To the Nay-sayers of Obama's Executive Action

As some of you may know, I teach American National Government at the University of Arkansas in the evenings (as well as practicing law quite well ;)) And every semester, I have my students write a paper.  Usually they write a letter to a government official about some policy.  But on election years, they write about the Senatorial or House Candidate race for their state or district. They discuss the candidates, some issues involved, and then give their opinions.  And while I grade these papers, I put my own politics aside.  Even when students write crazy things and agree with hate-mongers and ideologies I just don't understand how people can follow - the paper is not about whether I agree, but whether they explain their thoughts and the candidates fully.

But now the papers are all graded and turned back, so I can have a bit of a rant on how some people see immigration and Obama's recent executive action.  You see, many of my more right-wing students agree with the right-wing politicians and do not believe in giving an ounce of amnesty to immigrants. Send them all back where they belong.  Even the ones born here. They're stealing benefits, American jobs, and they need to get in line and come here legally.

So, to all my students who may read this, or to all you out in the world, let me explain my thoughts on this.  First, let us understand that there really is no line for these people.  Most undocumented people in the United States come from Mexico or Central America.  The U.S. has visa quotas for various countries, and Mexico, India, China and the Philippines are at the top of the list of having far more applicants than positions open.  To put this in context, let's look at an example.  I looked up the most recent Visa Bulletin released by the government. Say you moved here from Mexico and became a citizen. But your child, who is an adult now, still lives in Mexico and you want to apply for him - put him on the list.  Well, the government is just now getting to applicants from 1994. So you may be waiting a while. Oh, you want to apply for your sister or brother to come to the U.S. to live? They are looking at 1997 right now. Get the picture? Technically there is a line, but it is not a real option for people because the waiting list is ridiculous. And if you do not have a relative to sponsor you, there really is not a list for you. Maybe you could put your name in the diversity lottery...but even then, your odds are incredibly unlikely.

So there's no line. Let's address the stealing benefits and jobs.  It's true that right now, if an undocumented person had a horrific accident and needed to go to the hospital, a physician would probably treat them even if they had no insurance and are undocumented. Sure, the tax payers might be paying for it. This is actually the area where more conservative people should be rejoicing and happy for Obama's plan.  You see, with this Deferred Action plan (part of the Executive Action),  undocumented people receive work authorization for three years (so they're saying right now). This means they will be paying taxes.  This means they will likely be required to have health insurance via the ACA. So by bringing them into the system, we actually create less burden on the system.

Additionally, let us face facts. There are American employers out there who are hiring these undocumented workers. Why would people come if there were no benefits? Oftentimes, you will see these American companies or employers taking advantage of the undocumented by paying less wages or giving less benefits (if any) and of course, not paying taxes on the worker. By bringing the undocumented into the system, we actually make it a fairer playing field for American workers looking for jobs.  Because if an unscrupulous employer has to decide between an American who wants a good wage and benefits and an undocumented immigrant who has to take what he is given and cannot complain to anyone or he will be deported....who will that employer hire?  By giving the undocumented work authorization, they must be paid at least minimum wage. And so Americans can actually compete with this. And perhaps more Americans could be hired because an unethical employer can no longer choose the silent, uncomplaining worker. The threat of deportation is gone.

Finally, and I'm sure Don or I have discussed this before, but let us also just look at the humanity side of this issue. The business details are important and perhaps they will help convince some. But the fact is that so many of these undocumented have lived here 15, 20, 30 years. They have American citizen children here. Their whole life is here. And every day the children live in fear that their parents will be taken away from them.  And the reality is that every day this does happen.  Sometimes there are ways for the parents to stay, but often there are not. Obama's plan does not fix this.  But it does defer the situation and (hopefully) guarantee that for three years at least, families will not have to fear deportation but can instead live out in the open.  Contribute to society. Shop in our stores. Spend their legal wages on American goods and spur our economy to new heights.
And stay together.

President Obama is moving in the right direction.

    As a retired economics teacher, I find that economic realities support undocumented immigrants.  However, I have switched my arguments to those of President Abraham Lincoln—the same direction President Obama seems to be taking. 

    President Lincoln championed a liberty where “each individual is naturally entitled to do as he pleases with himself and the fruit of his labor, so far as it in no wise interferes with any other man’s rights.” [“The Lincoln-Douglas Debates I, Speech at Chicago, July 10, 1858.”]  

