Should the government allow illegal immigrants to become citizens?

What I mean is illegals and other immigrants should have the legal right to become citizens provided that they are not career felons. This would improve the economy by puytting these ableds to work, and getting them off welfare, reducing crime, and providing opportunities for people who would be an asset to the US of A. I take the affirmative position, make the first move.

America should create a pathway to citizenship for illegal and other immigrants.

I think you forgot the topic question. "Should illegal immigrants be allowed citizenship?", is the question we are discussing. You repeatedly state that illegal immigrants are taking jobs away from American citizens, and yet if we were to give illegal immigrants citizenship, then they would be citizens. There are currently an estimated 11,100,000 illegal immigrants residing in America, according to a recent survey taken by The Department of Homeland Security. America doesn't really have any choice but to give these immigrants citizenship; it'd be impossible to send back that many people to their homelands. In order to find and deport every illegal immigrant, the U.S government would need to undergo a massive bureaucratic expansion, in order to hire more workers to find the immigrants. You stated that "illegal immigrants take up jobs that are for us." Employers should be allowed to hire whoever they chose to, and not be forced to hire based upon legal status. Businesses will increase in size the more people that they hire, which will help support America's economy. In conclusion to my argument, America needs to face facts; millions of illegal immigrants currently reside in America, and the vast majority of them are hardworking, taxpaying and law abiding. We should give them complete amnesty and work together to help make America a greater nation.

should illgle immagrants be allowed citezenship

Hillary Clinton said that if she wins the presidency, illegal aliens who are not violent criminals will be given a pathway to citizenship. I believe that giving illegal aliens citizenship, violent or not, will harm United States and diminish its immigration laws. Instead deportation for all illegal aliens (if not all, at least half) should be considered. 1) lannan13 cannot join. Love you bud but I wanna debate this with another user 2) Use citations 3) Follow this structure: ROUND 2: Opening Statements ROUND 3: Rebuttals of Opening Statements ROUND 4: Defense and closing statements

Illegal aliens should not be given American citizenship at all

I am against making illegal immigrants citizens.

Allow illegal immigrants amnesty.

Illegal immigrants should mot be granted the rights of legal citizenship. And why should they? They come into the United States and want to be treated like a citizen, but they are not. If they come to America searching for a better life, than wouldn't it be better for them to become a legal citizen anyway? If they come here illegally, than why do they deserve the rights of legal citizens? Yes, they do deserve human rights, but not the benefits of being a citizen of the United States. They do not pay taxes, they do not deserve the benefits of our educational systems, our roads, our public buildings, anything payed for with taxes. I invite anybody to agree or refute this.

Illegal immigrants should be granted the rights of legal citizenship

Ah, I see where I may have been unclear. I believe that if an illegal immigrant does not become a legal citizen, then they should not get the rights of citizenship. If an immigrant becomes a legal citizen, instead of "jumping the border", than they do deserve the rights that come with citizenship.

Ok, So now that I have waited for a few hours to get this statement, this is what you give me. This is too easy. First of all, Immigrants could account for the population increase. Therefore, We could have alot of workers to fill in some of the jobs that no one would want to take. So that's a plus. Second of all, the American people are becoming lazy, so if there is a ethnicity race to the jobs, the immigrants might take them or the American's will have to shape up and quit being so lazy. So I still agree with the fact that Immigrants be allowed to have citizenship in America.

Should the US allow illegal immigrants currently in the US to have a path to citizenship

Of course not, it is in the title illegal. If something is illegal it isn't allowed. Immigrants are allowed and should continue to be allowed, but illegal immigrants should not. If someone really wants to get into the U.S. they should go through the legal way and get a real citizenship. Would it make sense to allow people that haven't passed tests to freely live in the states without having to pay taxes, no. Any illegal immigrants currently in the country should be forced to leave until they can legally register as a U.S. citizen. This is necessary to gain the rights and duties of a U.S. citizen. However, people who are the children of illegal immigrants and never had a life outside the U.S. should be required to apply for citizenship, but not forced from the states unless they fail to do so. Only legal citizens are allowed to live in the U.S. long term as this is what preserves the structure of our country and it should stay this way.

Should illegal immigrants be allowed to live in the U.S.

As an born bred American Citizen I believe that allowing illegal immigrants into our country then giving them citizenship just like that is beyond wrong especially for those who are currently do the process right so that they may become a legal citizen of the United States. Now I don't want to hate on the Illegal Immigrants due to the fact that being human we strive to live better lives and most of us knowing that the U.S.A even in it's current condition is still very high on the scale for new opportunities, it's just that people have to want it bad enough, I digress but to my point if illegal immigrants were to enter the country it should be only on one term and that is to work. Now people are like oh those illegal are taking our jobs away but in reality if they were to pay attention in life rather than listen down the grape vine they would know that most illegal immigrants take jobs that most Americans wouldn't such as helping farmers pick food, they also pick up trash, and so on. These jobs are looked upon very unfavorably by the tens of millions of Americans. So to end my opinion, I shall state this, Illegal Immigrants under no circumstances should be allowed sanctuary in a country they do not belong to , only and mean only if they have a working visa and are monitored very closely to where they could not just fit into the populous and just disappear. There shall be tight restrictions to what they may do. As for the illegal immigrants that are currently in the country i feel they need to be found and deported to their home countries and be encouraged to become a U.S. citizen but there shall not be any automatic citizenship. You cannot just be forgiven and be granted something that you haven't earned. Only those that follow the rules shall get access and sometimes they don't even fit the standards.

Illegal Immigrants

Hello, I want to state my position that illegal aliens (both undocumented and those that overstayed their visas) should not be given American citizenship at all. Anyone can participate except lannan13 (Bud, I like you but I want to try debating this with a new participant). RULES: Here's the debate structure: ROUND 2 - Opening points ROUND 3 - Rebuttal of each other's opening points ROUND 4 - Defending your opening points from the rebuttals & closing statements You may not add a new argument past ROUND 3. You may not forfeit. It would be better if you are running out of time, post few paragraphs that summarizes what you want to say. You may not use any writing texts like Google Docs besides the ones from this site. Failure to follow the rules is an automatic loss.

