People from other countries should have the right to live in this country. It offers freedom and opportunity for success. Printed on a plaque on the Statue of Liberty, are the following words, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” (“How tall is the Statue of Liberty”). This is what immigration is all about. This message is inviting those who are eager to become an American citizen. In order to protect the privilege of immigration, our immigration laws need to be enforced.

Controlled immigration is not the problem. Illegal immigration is the problem. One major problem with illegal immigration is that we do not have a record of who is coming into the country. These are referred to as undocumented. “The number of criminal aliens in federal prisons in fiscal year 2010 was about 55,000, and the number of SCAAP (State Criminal Alien Assistance Program) criminal alien incarcerations in state prison systems and local jails was about 296,000 in fiscal year 2009 (the most recent data available), and the majority were from Mexico” (“American Thinker”). Many citizens are extremely concerned about the crimes committed by undocumented immigrants on American citizens. Immigrants that are in our country illegally are undocumented; therefore, we have no idea what their criminal record is. These people could possibly be mentally unstable, murderers, and rapists. We would know that information if we were able to receive the proper documentation.

We have people here in our country illegally, and we don’t even know who or where they are. People that come to this country looking for jobs, a better life, and wanting to become citizens are welcome. Although many people do not agree, those people who cross the border illegally and commit crimes should be sent back.

The United States does have immigration laws. However, they are not enforced. Under the present immigration laws, “State governments are prohibited from enacting immigration laws. Despite this, a handful of states recently passed laws requiring local police to investigate the immigration status of suspected illegal aliens” (“Legal Resources”). This is an attempt by the locals to gain control over the illegal immigrants since the federal government is not enforcing the laws. The United States government needs to reform the laws for immigration. The improvements that need to be made could possibly gain control over the outrageous number of illegal immigrants in the country. In order to improve the situation, the laws that are passed must include a plan of action that needs to be enforced all around the country. Funding must be apart of the plan. The laws may need to be reformed, but the major problem is that they are currently not being enforced.

It is unfair to the immigrants that legally come to this country wanting a better life to be denied that privilege because of the illegal immigrants that have bad intentions. If the laws that we have were enforced, there would be less illegal immigrants. If our leaders took the time to sit down and actually think about the major problem with immigration, then they could find a solution.