    To Lincoln, our dispute is not over immigration but freedom.  “To be plain, you are dissatisfied with me about slavery (read “illegals”). … I certainly wish that all men could be free, while you, I suppose do not.”  [To J. C. Conkling. August 26, 1863]

    Lincoln considered oppression of unpopular groups a moral failing.  “Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves; and, under the rule of a just God, cannot long retain it.”  [“Speech Delivered Before the First Republican State Convention of Illinois, held at Bloomington, on May 29, 1856.”]

    I did not vote for President Obama.  However, I must applaud his efforts to move closer to the expression of universal freedom in our Declaration of Independence.  Lincoln would have cringed at some of the ideas expressed by recent bloggers.  He would have said, When they get control, the Declaration of Independence “will read ‘all men are created equal, except negroes and foreigners and Catholics.’ When it comes to this, I shall prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretense of loving liberty,--to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocrisy.” [“Response to a Pro-Slavery Friend; To Joshua F. Speed, Springfield, August 24, 1855”]

    For a comic novel about a state that passes a law ordering its citizens to shoot illegal aliens (and Catholics without guns) read T*O*A*D at http://www.ballabooks.com/t-o-a-d.html .  You will also find there Lincoln’s Address on Undocumented Aliens, a speech of all Lincoln quotes applied to the issue of undocumented immigrants.

-Don Balla

Citizenship & Voting

One of the ultimate goals for many of our clients is citizenship. The final step in all the hassle of immigration - past the visas, the permanent resident status to finally reaching citizenship. The status that the government cannot take away, allows you to travel without restriction, work without restriction, live life without the threat of your status being taken away.  And, of course, finally given a voice in our country - a voice to choose your representative, a voice to say what direction you want the United States to go, a voice to vote.

This issue is quite personal to me because this is the first year I could vote. I have gone through the immigration process as many of our clients have done.  My situation was a little different as my parents took care of most of the visa process when I was a minor, so the major decision I made was to become a citizen and move beyond my greencard status.  Last summer I took the oath and became a citizen of this country. 

There were many decision that went into the process (travel freedom being a major influence), but the ability to vote was an important one.  Since I began my first job in high school at Coldstone Creamery, I have paid taxes to the government yet never had a vote (this was a HUGE reason for the Revolutionary War...no taxation without representation - still exists for immigrants today).  I have watched Presidents, Senators, Representatives from both parties; I've judged their leadership and decision-making, yet had no ability to influence their decisions.  But FINALLY, I am able to become involved in the political system.  I can vote.  And, in fact, I early voted to make sure I would not miss it or have to wait in a long line on November 4th.

So to all you citizens out there who have always had  chance to vote, make sure you take this opportunity! Vote for your fellow humans who live in this country and do not have a voice.  Vote for them - vote for people who are part of this country, pay taxes, contribute to our society, but have to live in the shadows, but have to follow the rules which they have no control over.  And for those of you who reach citizenship through immigration, congratulations.  It is a long journey, but a rewarding one. Go VOTE!!!

#govote #voting #citizenship #FayettevilleArkansas #immigrationlawyer #Immigrationstory #earlyvoting #november4th #NWA #notaxationwithoutrepresentation

Our Current System.....

Friends,

I have been involved in many events recently where members of the general public have had the opportunity to learn about immigration.  Some events have been inspired by Christian films, others by those in the community seeking justice, but the similarities are there - people are interested in immigration issues, immigrants, and those in need of a voice, but many people do not know exactly how our immigration laws work.  We have seen this on the news as people are told to "wait in line for a visa". We hear this on the radio as the President promises over and over again to do something for these voiceless people.  But if most Americans knew the stories of the individuals, I think more people would become interested in Immigration Reform and the need to change our system.

Allow me to share some of their stories with you....