A 2010 CNN/Opinion Research asked, "Do you think the United States should or should not make it easier for illegal immigrants to become citizens of the United States?" Sixty-six percent of respondents said the U.S. should not make it easier. 33 percent said it should.[21]

Americans oppose amnesty for illegal immigrants

To be clear, I am saying that illegal immigrants should be allowed to stay in the U. S. and apply for citizenship. The Con position will argue that all immigrants should be deported.

Illegal Immigration

I do not completely disagree with you because we should allow immigrants into the United States of America. But what we should do is prevent illegal immigration because handing out citizenship will not prevent drugs coming in from across the boarder I also do not agree with Donald J Trump but one very small thing that I do agree with is with is doing something about illegal immigration that is my argument for now

Not allowing illegal immigrants into the United States of America

- Illegal immigrants that are currently residing in America are active members of American society. They typically lead productive and law-abiding lives consistent with American ideals. Their only illegal action was entering the United States. As such, efforts should be made to integrate them into American society, and providing them the option of obtaining driver's licenses is a good way of achieving this.

Illegal immigrants in America should be integrated into society

Such is true

Obviously, CON is being a troll and I do not want to go any further if this is going to be the course of the debate.

Question: Should undocumented immigrants already in the United States, be allowed to become U.S. citizens? The answer is no, when illegal aliens come over they can only get small salary jobs at the risk of the U.S. government finding out about their presence. By taking these jobs away from a country whose unemployment rates are already over 7%(Bureau of Labor Statistics), they are stealing what could be a "bread on the table" job from hardworking American citizens. Aside from the fact that our jobs are being taken away, the thought of providing them with jobs, welfare, housing assistance, food assistance, and student loans is legally ridiculous. Why would we reward them for coming over illegally and stealing jobs and other resources from legal citizens? Common since dictates that if a person within your authority breaks the law, you don"t reward them for their actions. This year half a million fewer students nationwide enrolled in colleges, but the number of Latinos enrolled spiked by 447,000, 17% of those students were illegal immigrants from the southern border of the U.S. In 2012 the number of Latinos enrolled was at 3.4 million, an all time high, (NPR.org). By allowing illegals into the country, who are not only stealing government support or low class jobs, they are stealing education from students and taking even higher class jobs from people who are legal American citizens. Our country is funded by taxes. When illegal immigrants come into the picture our country as a whole loses money. Whether it is income tax, or health care our country is losing money for every transaction they make. While it may seem to be a useful way for businesses to save money by hiring unlawful immigrants, in the long run it"s a practice that is harming our country more than not, as 11% of all lower and middle class workers are illegal aliens (NPR.org), and giving them citizenship would only invite others to take more jobs. When it"s all said and done rewarding illegals for breaking our laws is counterproductive to our country as jobs are being stolen, colleges are being filled, and taxes are being dodged. To give these people citizenship would only harm the U.S. more then not. When illegals living in the U.S. get citizenship it only invites more people from other countries to come in illegally in hopes for free citizenship. Granting them amnesty may give the U.S a slight economy boom at first, but in the long run will lead to our demise.

How is an immigrant (albeit an illegal one) so different from an American Citizen? So long as they pay taxes like everyone else, how are they anymore detrimental to society? All immigrants want is a chance to gain a brighter future through hard work, they aren't looking for the easy way out. In fact, it makes far more sense to grant illegal immigrants full citizenship, because illegal immigrants don't have to pay taxes, and citizens do. If you give an illegal immigrant citizenship, then you guarantee that they pay taxes to the United States Government. The immigration policy is far more complicated than many might be led to assume. An honest foreigner will have a hard time getting into America as a citizen. Despite the fact that on our symbol of freedom: The Statue of Liberty; it states, "Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free." America should be the land of opportunity for those who so desperately need a chance to restart their lives in a new place.

For MY final argument, I am just going to attack Debate339. First of all, America is in a lot better shape in it's building and economy. So we don't have to worry about the "slums" popping up across America. Therefore, I still stand on the fact that immigrants are a help to America.

I feel that you are right in a way but, if the immigrants work and abide by the laws and pay their taxes why should they not receive citizenship?

America is a free nation where anyone should be free to come and live. America is a free nation dictated by laws to ensure that is remains a free nation. Those individuals who want to take part in this free nation must fall subject to the laws; There are no exceptions. Currently, this country has laws that dictate Immigration. These laws are for the protection of the citizens who have accepted America as their country of origin, by means of legal birth(not birth right) or legal citizenship. America owes nothing to any other individual.

whether the government should enforce illegal immigration

Illegal immigrants have moved into this country illegally. This represents a clear violation of US law. Although the bible may support illegal immigration(which I highly doubt), illegal immigration creates problems for the Federal government, and problems for the American people. Contention One-Social Aspect Illegal immigration causes an increase in prejudice against the Latino community. The American people are very insecure about the amount of jobs accessible. Illegal immigrants taking these jobs will only add weight to white supremacists' case against the Latino community. Racism only diminishes the idea of America as a world leader. Contention Two-Laws: We should not forget that illegal immigrants entered this country illegally. A continual violation of our laws will invite more people to do the same. Terrorists could take advantage of America's disregard for immigrant laws. Contention Three-Fairness Illegal immigrants are treated unfairly in America. They are taxed unfairly, and are abused by the companies they work for. This injustice should not continue. This injustice will continue, because federal law cannot protect illegal immigrants. Instead, the government should make an effort to bring these people in legally.

I will partake in this debate. Good luck to you.

