Undocumented Immigrants Aren’t The Problem, Hate Is

The United States has one of the most complicated immigration systems in the world. One often hears others say, “I stand with immigration, just not illegal immigration.” However, there are many misconceptions about undocumented immigrations in the U.S., including their social, political, and economic position. 

It is important that we educate ourselves on this issue, as this can lessen the chance of falling for the same lies politicians have been feeding us for years. The list of untrue beliefs about undocumented individuals that have been so famously spewed by politicians goes on and on.

For one thing, many believe that undocumented immigrants are committing violent crimes at unprecedented rates in states bordering Mexico. Actually, U.S. citizens are committing more violent crimes than undocumented people. A great example is Texas, where “746 native-born Texans, 32 illegal immigrants, and 28 legal immigrants” were convicted of homicide in 2016, according to a report by the CATO Institute. 

In other words, there is a 44% difference in crime rates between U.S. citizens and those who are undocumented in Texas. Therefore, the national crisis we are experiencing is not at the Southern border, but among those who paint undocumented immigrants as violent in order to drive fear in our communities. 

Another common assertion is that if people want to come to the U.S., they should come legally. What is not surprising about this claim is that the people who stand with it often do not know how the immigration system in the United States works. If you would like to immigrate legally to the U.S. and come from a poor country, there is virtually no path toward citizenship for you. 

Some types of visas that the United States has are: work visas, which are temporary and must be sponsored by an American; family chain immigration visas, which require you to be directly requested by a family member living legally in the U.S., and asylum visas, which require you to be in fear of being persecuted based on religion, race, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion. 

If one does not meet the narrow criteria for U.S. visas, there is no permanent option for them to leave their country and immigrate legally to the U.S.

Last but not least, the predictable chant that fuels the minds of many ignorant people in the U.S. is that “they are taking our jobs!” Instead of focusing anger toward immigrants who come here looking for better employment, these individuals should focus their anger on the companies who choose to hire undocumented immigrants for lower wages instead of U.S. citizens. 

Because they can pay them lower wages and place them in substandard working conditions that no legal citizen would stand for, many companies will not hesitate to exploit undocumented workers. 

While these are only a few points that correct the misconceptions against undocumented immigrants, there are many others that keep polarizing our communities and political leaders. As an undocumented immigrant myself, it upsets me that some think I am a criminal. Ultimately, the U.S. immigration system must be corrected. While it will never be perfect and not everybody will get the chance to live here, we can certainly do better than what we are doing now.