One story we have seen play over and over and over again are the asylees coming up from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala (this is a whole other issue you can read about here). The asylum seekers are children, or children and mothers, and are people who are escaping the terrible conditions in their country.  Conditions where gangs are a real danger that governments are unwilling or unable to control. Children who are abused and beaten, who run away from the people who do this, but who are brought back by the gangs in return for money or a favor from the abuser. Children who do not speak the language of this country, who need real assistance - food, clothing, legal help - and are instead finding themselves locked up in prisons in horrific conditions. Once the asylum seekers are in the system, it can then take months for a first hearing, then the next one is set six months, maybe even 18 months out.  And although after 6 months, the U.S. government will allow them to work, this can take a very long time.  This can be even longer when you move a client to a closer court (because all the first hearings are usually set in a Texas court), and while the paperwork is moving, that 6 months clock (EAD clock)  is paused and everything is at the discretion of the (overworked) court to begin the clock again.  And on top of all that, even if the asylee is able to stay in the United States while they are waiting, everything is so uncertain. Imagine living and just waiting to find out if you will be allowed to stay in the country, or kicked out. Would you put down roots? Would you try to make the area your home? It can be an incredibly difficult, uncertain period of time for these already downtrodden, often abused, scared minors.

 As a person, as a mother, my heart hurts for these children. As a lawyer, I am able to do something about it and help represent them. But unfortunately there is another reality so many immigration lawyers are facing here as well - it takes a lot of work to represent an asylee well.  Most of these asylum seekers have no money - they used everything they had just to get to the United States. And now they have nothing.  Pro Bono work is a truly wonderful gift that the attorney bar can give back to their communities, but it can be difficult for many immigration attorneys (because this is work most regular lawyers cannot undertake) to commit themselves to a full-time pro bono job. 

So we look to other clients as well. Now I know that most areas of the law are depressing - people only come to lawyers when they have problems!  But sometimes immigration law can be so sad.  Our second most common type of client is an immigrant who has come over the border without inspection - you may hear them called "undocumented". They have lived here for 20 years, working, paying taxes, having a family, creating a life.  And they live every day knowing that Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents (ICE) could pick them up at any time and deport them.  These are people who have not been back to their home country for so long - this is their home. The United States is their home now.  Now DACA (Deferred Action) is a process that the government has put in place which defers deportation for kids who have been brought over in the past fifteen years or so and attend high school in the U.S. and this is a program which helps this situation for younger people.  But older immigrants - ones who have children here - U.S. citizen children - are forced to live in the shadows. When their child turns 21, they may have a pathway to a greencard - but they will still be subject to the 10 year bar punishment for crossing without inspection. And usually there is nothing we can do for them.  We try - we run through all the options available (not many), we get creative, we think about all the options. But if someone who lives like this is picked up by ICE, there is often no legal remedy for them. No line, no waiting list, nothing.

The goods news is that this job is not all sad news and depressing situations. We do have the opportunity to help people obtain legal status in the United States. We recently helped a couple who had attended university here - a citizen and a non-citizen - and they are on their path to permanent residency based on the citizenship marriage.  The non-citizen has received work authorization after 70 days of submitting the application (which we see as a good thing...but it also means that the NC has been unable to work for the past two months and just had to sit around and wait), and after their interview, a greencard should be authorized.  And stories like that are great, and as we watch our clients receive greencards, or gain citizenship, we are pleased that we were able to help them on this path. It is very exciting.  But as so many sources tell us, the numbers of paths to legal status are limited.

 The number of work visas available has become a lottery system in which only 50% of employees whose companies have legitimate claims that only this immigrant can do the job (no American can) are given the visa. The waiting time for those who are not immediate relatives (but still eligible for a greencard) can run fifteen, twenty years back  - if you applied for your brother or sister in the Philippines to come to the United States, USCIS is just now allowing applicants from 1991.

Writing this, I have realized there is so much more to say, so we will continue with our discussion in the future and share more stories with you.  But hopefully now you will be a little more informed about some scenarios that immigrants can face when they enter the United States - as an asylee, just crossing the border, or if they are lucky enough to fall in love here. We need #immigrationreform.  Please help us advocate after this election - #congress needs to #dosomething.

NWA Hispanic Heritage Festival

You know where you should be this Saturday? If the answer isn't the Fayetteville Hispanic Heritage Festival, you should change your plans.

 

And, if you come between 11-3pm on Saturday, you will be lucky enough to visit with Don Balla and Zoe Naylor as we sit at our booth.  

If you come during the Fair (11-3), you can sign up for a FREE CONSULTATION for later that afternoon or Sunday afternoon. So come on down, celebrate Latino and Hispanic culture, and visit us!

Saturday & Sunday (Oct4-5), 11am start both days. At Mae Farm - On College/Thompson between Locomotion and Lewis and Clark (by Lake Fayetteville)

Trust Our American Dream

We are excited to announce that Don has officially published his novel: T*O*A*D: Trust Our American Dream.  This is a wonderfully funny and interesting novel about undocumented immigrants and a family's struggle to live the American Dream.  

