(A Rogerian discussion addressed to people who support deportation.)

Protestor: What are your own views about the United States should handle the problem of 11 million illegal immigrants in the country?

I personally believe that as long as they go through the process to attain citizenship, meaning that they will have to participate in paying taxes just like all other Americans, then they should have the right to stay.

Protestor: In what ways have you benefitted from the presence of illegal workers?

I haven’t come into much contact with illegal immigrants, so I can’t say that they have benefitted me at all.

Protestor: Should the government try to establish a path to citizenship for them?

Yes, only if they are willing to participate in all duties and responsibilities of an American citizens. In my own opinion, there should be longer paths to citizenship like in some countries in Europe where you have to prove that you can maintain a job and property through a work visa.

Protestor: Deport only those who have a criminal record?

If they have been properly sentenced for their crimes in the past, there should be no reason to deport someone because of a past criminal record unless accused and brought to court again.

I completely understand the feeling of having an opportunity taken by someone who might not deserve it. It’s difficult to see this phenomenon happening all over the country where illegal immigrants are taking jobs for less money and not being taxed for it. They should have to be held to the same standard as the rest of the citizens in the United States. There is now an evident issue concerning the outsourcing of jobs to foreign countries for a cheaper amount of money, and it seems as though illegal immigrants are doing the same thing but are coming to the jobs.

While all of those feelings make sense, we must not forget why they came to America in the first place. On the Statue of Liberty, the famous phrase, “Bring me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to be free,” is written. At what point did this powerful sentence diminish in value? The Anglican Protestants in colonial times sought relief from religious persecution. The Irish and eventually German families came across the pond in search of work, land, and wealth. The same must be true for illegal immigrants today. They are simply people in search of a better life with nothing but illegal immigration to give themselves hope. Instead of moving a mass of 11 million potential citizens that can do their part and pay taxes, we should at least give them a chance to earn the privilege of becoming an American citizen.