free country, this is unacceptable. People whose nationality is not the same as ours should not be seen as "undesirables" or whatever condescending tag we choose to place on them: they're our fellow human beings & deserve to be treated as such.

What some folks don't understand is that these individuals didn't arrive here to escape reality; far, far from it. They arrived in hopes of making a new, more hopeful start which was totally out of the picture in their homelands of origin. Will it take building a wall across the U.S.-Mexico border to filter out illegal immigrants? What's next, building a wall which separates Florida from the Caribbean to keep out the influx of Cubans/Haitians who hope to seek redemption here? Please give it a rest. Neither plan will work any wonders. When it comes to understanding
the factors behind why individuals from Latin America, Asia, Africa, etc. enter our nation to pursue the American dream, it seems that there are those who still don't get it. And some unfortunately won't. Until the immigration laws are improved/rewritten, who positively will?

I dunno...what I do know is that something has to give & deportment/exile are not acceptable solutions to the issue of immigration in general.