I believe it is the right thing to do Their the hardest working people in america they work long difficult hours doing jobs no one else wants to for very low pay give them citizenship and let them help rebuild america This country was built on immigration For this debate their our three rounds For the con it is up to them to show why it is wrong to not give hard working illegal immigrants citizenship

giving hard working illegal immigrants american citizenship

Good luck. What is an illegal alien, or for the sake of political correctness, undocumented alien? An illegal alien is either an individual who has entered the United States illegally and can be deported if apprehended or an individual who entered legally but has fallen "out of status" and can be deported [1]. Generally, there's nothing much different between a legal and illegal immigrant so immigrants, both legal and illegal, will be mentioned in the points below since if illegal aliens are given citizenship, they will become naturalized legal immigrants. I am going to address Hillary Clinton's position on illegal immigration. She supports a pathway to citizenship for all illegal aliens who have not committed crimes and deport only the "individuals who pose a threat to public safety" [2]. She also defends President Obama's executive action which allowed almost half of illegal aliens living in the country a "temporary, quasi-legal status and work permits" [3]. Currently, many reports estimate that there are about 11 million illegal aliens living in the United States. This may not be entirely accurate as not all of them participate in surveys and the numbers could be much higher. Hillary Clinton will ensure that many illegal aliens will be given a pathway to citizenship as long as they are not convicted of violent crimes. I argue that giving them a pathway to citizenship or legal status diminishes the rule of immigration laws, raises the fiscal deficit on the long run, keeps the American-born citizens and minorities employment rates and wages lower. I will also add that it will obscenely benefit the Democratic Party because only the Democratic Party has supported this immigration reform. My first argument is that the rule of immigration laws are diminished if we give a pathway to citizenship or legal status for illegal aliens. The laws [4] are clear: "Any alien who at the time of entry or adjustment of status was within one or more of the classes of aliens inadmissible by the law existing at such time is deportable" and "Any alien who was admitted as a non immigrant and who has failed to maintain the non immigrant status in which the alien was admitted or to which it was changed under section 1258 of this title, or to comply with the conditions of any such status, is deportable. " All of the illegal aliens are liable to deportation as the laws specify, whether committed a violent crime or not. There is no any other crevices into this and the laws do not state that paying fines or any of that sort is the punishment. Indeed, unlawful presence of an illegal alien is not a crime but a civil offense which has deportation as its punishment [5]. Some states like Arizona, however, describes the presence of illegal aliens as a crime. It's either the rule of immigration law is eradicated or deportation as a punishment. The former yields anarchic results as well as encouragement of illegal immigration. Even if we change the laws, they will not apply to the illegal aliens as they are bound to the former laws like the ones posted above. My second argument is that there will be an immense fiscal deficit if illegal aliens are given citizenship or legal status. This makes sense as all four types of government benefits will be open to them: direct benefits, mean-tested welfare benefits, public education, population based services. The Heritage Foundation report [6] states that college-educated households tend to be net tax contributors, paying taxes that exceed the amount of benefits they receive. A well-educated household pays $54,089 in taxes and receive $24,839 in benefits, leaving a fiscal surplus of $29,250. It is the exact opposite for poorly-educated households and they are net tax consumers. The amount of benefits they receive exceed the amount of taxes they pay. It is reported that a poorly-educated household pays $11, 049 in taxes and receives $46,582 in benefits, generating a fiscal deficit of $35,113. This piece of information is crucial because half of illegal aliens have not completed high school and a quarter only completed high school. Not to mention the Social Security and pension plans that will be available to them. The Heritage Foundation also reports that granting them amnesty will raise the lifetime fiscal deficit to $6.3 trillion in fifty years ($126 billion annually). A piece of information that should not be ignored is that moderate to low-income earners can receive EITC (Earned Income Tax Credit) and many illegal aliens are low-income earners, making them eligible if given pathway to citizenship or legal status. My third argument is that giving illegal aliens citizenship or legal status will keep the native-born and minority groups' employment rates and wages lower. Like what I wrote earlier, about 75-80% of illegal aliens have not received a college diploma and they either have high school diplomas or have not completed high school. This will make them more eligible for unskilled labour which do not require education. Businesses and companies are more likely to hire immigrants (both legal and illegal) because native-born less-skilled workers. which drags blue-collar jobs' wages down. Immigrants [7] depress the wages of blue-collar jobs between 1-3 percent but raise wages by 0.004% for less skilled native workers. Regarding the impact of giving legal status or citizenship to illegal aliens to the minorities, I will use a collection of reports [8] by the United States Commission on Civil Rights in which there are several findings:- 6 in 10 black males have a high school diploma or less - an individual who has a high school diploma or less earns less today than those of the same degree thirty-five years ago- illegal immigration increases the supply of low-skilled, low-wage labor available in the US labor market- illegal immigration tends to depress the wages and employment rates for low-skilled American citizens with black males forming a disproportionate number of themIt is also found by Professor Gordon Hanson's report that black high school dropouts' employment rate dropped massively from 72% in the 1960s to 42% in 2000s; white high school dropouts' employment rate also dropped significantly from 83% to 64%. He also questioned the notion that the lowering wages contribute to the black males quitting the job and turning to crime. His co-authored research suggested that in a 10% immigration-induced increase in labor markets is associated with a 4% decrease in black wages, 3.5% decrease in black employment rate and 0.8% increase in black incarceration rate. Final question is do immigrants (both legal and illegal) create jobs? The answer is yes, they do but most of the jobs they create are provided for other immigrants too. In other words, they take more jobs than they create. I will provide an example to show exactly what I mean. A fictional Chinese immigrant named Ms. Wong lives in a community where many first generation immigrants live in Los Angeles. Ms. Wong works as a hairdresser in a Chinese barber shop where a lot of her co-workers are also Chinese. After work, she goes to a Chinese grocery store and buys some noodles for dinner. On a weekend, she goes to a Chinese mall where she buys her clothes for a much cheaper price. All the places she goes to are owned by Chinese people that typically hires Chinese immigrants. Sure, she also helps the natives by subscribing on the Internet or visiting museums but she would need help from a Chinese speaker on translating the English words to her language. This will require one of the first to third generation immigrant on the job because from then on, fourth generation (or the native-born) is unlikely to grow up speaking the language. Now if we give citizenship to illegal aliens, it will obscenely benefit the Democratic Party. Why is this a bad thing? This is a bad thing because the party cannot even provide a reason why giving them citizenship will benefit Americans as well as deliberately ignoring the immigration laws in which all of the illegal aliens are bound. It is a perfect time to get rid of all illegal aliens and slow down the influx of legal immigrants for a balanced American society. SOURCES:[1] . https://www.irs.gov...[2] . http://uspolitics.about.com...[3] . http://immigration.about.com...[4] . https://www.law.cornell.edu...[5] . http://www.tolerance.org...[6] . http://www.heritage.org...[7] . https://www.washingtonpost.com...[8] . http://www.usccr.gov...