  Some compare this book to Uncle Tom's Cabin - if it were funny. This is a monumental book - a take on the undocumented immigrant's plight and life in America.  However, it is also a novel - partly based on fact of course - but something interesting and fun to read as well! You can check it out here on Amazon (kindle edition available too!) or read excerpts here on Balla Books site.

Happy reading!!!

Business Immigration Seminar

Are you interested in learning more about business immigration law? Finding it hard to find qualified American workers in your field? Learn how you can hire immigrants to help your business grow! Our business immigration seminar will help you gain some understanding of our complicated immigration rules.

September 12th from 2-4pm at the Arkansas World Trade Center in Rogers, AR. $25 if you pre-register! If you work in HR - receive 2 credits!

Immigration Updates!

Ready for your immigration news?

Well....here are our picks this week:

Five Things President Obama Can Do--Today, Without Congress--to Make the Immigration System Better and Re-Write His Legacy
Unauthorized Immigrants Paid $100 Billion Into Social Security Over Last Decade

In South Texas, Few On The Fence Over Divisive Border Wall Issue

Who’ll pick SC peaches? Immigration policy gridlock stymies farm labor

Fixing Immigration in the Field

What do you think about recent immigration news?

Tell us on facebook: facebook.com/ballanaylorlaw

Weekly Wednesday Update

Well folks, it looks like we missed a week, but no worries! 

For those of you who would like to make up your immigration reading, check out this article. A fellow immigration attorney shared it with me this week - 20 page comprehensive guide to the Humanitarian Crisis at the Border done up by the American Immigration Council. Worth your time. 

And of course, the New Yorker is always an interesting read.  Amy Davidson writes about immigration here.

For the rest of you who don't have time to read articles, just look at the pictures

Old drawing from 2006. Looks like Congress doesn't change

From this website

Sometimes we forget this truth...

WWJD

 

Immigrant Story 

 

Have a great week! If you have any immigration needs or questions, call us! (479) 790-6220; (479) 228-4441 Spanish.  www.ballanaylorlaw.com

Wednesday Weekly - Immigration News Update

 With so many tragedies occurring in the past couple of weeks, the immigration news has fallen to the wayside.  However, as our brothers and sisters around the world befall horrors in their countries, we sometimes see an influx over here from those lucky enough to escape the war ravaged areas.

Just as the areas in Central America where gang violence, unstable government, and high rates of murder are chasing children up to our border, throughout the world, we see people fleeing violence-torn regions and trying to find solstice in neighboring countries who are kind enough to help. 

So in case you are too busy to google it, here are some articles covering immigration this week:

• A former classmate of mine, Nathalie Baptiste, wrote a great article explaining the Child Migrant situation. Check it out here
• For those of you who like videos, Stephen Colbert also covered the child refugees in his show, The Colbert Report.Video here
• The Evangelical Immigration Table has written a letter to Congress Here
• The Washington Post has covered a story telling us who exactly is waiting for immigration reform. Linked here

That should tie you over for today.  Keep yourself informed of what is going on in this nation.  As elections come up in November, we should seek out congressional members who will help these immigrants and clean up this immigration mess.

Why do I need a lawyer??!

Excellent question. Lawyers are expensive, ask too many questions (inquisitive - if we want to be nice), have a reputations of sharks and liars and thieves! (one scumbag ruins it for all of us honest ones!) Why on earth would we need them – especially in the immigration world where the US government kindly provides all the forms clients would need on their website (for form-filing cases).

            Well my friends, unfortunately for your pockets, the world of law and immigration is an extraordinarily complex and complicated place.  While plenty of people are able to go pro se (fancy term for representing yourself without a lawyer), one mistake and your case could be  a goner! Especially in the immigration world.  One form filled out incorrectly can cause your filing to be thrown out and the consequence might be deportation.

            Lawyers go to school to learn all the complexities of the actual laws, and (you hear this all the time in law school) to learn to think like a lawyer.  You actually do have to learn to approach problems in a different way. This can come natural to some people, and others have to learn how to think if they want to be successful in this field.  Law school helps with that.  Next, when you are out of school, you have this knowledge and begin to apply it practically.  Even first year lawyers are going to be of more help to you than you trying to represent yourself because they know how to approach a problem in a legal way (and hopefully they know the laws better than you as well). We also have a fantastic base of lawyers to acquire advice from (shout out to you Washington County Bar in Arkansas, AILA, and of course my partner Don & the McCrummen folks). Unfortunately, you as a client do not have these resources accessed as easily; we will make your legal path much easier and (hopefully) more successful.

