This is a very emotive question that has the potential to create all kinds of reactions. There are those who will answer definitely not, immigration policy should include everybody; others will say that immigration should be curbed so tightly that it will become practically impossible to get into the United States; while others will say yes, definitely.
The argument for favouring certain kinds of immigrants has to begin with the initial realization of what kind of immigrant you want to favor. Is it political refugees who live in fear of their lives if they are in their own country; or people who are desperately poor and so need opportunities that only countries like the States can give them; or do you want to focus on the many illegal immigrants who are already in America, perhaps giving them amnesty so that they will be brought into the fold and be liable to taxation; or do you want to focus on the immigrants who are highly educated or skilled? The groupings could go on indefinitely - people with a certain amount of money; only English speaking people; people with particular religious or political affiliations and so on.
If you choose the group that is educated or skilled, then you know that their earning potential is going to be much higher than the norm so they will pay higher taxes and contribute more to the economy, which is good. However, does that mean that America is comfortable with turning its collective back on those who need the refuge of the country and an opportunity to have a better life? It’s easy to be objective when it’s someone else’s life that is up for debate, and before any conclusions are jumped to, it is certainly worth remembering that apart from Native Americans, every citizen is an immigrant - even the President!
The argument for favouring certain kinds of immigrants has to begin with the initial realization of what kind of immigrant you want to favor. Is it political refugees who live in fear of their lives if they are in their own country; or people who are desperately poor and so need opportunities that only countries like the States can give them; or do you want to focus on the many illegal immigrants who are already in America, perhaps giving them amnesty so that they will be brought into the fold and be liable to taxation; or do you want to focus on the immigrants who are highly educated or skilled? The groupings could go on indefinitely - people with a certain amount of money; only English speaking people; people with particular religious or political affiliations and so on.
If you choose the group that is educated or skilled, then you know that their earning potential is going to be much higher than the norm so they will pay higher taxes and contribute more to the economy, which is good. However, does that mean that America is comfortable with turning its collective back on those who need the refuge of the country and an opportunity to have a better life? It’s easy to be objective when it’s someone else’s life that is up for debate, and before any conclusions are jumped to, it is certainly worth remembering that apart from Native Americans, every citizen is an immigrant - even the President!