In the status quo there are over 22 million illegal immigrants in our great country. If half of these immigrants were to produce one child with another illegal immigrant that would mean 11 million more unexpected people in our population. Now i am pretty sure that my opponent will argue that populations naturally balance themselves out but this argument would only be relevant if these were normal circumstances. Our country has never seen an illegal immigration problem like the one we are currently having and this will distrupt the natural flow of population stabilization which can lead to a lack of resources such as jobs and energy. We are a well off country but if this problem is not effectivly solved we will not be in the near future.... challenge me if you dare

For now being born in the US should not make someone a citizen unless 1 of there parents is a citize

A USA Today/Gallup Poll dated March 2007 asked, "Should the government deport all illegal immigrants back to their home country?" In response, only 24% of American citizens believed the government should deport all illegal immigrants. Furthermore, 59% of American citizens believed the government should allow illegal immigrants to remain in the United States and become U.S. citizens, but only if they meet certain requirements.

Americans oppose the deportation of all illegal immigrants.

Another argument is that if we don't have strong borders then we are opening ourselves up to overpopulation that would tax all cities. There is also the issue of weak borders allowing terrorists easy access to our country. By allowing illegal immigrants to stay in this country we are telling the world that we are an easy target. Come and get us. We won't do anything about it.

The United States Government should immediately repatriate all illegal immigrants.

Ok whatever you say.

I believe if there are some pathes for illegal immigrants to get citizenhood, the path will promote more illegal immigrants to enter the United States. Actually there are some legitimate paths for foreigners to got citizenhood, and the way to define whether an immigrate is legal or not is to check whether they got citizenhood through these paths. If the government provided another path for the illegal immigrants to get citizenship, how could we define they are legal or illegal? It seems that every illegal immigrats will be potential legal immigrants at that moment.

Immigration

Make an argument... Illegal immigrants should be allowed in America and legalized because then they will still be working and paying taxes. On top of that, to buy a house without an American social security number forces you to commit social security fraud to buy a house. These are hard working people who deserve a good life and to escpe from what they had to sffer through in their theird world country.

Illegal Immigration

As the audience can see, he has failed to respond to my questions. He has the BOP. I will make a petite argument just for the sake of winning. Illegal immigrants should not have paths of citizenship because then they will have to pay a lot in taxes with very low paying jobs. It is better for them to stay illegal so that they may get through the system without having the United States take their money. Also, they would most likely get on welfare, which would throw the USA into even deeper debt than it is. The United States can not afford anymore debt. (1) By the way, this is not the responce I'd use in a real debate. I am just making a simple arguement that won't be responded to properly. (1). www. usdebtclock. org

illegal immigrants should have paths of citizenship

Illegal immigrants already waste a lot of money. Illegal immigrants being given a pathway towards citizenship would show disregard for the federal government's laws. Illegal immigrants also take away jobs that should belong to legal immigrants.

first is for acceptance

What I am saying is that immigrants need to get their citizenship legally. I am not against immigrants in the slightest but I believe that they need to come to this country legally. As for babies, I believe that there is an easy solution. A special building, for the infantile illegal immigrants would be built, and eventually they would be up for adoption by families. They could then learn to speak English and go to school. They would be considered citizens. I do believe that immigration laws are here for a reason. I have read up, and out of the 11 million illegal immigrants that have moved to the United States, of which 820,000 have been convicted of a crime. I think that all immigrants need to apply for citizen ship for the safety of us all. I am not saying that all illegal immigrants are criminals, or that they are more prone to commit crimes, but we need to do background checks to make sure that no immigrants are criminals who would endanger our society. That is why we have a process of citizenship that people need to complete to become a citizen. Now, I think that all illegal immigrants who have been discovered should be forced to apply for citizen ship. If they have nothing to hide, they will accept, and if they are able they will become a citizen. A large percentage of illegal immigrants in the United States have been living here for an extended period of time and that means that they should have adjusted to our society and would easily pass the test and receive their citizenship. They would receive another attempt should they fail the test. If they fail it again, then they are not fit to be in society. The laws of immigration are here for a reason, and those who do not follow them must be reprimanded (deportation) or inducted as a full fledged citizen.

Should we deport illegal immigrants? (Not just from Mexico)

Yes, their are some paths for foreigners (aliens), who are here legally, to get citizenship. However illegal immigrants (aliens), DON'T have a path to citizenship, because they are here illegally. If everyone is given a path to citizenship, then there would be no need for the terms illegal and legal. We would all be Americans, having all the equal rights and privileges. If they are already here, they should stay here.

Immigration

For my final argument i will focus on your statement "Immigrants could account for the population increase." Yes the overall population increases, that is a known fact, when you have one group combined with another group you get a bigger group. Now ill ask, is that a good thing? for an example i will bring the country of Kenya into the picture. the Kenyan government was lax about the immigration of Ethiopians into the country but now kenya went down on the DTS scale to a 2 from a 3. When the immigrants joined the kenyan population the government had to mine resources at a dizzying rate and built massive cities that we know as "slums." If we keep letting immigrants in the country will falter but at this point nothing but the extreme can be done. If we give these illegals a pathway to citizenship we are just inviting more immigrants into our country creating more of a problem. thank you for this debate but i believe my case is made and there is nothing more to say.

yeah I guess so

I would have to say I agree.