            Coming back to immigration again. While the US Government has done a good job developing their USCIS website and allowing immigrants to read summaries of various forms, and fill them out online, the process itself is often incredibly complicated.  The number of forms you need to send out for things like marriage adjustment (answer: 12 if you use a lawyer!), the small things USCIS offices appreciate but do not announce (eg. including a cover page to your form packet), or the discretionary complex world of asylum and refugee applications (get yourself a lawyer for these).  Lawyers who handle these end up seeing similar situations over and over again – this will make things easier for you because you should have a competent lawyer on your hands.  And on the other hand, lawyers who handle these will see new fact patterns and situations with your case – this will make things easier for you because they are prepared with an arsenal of options you may not have considered (or you may not have a case – but then if they are ethical, they will tell you before you waste your money).

 If you made it this far through this rambling answer, I hope you feel a little better about paying a lawyer.  Most lawyers are decent people; most immigration lawyers are even better because they are trying to help you stay in the United States and usually came to this field because of the compassion they feel for your plight. Your stories are sometimes so sad and we want to do everything for free (pro bono is the fancy way to say it). However, we need to eat too…and provide for our own families, and pay off law school, and pay to keep our office open and…you get the idea. So we are going to charge you. But we will make sure we are worth your money.

Why should you hire a lawyer?  Because the law is often incredibly complicated and lawyers have the knowledge, connections, resources, expertise, experience, skills, and understanding to help you.  And when this country has a growing trend towards anti-immigration, has complex immigration procedures, and still has no reformed its immigration procedures, you probably need all the help you can get.  You might need to hire a lawyer. (www.ballanaylorlaw.com)

News Updates

Need your latest immigration news fix? Choose your favorite news site:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/07/14/americans-are-ready-for-immigration-reform-they-are-just-not-ready-enough/

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/07/14/obama-administration-seeks-governors-support-on-immigrant-children/

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/16/us/Jose-Antonio-Vargas-immigrant-advocate-arrested.html?_r=0

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/212173-white-house-immigrant-children-facing-danger-will-stay-in-us

http://sojo.net/get-involved/campaigns/immigration

If you are passionate about immigrant rights, get in touch with your local congressman and let them know what you think.  It's time for reform.
http://www.house.gov/representatives/
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Who are we?

Donald Balla (left) is an advocate for immigrants. He has worked predominantly pro bono for the past 20 years in the Hispanic communities around  Northwest Arkansas. Balla advocated for immigrants in undocumented worker cases, asylum cases, family adjustment cases, and even fought for immigrants before the Arkansas Supreme Court. Balla is fluent in Spanish. To read why he is a fantastic and passionate advocate, read his story here: http://www.ballanaylorlaw.com/unworthy-man-in-the-land-of-eternal-banquet.html

Zoe Naylor (right) is an immigrant herself.  Moving from Australia in 2002, Naylor understands the transitions immigrants have when they move to the United States.  Her international background gives her a drive to travel to further understand and experience other cultures and people around the world (picture above is in Thailand!). Upon graduating law school in Arkansas, Naylor joined Balla to practice immigration law and learn from his twenty years + experience.

Together, Balla and Naylor make up the Balla & Naylor Law Firm, LLC.  The firm focuses on immigration work in the Northwest Arkansas area.  The firm has an association with the largest immigration firm in Kansas City, the McCrummen Immigration Law Group (kcimmigrationlaw.com) Through this association, Balla and Naylor are able to expand their work,  as the stellar team in KC provides further experience in family and business immigration law. 

If you or someone you know has immigration needs, please feel free to contact us.  

Our website is www.ballanaylorlaw.com

Or email. dballa@ballanaylorlaw.com  znaylor@ballanaylorlaw.com

Or call. 479-228-4441 (Spanish) 479-790-6220 (English)

Keep Updated on Immigration Reform News!

