Chris Musk  Journal Staff

President Obama has been very adamant about a major goal for his second term: targeting the immigration policies of this country. He has chosen a bipartisan approach for this task and has made a surprising team of Senators to help tackle this problem. This team consists of eight Senators: four Republicans and four Democrats. The Republican Senators include Marco Rubio and John McCain.

President Obama most recently spoke on stage at Del Sol High School in Las Vegas on Jan. 29 in regards to immigration reform. Here, Obama explained to the crowd that he expects a very constructive solution to this problem to come forward with much bipartisan agreement. Thankfully, our legislative branch of government has been able to come to an agreement and actually solve problems. Some of the agreements already made are promising in that our country may actually benefit from these immigration reforms.

The team of Senators has made it evident they want to help the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country and try to help them get visas for working their way towards permanent citizenship. To do this, they want to install such legislation stating, “Illegal immigrants under the age of 30 who arrived in the U.S. before they turned 16 and lived in the country for at least five years are eligible for deferred action. This new policy requires that these immigrants also have a high school diploma or GED, or that they serve in the U.S. military.”

Illegal immigrants with any criminal history will be exempt from these reforms. Additionally, reforms have been talked about with bipartisan agreement where immigrants who graduate high school and college with high GPA’s can have extended student visas granted. Increases in our border patrols and tightening the grip on employers who hire illegal immigrants are two concerns which both parties have brought forward. Overall, many of the issues being targeted seem to have exceptional and logical approaches taken towards their completion.  Solving this country’s massive illegal immigration problem is not an easy task. Thankfully, bipartisan agreement seems dedicated to speeding up the entire process of requesting and obtaining a green card.

This nation was built by immigrants, and with that history being reminded to us daily, it is very important for us to remember that it surrounds us. Nobody should ever throw away their culture, nor be forced into a melting pot.  Though the American people nowadays may desire different things than just the good old “American Dream,” we all want peace and a good economy. That is something anybody, no matter political views, will agree on.

Many parts of the country are divided on this issue, with some people – more so in the south – not wanting an influx of immigrants. They typically view this issue very pessimistically. I do not believe anybody in this country should view immigrants negatively.  Our nation’s blood, sweat, and tears have all been made by them. Many of our farms and railroads were built by immigrants throughout American history; these two in particular vastly contributed to our growing economy and way of life. Immigrants throughout history in our country are what have allowed America to become as strong and great as she is. We do not live in a society where we believe one race is the most superior or restrict freedoms on literature and speech like Hitler’s Nazi Germany. America embraces differences in culture and ways of life, as this makes us stronger by adapting more successfully with change.

The above reforms, shall they come into law, would greatly help our country and the illegal immigrants that work hard. As long as the immigrants coming to our country abide by the law, positively contribute to our society, and pay taxes, then there is no reason to view them negatively. I expect a good outcome from this team of senators that Obama has put together and hopefully these reforms will inspire immigrants to try harder in school and further contribute to our society. Democrat Senator Chuck Schumer, a member of the bipartisan Senate group, stated that the Senators hope for a bill in March or April, and then a vote by late spring or early summer.