Immigrants are just as important as us, or any other person for that matter! They Contribute alot to our society! They work in horrible condions for very cheap labors and still have to pay high taxes. And they do more work than regualar day americans.

My stance: America should enforce the law of the land, which is that Illegal Immigration is Illegal.

I accept your challenge Eric. Maybe this time you can win on your choice of topic.

My opponent is trying to remove the 'illegal' out of 'illegal immigrant.' Legal immigrants can benefit this country, but all illegal immigrants are criminals, because they did not legally come into this country, thus should not be rewarded with citizenship. Instead, they should legally immigrate. The notion that illegal immigrants are not criminals, despite having broken the law is outrageous. Breaking the law is what makes someone a criminal. Criminal definition. crim"i"nal G2;krimənl noun 1. a person who has committed a crime. This is exactly what an illegal immigrant has done, so why should they be allowed to reside in this country, because they committed a crime? Pro has to provide irrefutable evidence to prove this topic, but has not done so, therefor not fulfilling BoP.

In the US, illegal immigrants should not be deported.

citizen ship is stupid in my views...we shouldnt stand as a country (id be proud to do tho)we should stand as citizens of the world not countrys but my point is that illegal immigrants shouldnt have to be citizens.....dou peopl feel threatin by our bothers and neighboors or something?these people have the abiliy to find cures for illness we havnt fond yet,they hve the ability to reach the stars to not only serve our country but our world.....but our goverment stands in their way

why shouldnt immigrants be able to go to collages or universitys?!

Nazi.

The primary basis for this argument is that illegal immigrants are, inherently, in the United States illegally. On a purely legal basis, they should not be afforded legal documentation such as a driver's license, and should be deported. Beyond the legality, many argue that the presence of illegal immigrants is harmful economically and socially to lawful citizens, providing additional cause to moving away from integration and such measures as providing illegal immigrants with driver's licenses.

Illegal immigrants should not be integrated into American society, but rather deported.

I think that immigrants should be allowed in the United States because they bring new job opportunities to the U.S.

Should immigrants be allowed in the United States

Governments are required by their Constitutions to protect their citizens from crime and foreign threats. In so far as illegal immigration threatens citizens, governments are required to respond aggressively. Arizona, who's citizens have been terribly affected by illegal immigration, is required to respond robustly in fighting the problem.

Government protection (from illegal immigrants) is a const. right.

I accept the challenge and will show why immigrants can come in, but legally.

I think that most immigrants should be allowed in the U.S.

Jared Bernstein. "Path to citizenship and out of poverty." Economic Policy Institute. June 29, 2006: "The policy implications should be obvious. We must not let ourselves become a nation of permanent illegal immigrants, who toil in the shadows; nor should we become a nation of 'guest workers.' We are a nation of immigrants who have trodden the path toward citizenship. A central goal of reform should be to clear that path for those who deserve the privileges, economic and otherwise, of being an American citizen."

US cannot be a nation of permanent illegal immigrants

Just for clarification this debate has no intent of bashing on foreign immigrants seeking shelter in the United States. The base of my argument is that they should not be granted citizenship to the United States if they have not learned English (to a very low level) at least the ability of carrying out a simple conversation should be required if you wish to have permanent citizenship of the country. Please no swearing or terrible spelling mistakes. Good luck!

The United States should not grant citizenship to immigrants if they cannot speak English

Illegal immigrants are criminals. They have broken US law. Why should they be given any special favors? They should treated like criminals, found, charged, jailed, and deported. It's simply a matter of enforcing the law.

A path to citizenship grants amnesty to criminals.

Okay. I negate. My contention is simple: "Illegal immigration is not a problem, therefor illegal immigrant babies are also not a problem." Definition: Problem in this case will be put forth under the paradigm of utilitarianism coupled with quality of life over quantity. Hahaha!

I think that illegal immigrants are lawbreakers and if caught should be sent back to the country of origin. Why? Becaus these people take the jobs of others and lie on who and where and etc. Not only they get to the US illegally, but they forge Us based documents, hoping not to get caught. I saying that illegal immigrants are people that break the laws and only do it to find freedom, but they should do what other people did, apply for residentship or citizenship. But, never to sneak to the US and hope not to get lucky, because they will get caught and continue it. Illegal immigrants are lawbreakers and people that waste peoples' tax money trying to hunt them down. They can go to a life of lawbreaking like drug dealing, robbery, etc. We don't know who these people are and they can do bad things. I'm not saying all illegal immigrants are bad, but their are some out there.

should illegal immigrants ive in the Unites States

yeah it would make things easier if become a U.s. citizen but not all immigrants wish to contribute to all that it takes to be a citizen. most illegal immigrants that are in our country come for economic reasons because their country does not have much of an economy or avaliable jobs, if they already face problems economically which is why they come to our country leads in unwilling tax payers that do all the same we do. im not referencing to all. its unfair but it should be harder to get granted citizenship because all that has happened in our country, we cant just let anyone in our country...how is that safe or reasonable?

Effort to regulate our countrys borders

Vote KHAN!!!!!!!!!1!!! The other guy wants to strip children of their 14th Amendment rights or separate families!

Illegal aliens should not be given American citizenship at all

Why should illegal immigrants be able to even get jobs here in the first place? If you are not an American Citizen, you should not be entitled to the same rights that an American Citizen has. I forget the name of the law, but it goes something like this: If you are not a citizen of America and you are in America, you: A) Are not protected under the law by the constitution or it's amendments since they are reserved for American Citizens. B) You are however, held responsible for any criminal acts that you commit. You say that Illegal Immigrants could be a major contributer to the economy if they became citizens. I agree, somewhat. If they are actively applying for citizenship or else taking a citizenship course, they should be allowed to stay. If they are simply here to either commit crimes or steal American jobs, get the hell out. If they come on a visa, okay, but once it runs out, get the hell out. Wouldn't it make more sense for American Citizens to get those jobs first?