Immigration Reform has been in the news a TON lately.  We will keep you updated with our own opinions, but check out these news stories as well:

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/president-obama-urges-congress-pass-immigration-bills/story?id=24493102
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-immigration-court-20140710-story.html#page=1
http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/07/09/return-fence-immigration-crisis-spurs-renewed-calls-for-border-barrier/
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-28205673

Naylor Post #1

Good day to you readers,
 The first six weeks of Balla & Naylor Law Firm, LLC have had a running start.  Donald’s vast network in the Siloam Springs area has brought us everything from various contract disputes, adjustment of status cases, to DUI and debt negotiations!  Zoe has been hustling business in the Fayetteville and Bentonville area and brought in divorces, asylum cases, and nibbles at business immigration needs.  All this is to say, we have had a fun ride for the first couple weeks.

 But to the news for which this blog is entitled – we have signed papers to become associated with a firm up in Kansas City, MO.  (the firm who brought Balla and Naylor together, but that is a story for another time).  McCrummen Immigration Law Group are our newly ‘in association with’ firm.  McCrummen is an experienced and large immigration firm in KC.  We have mutual respect for one another and have found a way to complement our needs – ours for experienced advice and a tried and true electronic and staffing system, and theirs for help in expanding into the NWA area. When we pick up those big businesses now, McCrummen’s stellar team will help us keep up with all the applications when the two of us become overwhelmed – it is good for everyone: McCrummen, Balla & Naylor, and most importantly, our clients.

 You can find out more about McCrummen here: http://kcimmigrationlaw.com/ 

 Non-immigration work will still fall under our own firm’s heading, and we welcome new challenges, so give us a call when you need some legal help.  We have outstanding service and good rates.
 I’ll tell you the story of how Balla and Naylor came to be another time…

Brave, Bizarre, Random Chance

 I sat down to write something on the thousands of children coming up from Central and South America, and “illegally” crossing into the United States and found myself slightly fearful of what I would write.  Do I write that the United States needs to embrace these children and help protect them from what they are escaping? Do I write that while it is sad that these children are entering the U.S., we have rules and procedures that immigrants need to follow? Do I write about something else entirely and not touch this issue (leave it to Don)? The scary thing about blogging something online is that it remains documented and who knows what I write in my twenties could come back to me in my fifties – the media takes all famous people’s prior words out of context. And do I threaten potential clients if I write something that they do not agree with?

 But then I thought, well if 55,000 children can walk thousands of miles, I can face some future risks from a blog post   (or of course, no one will read this so it will not matter anyway).

             For children to leave their families, friends, homes, languages, cultures and venture to the unknown is incredibly brave.  It should tell us Americans that things are not going well in the Southern part of our continent.  America is great and all – wonderful opportunities do abound here – but it is foreign. We speak a different language in this country, we eat different food, we have different customs.  Can you imagine leaving the U.S. and walking to Honduras, as an adolescent, not knowing anyone at your destination? Very few teenagers I know would try something like that. In high school I desperately wanted to study abroad, but I loved my school and group of friends and did not want to miss a year with them so I never went at that time.  Imagine leaving your friends, school, and family forever! So let us set the record straight – whatever these kids are, whatever names the media and politicians are calling them, they are brave.

            Because of this mass exodus of children, immigration reform has come to the forefront of Obama’s policymaking (again).  Yesterday in fact, he declared that he was going to use his Executive powers to act since Congress will not.  And I agree wholeheartedly that we need immigration reform. Our system is lengthy, complicated, discretionary, and rigid.  However, I cannot help but wonder what sort of reform would allow 55,000 undocumented children to enter the United States with the current (general) attitude of anti-immigration many Americans yell about. Some people say that the current immigration rules are inviting these children to enter the US (they are not by the way – most of these children are in removal proceedings).  But unless we have a change of heart as a nation, Americans are bizarrely against inviting anyone new into the country.  I suppose a lot can change in 200 years, but unless you are Native American, chances are pretty high that you come from a family of immigrants.  This is why America’s immigration policy is bizarre. Perhaps the arguments about immigrants ‘stealing’ American jobs and welfare money would come true, but chances are that these immigrants would try to become American and want to contribute back to their home (ie the USA) just as much as you and if do (in fact, probably more because it means more once you’ve traveled so far to create a new home).

            It seems unfair that we punish people because of that random chance of being born elsewhere in the world. If someone is born in a country of violence, war, poverty, should we not allow them to escape? Perhaps the new reform acts Obama has in mind will help to address this, but unless we have a heart (and mind) change as a country, it seems unlikely that Americans will embrace open borders and allow all people to create their own destiny, rather than the one they are born into.