Why Immigrants Come to America

UPDATE: 3/11/2017

Immigration is a volitle subject lately as President Trump tries to establish a fair immigration system that will protect the safety and economic structure of the United States.

Whether you agree or disagree with the president, you have to at least agree that the system is broken and leaves America greatly exposed to the danger of letting people in that are NOT here to take advantage of opportunities to grow your abilities and make a better life for themselves and families.

Now is a good time to repost the article written by Jessica Zuckerman 4 years ago about our immigration system. She said many of the same things President Trump and other Americans are saying

Today, the subject of immigration is more than a political ball being tossed around by Democrats and Republicans, framing it as racism. The topic of LEGAL IMMIGRATION is about the survival of our American way of life.

Americans need to feel safe in investing into a product or business, families need to feel safe in their neighborhoods, and the people must trust the economy and believe their government is committed to the welfare of its citizens.

Zuckerman says that America embraces those who come here honestly: in search of freedom and a better life; who possess good work ethics and take advantage of opportunities.

Zuckerman states the following, in which I totally agree:

“Over the past several decades, however, immigration policy has become confused, unfocused, and dysfunctional. America lacks a simple system to attract the qualified immigrants who can help our economy and contribute to our nation. Millions of unlawfully present immigrants are undermining America’s core principle of the rule of law, while the legal naturalization process isn’t working as well as it should. Large-scale immigration without effective assimilation threatens social cohesion, along with America’s civic culture and common identity. This is particularly true when immigrants are assimilated into the welfare state rather than into a society of opportunity.”

“It is high time for an immigration policy that serves immigrants and citizens alike. As an important part of this, we must find ways to reform our legal immigration system to create a process that is truly fair, orderly, and efficient. Indeed, currently there are close to 4.5 million individuals waiting in line to come to this country legally—and some have been waiting for as long as 24 years.”

“These numbers make one thing clear: America needs meaningful immigration reform. It must, however, be done in a deliberative and thoughtful manner. It must also seek to uphold the rule of law, welcome individuals through a legal framework, and discourage future flows of unlawful immigrants.

“By recognizing these facts and beginning to work on solutions where we can all agree, we can rebuild an immigration process in harmony with our highest principles and best traditions.”

The Heritage Foundry Morning Bell Report

Why My Family Came to America

By Jessica Zuckerman

More than any other nation in history, the United States has made itself a new home for immigrants in search of a better life. It embraces those who come to this country honestly—often with nothing more than their work ethic—in search of the promise of opportunities and the American Dream.

As a second-generation American, I think of this promise often. Each and every day, when I see my grandfather’s Ellis Island records hanging on my wall, I remember what he went through to come to this country. I remember how he left behind all he had ever known in Hungary to escape discrimination and the destruction left in the wake of World War I; how he gave up everything so that he could offer his children and grandchildren the promise of freedom and opportunity in a new land.

His story is not unique. Since our nation’s founding, millions of immigrants have come to our shores with a similar dream, each bringing with them new experiences and pieces of their cultures that together form part of what makes this nation great.

Over the past several decades, however, immigration policy has become confused, unfocused, and dysfunctional. America lacks a simple system to attract the qualified immigrants who can help our economy and contribute to our nation. Millions of unlawfully present immigrants are undermining America’s core principle of the rule of law, while the legal naturalization process isn’t working as well as it should. Large-scale immigration without effective assimilation threatens social cohesion, along with America’s civic culture and common identity. This is particularly true when immigrants are assimilated into the welfare state rather than into a society of opportunity.

It is high time for an immigration policy that serves immigrants and citizens alike. As an important part of this, we must find ways to reform our legal immigration system to create a process that is truly fair, orderly, and efficient. Indeed, currently there are close to 4.5 million individuals waiting in line to come to this country legally—and some have been waiting for as long as 24 years.

These numbers make one thing clear: America needs meaningful immigration reform. It must, however, be done in a deliberative and thoughtful manner. It must also seek to uphold the rule of law, welcome individuals through a legal framework, and discourage future flows of unlawful immigrants.

By recognizing these facts and beginning to work on solutions where we can all agree, we can rebuild an immigration process in harmony with our highest principles and best traditions.

Jessica Zuckerman is a policy analyst who works on national security issues at The Heritage Foundation. Her grandfather, Joseph (Jeno) Zuckerman, came to the United States on the S.S. Rotterdam in 1921.