Illegal Immigration Is Bad For Americans

I don't 100% disagree with you either. My opinion is that the best way for the United States to address the issue of illegal immigrants is through reform of the immigration/citizenship process...I don't think a lot of people realize how difficult, costly, and time consuming it is to move to the the US. These issues are things we need to work on. I don't think " handing out citizenship" is the best way to describe the reform happening in the U.S. recently. It gives a path to citizenship (so they are allowed to go to college and pay taxes, hooray!) through background checks and lots of hard work, and require the person to have lived in the U.S. for a long time. I argue that this type of legislation allows immigration officials to focus on the people who may actually be dealing drugs. What specifically would you do to reduce illegal immigration?

Not allowing illegal immigrants into the United States of America

I disagree with your point about "If everyone is given a path to citizenship, then there would be no need for the terms illegal and legal. We would all be Americans, having all the equal rights and privileges. " I think if the government promote this kind of unlimited immigration policy, the country will be out of control. Actually, almost every country in the world has its immigration restrictive laws, for the reasons of structure of population, national security, cultural protection, trade safety, etc. Therefore, some limitations in immigration to divide immigrants into legal and illegal are necessary.

Immigration

I have not joined this argument to debate, I'm simply here to say that your entire argument is contradictory. Illegal aliens are given that title simply because they are Illegally residing in America.

I'm not against immigration thank you very much. I'm against illegal immigration. illegal immagrants take up jobs that are for us that are legal and thanks to Obama we have less jobs and they are taking them, and i live in Colorado were there are a lot of illegal immigrants here because we are really close to Texas and Arizona, and this is true because i have friends that are illegal immigrants. now i think that immigrants that were brought here illegally when they were small children should be granted citizen ship because they had no choice, because they were children. this is my closing argument.

should illgle immagrants be allowed citezenship

Other than the dwindling population of Native Americans that still live in reserves all Americans are and were immigrants at one time. Even though those with strong family ties to this country may claim to have a stake here this land was never truly ours. We moved in like a hostile force with no regard for anyone or thing else. Our nation's history is one of immigration and change. Monuments and what are now tourist destinations such as the Statue of Liberty(Ellis Island) and Angel Island are remnants if what once was. Immigrants came by the boatload to have a new and better life in the land of opportunity, But now even more so they are looked down on and made to feel as though they are less than us, The only thing that separates us from them is the amount of time we've been here. So why now do we have such a large problem with it, Why should we close ourselves off from the rest of the world?

Should the United States continue to allow illegal/undocumented immigrants to enter the country"s

As much as I support immigrant rights, I don't think that immigrants should be allowed to become presidents. Only because if an immigrant became president, he/she might have conflicting interests with America and their home country. I'm not saying all immigrants are out to infiltrate the US government, but to ensure that American interests are being preserved, citizens whom have been born and raised in the States would be less bias. Of course, there is always the opportunity to become a representative, governor, or even senator. In these offices, immigrants can still be represented without taking executive control. Again, it's not that immigrants aren't able or would only pass laws benefiting their demographic, but we need a citizen that has been born and raised here in order to ensure that American interests are put first.

"That Arnold Schwarzenegger should be able to become president"

Hello, my name's Woody!

The U.S.A. is thought to be the land of opportunity, the land of freedom. Other countries should follow their example. The world should provide equal rights and opportunities to everyone. I believe that the whole world should allow immigrants a chance to apply for citizenship. Sometimes, there is simply no other way for immigrants. This is their only chance to get a better life. Some people like us won the "human lottery". We have everything we need to survive and prosper. Some other people simply lost. They have no way to live well in their current condition. For example, in Mexico, it is very hard to get a job without a college degree because there are so many of those people, and not many jobs. Also, the living conditions are terrible. These type of people have almost no chance to live well in Mexico. You might hear all the stereotypes about very violent people that deserve to be deported, but that is not true. For example,only 1.6% of illegal immigrants in the U.S. commit crimes, which is actually less than the overall U.S. crime rate, which is about 2.8%. Most immigrants are hard-working people who just want a better life for their family. Even if immigrants do commit crimes, then they would be put in jail/prison and then deported. That is how the process works for legal immigrants already. More immigrants will benefit the country, not hurt it. Also, if immigrants have kids in the country, then those kids will have to be split up from their families. No kids should have to undergo that hurt. Illegal immigrants usually are good people trying to get a better life. We should let them.

Illegal Immigration

Basically I am opposed to illegal immigration, I am totally for giving people better lives but i don't feel that it should be at the cost of others. If all of America's benefits and opportunities is a life boat and the people already on it are citizens, we can't just keep putting people on the life boat(illegal immigrants) because than it endangers the people already on the life boat. And I know feel that illegal immigrants probably haven't done anything illegal in their lives and they had good intentions when they got in the US but just the sheer act of them bypassing the usual protocols of becoming a citizen is what is illegal, and that is something we cannot look past, I feel America is not stepping up to the task and securing boarders, that they are almost aiding and abetting them in committing the crime of coming to the US illegally.

Illegal immigration

Hi! I am Lola and I would like to debate that immigration reform should not include a path to citizenship. On to my first contention, illegal immigrants have already broken U.S. Immigration law by crossing the border illegally. Title 8 U.S. Code section 1325 defines crossing illegally as: Any alien who (1) enters or attempts to enter the United States at any time or place other than as designated by immigration officers, or (2) eludes examination or inspection by immigration officers, or (3) attempts to enter or obtains entry to the United States by a willfully false or misleading representation or the willful concealment of a material fact. Why should we extend the right of citizenship in our country to a criminal who has willingly broken the law? On to my second contention, the people who crossed the border illegally should not get the benefits of citizenship. Those who entered legally should get the benefits, or at least the status quote. Those who crossed the border illegally should not be rewarded, or at most, get the status quote. They shouldn't"t get the benefit of citizenship in the US. While rights and dignity for these individuals should not be restricted, the path to citizenship is unfair to those who are legally entering and rewards the illegal behavior that enabled them to be living in the U.S. in the first place. On to my third contention, providing pathways to citizenship, especially new pathways, encourages people to migrate illegally to the United States and makes it easier for more people who earn citizenship through the new path to sponsor those who do not yet have it. More people in the US also means that there will be higher demands on social services and welfare. These increased demands on public services will fall particularly hard on state governments. Costs associated with criminal activity also strain government budgets (pay access). And since most undocumented immigrants already file tax returns there is not likely to be any significant increase in tax revenue. Any potential gains in economic activity are offset by a number of factors. First, as more workers become available wages tend to decline because there are more potential workers to hire, allowing companies to pay any interested worker less. Illegal immigrants reduce the wages of an American citizen by 1.6%, which was $90 billion in 2005. This is particularly true in the agriculture sector. Second, increased immigration arguably contributes to deflation because consumers cutback spending in fear that they will lose their jobs to immigrants. And if the lower wages argument is true, there will be even more deflation due to less money available to spend. Third, a central premise of the economy arguments is that we need to increase immigration because the US has a shortage of skilled workers, but this shortage is not significant . A new study claims that this is a myth that needs to be demolished. And, if necessary, workers could work in international waters " or simply be allowed to work in the US without becoming citizens! Conclusion: As a conclusion, immigration reform should NOT include a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants currently living in the United States because they have already broken the law and shouldn't"t get the benefit of citizenship for it, there is no justice for those who crossed the border legally, and providing pathways to citizenship encourages people to migrate illegally to the United States. So, please give a con ballot. Thank you. :)

Immigration reform should include a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

As I am unsure as to what Con means by being "against illegal immigration" I will be playing devils advocate and arguing for an open border policy, something that would make all illegal immigrants legal. I'm also not sure as to weather I should present a first round argument, so I'll just leave it at this. Back to you Con, and thank you for having me.

Illegal immigrants

I am taking the stand point that illegals should be allowed to stay. Also if you have any questions or opinions please put them in comment so we can all have a better understanding of this topic.

Should illegal immigrants be allowed to stay in the U.S.

Immigration

Immigrants help the economy and the population.

Should immigrants be allowed in the USA.

We are a nation of immigrants. Not ILLEGAL immigrants. "So why now do we have such a large problem with it, Why should we close ourselves off from the rest of the world? " Every other country has border security and doesn't allow anyone to enter their country. We don't have a problem with immigrants. We have a problem with illegals. If you want to come in, Come in the right way. It's not that hard. America is a nation of laws. With no immigration laws crime would rise and we would hardly be a country. We are letting in many more immigrants now than we were back then.

The CON erroneously accepted this debate, unwilling to participate and we agreed to end this debate.

I would like to begin this round by laying down one fact. First, there are between 7 and 20 million illegal immigrants in the United States. http://www.csmonitor.com.... Additionally, I would like to ask my opponent one question: if all these illegal immigrants came into the United States legally, would you turn any away, and would you be supportive of them? America was, of course, founded by immigrants, and is currently populated with the sons and daughters of immigrants, so I think most Americans should be supportive of immigration in principle. Because my opponent has not stated his opinion on this idea, I will assume that he or she is supportive of large-scale legal immigration unless he or she were to say otherwise in a response. This preface leads me to the following argument: Illegal immigrants are often portrayed as being leeches who suck away American jobs, and in most other scenarios, I would be against illegal immigrants. They don't pay taxes, and receive much of the benefits normal citizens do receive. However, I believe the current illegal immigrants should be granted amnesty for one reason: if you are poor, it is nearly impossible to immigrate legally, let alone become an American citizen. Many of America's immigrants in the past would not have been able to immigrate legally, because they would be too poor in the current system. To immigrate legally, you need all sorts of documentation, and while I believe these papers are a noble attempt to stop the people like drug dealers from getting in to America, most of these Latin American immigrants simply do not have the paperwork necessary. When you are living in total poverty under an oppressive government, it is difficult to keep track of things like birth certificates, if you even had them in the first place. http://www.alternet.org... Therefore, I believe that until the immigration process stops becoming a bureaucratic nightmare, all illegal immigrants should be granted amnesty. In addition, the United States should allow its immigration process to be more open, and allow immigration on a larger scale.

should all illegal immigrants get amnesty

First off, these people could either come from or be allied to an enemy country and work for that country as spies trying to infiltrate the government and help ensure it's downfall. Also, these people might not know and respect the Constitution, so they might not be viable as the United States' Head of Government and State.

Naturalized citizens should be allowed to run for the presidency.

You're right, we should change bad laws, but this is an essential safeguard. We should do everything in our power to reduce espionage, no matter how rare it is today.

There should be no such thing as illegal immigration and those individuals already in the country that are labeled as illegal immigrants should be granted amnesty. Immigrants fuel the economy, whether or not they have entered the country legally. By entering the country, immigrants join the low-cost labor pool that increases American money in circulation and government tax revenue (procon.org). Jobs that working-class Americans do not want will be taken by these immigrants, in no way taking jobs from Americans. The main argument of the opposing point of view, that immigrants hurt the American economy, is completely false. Morally, illegal immigration is wrong and without reason. Immigrants generally bring good values to the country, and it is unfair to arrest millions of immigrants due to an opposition that stems from racism (nationalreview.com). As politician Jack Kemp once pointed out, "Americans and immigrants share the same value of work, family, and opportunity. There is no reason to fear the newcomers arriving on our shores today. If anything, they will energize what is best about our country" (nationalreview.com). There is no reason to disallow immigration in this country besides from ideas of Caucasian superiority. Targeting the entire illegal immigrant population in America would fall just short of genocide, targeting and removing a whole body of people from the country. Immigration is the foundation of America and should be made completely legal for all individuals. http://www.tolerance.org...... http://immigration.procon.org......

Immigration (w/ 5 rounds)

Illegal immigrants should all be deported. Just like the title states ILLEGAL means they entered the country unlawfully and broke the law. Laws are put in place to keep society in order. If everyone broke laws we would have complete anarchy in society. By entering the country illegally in the first place, the immigrants are using up valuable resources from ICE and border protection in now looking for these people, border security to enforce future illegals and are taking away chances for legitimate immigrants who in some cases have waited years through the legal immigration process to enter the country. Deport all the Mexican landscapers and laborers who are here illegally, deport the Caribbean nation illegals who are here for a free ride, deport all the illegals.!!! You want to come here, do it the proper way, apply for a vise from your countries embassy or consulate, follow the legal proceedings, not skip out on your visitors visa or run across the border. If you are here illegally, I will kick your azz and send you back packing and also put you in the ICE system if you try to come again. Like the title says Illegals are still illegal in this country, why should they stay???

However, I never mentioned taking Illegal Immigrants out of the U.S. I was simply talking that we should stop letting them in. If you do want a solution to removing all Illegal Immigrants from the U.S., then the best solution is to just make them legit citizens.

Illegal Immigration Is Bad

Offering drivers licenses to illegal immigrants provides legal status to individuals that have knowingly broken US laws. The Immigration and Nationality Act clearly states that illegal aliens should be deported. These long-standing laws must be upheld. Offering illegal immigrants driver's licenses clearly violates these laws and the impression that the United States is capable of enforcing them. It also undermines the notion of rewarding law abiding citizens and punishing those that break the law. Why should illegal immigrants be allowed to get away with their illegal acts. US citizens (not illegal aliens) are not afforded this luxury of forgiveness in the face of the law. Therefore, the proposition is an unwarranted and immoral concession that undermines the consistency of US law.

Offering illegal immigrants driver's licenses would violate the rule of law.

Illegal immigrants undoubtably bring many benefits to the US. However, they bring much more harm than good. They increase the poverty rate in the areas they live in. They most likely are a bad influence on the Americans they live near with. They come to the US illegally and beg for legal citizenship so they can get rights they don't deserve. They came to here illegally and want citizenship so that they can have rights and abuse the US system. They decrease the morale of the parts they live in because of discrimination and also because of the suspicion, the fear they bring in because of their image of being criminals and drug dealers. Why should we grant them citizenship when they're here first illegaly?

Illegal immigrants do more harm than good; deport them.

This debate is pointless. I've pointed out twice that I do support LEGAL immigration. The debate has nothing to do with whether or not immigrants contribute to society or not. It has to do with the fact that ILLEGAL immigration needs to be stopped. I'm all for Mexican citizens coming into the United States in a LEGAL manner. The problems starts when they completely disregard our LAWS and STATUTES that we uphold. By allowing ILLEGAL immigrants to stay in OUR country, we are simply rewarding unlawful behavior. So next time someone breaks into your house just give them a plate full of food and $1000 and tell them that their friends and family are more than welcome to do the same. You'll have more come, I promise. There are thousands of ILLEGALS in the U.S. that have been convicted of felony's. Explain to me how you justify allowing ILLEGALS to stay in our country but turning a cold shoulder to those who are following the LEGAL judicial process to become a citizen of the U.S.

Illegal Immigration

It should be pretty short. Pro says that these people are just as important as us, however he fails to say why. I will await his explanation in round two. Pro says they should have a clear path of citizenship, yet does not explain exactly what that means. A major flaw in his argument is the statement "They work in horrible condi(ti)ons for very cheap labors and still have to pay high taxes. " That makes no since. Lots of Illegals don't pay all the taxes they would have to pay if they were legal. Also, just because someone is legal does not mean they don't have to work in these same environments. I fail to see how this helps Pro. I ask my opponent to elaborate before we go any further. I'd like to see if this debate is worth it before writing an in depth response. Thank you.

illegal immigrants should have paths of citizenship

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION . I Still, the point remains that you haven't explained how my case is wrong. I will simply list what policies I would find acceptable for citizenship. . II Illegal immigrants still are protected by the police force and use the public education system. That really is not fair, giving them an education and allowing them to work in establishments for the same pay as regular citizens is unjust. Illegal immigrants do not typically go to college or produce nearly enough money to be worth their income, they also are a minority who has the most typical involvement in crime. REFUTES . I Your source is correct but then adds "Rich Chinese moms" which I don't think is statistically backed up anywhere so therefore its legitimacy is dismissed until you back it up. . II Still even so, doesn't matter if the mom intends to if the baby is born there and she is already there illegally in the first place its the same outcome. I don't see the difference if intended or not she is on the soil illegally and therefore having a baby is still abusing the system. . III Yes, but they still cause competion and many still go through public school. In the end still costing the government money and in the process possibly making real US citizens lose jobs. Citizenship subtext to post . II under Illegal Immigration * Parents must both be legal citizens of the USA * Legal immigration remains the same as current policy CONCLUSION Whatever my opponent may believe, Illegal immigrants cost some portions of money and sometimes take jobs from real US citizens. Meaning they cause problems and many more come a year. Illegal immigrants due to being poor also are a big source of getting drugs over the border. Source: . http://www.cis.org... . http://www.usillegalaliens.com... . http://www.mnforsustain.org...

Birthright Citizenship should be retained in the United States

You said children run from terrorist attacks and wars in other countries. I believe they can come here if their country is in a dangerous situation temporarily. However, after their situation is figured out, then should go back to the their home country. They are actually bringing crime and murder here and I could give you several examples of people getting killed by illegals. Regardless of what the rate of crime is, it is one they should not have committed in the first place because they knowingly crossed the border illegally. We should provide any help to illegal immigrants. If they want to have a better life in America then they should come through the right way. Actually, people can not come and go as the please. Of course we do not rule the earth. The United States is a country of laws, and Illegals taking jobs away from Americans is part of the reason we have the law. Every other country in the world has a wall, and they are a country of laws as well. That does not mean anybody can come and go as they please and does not mean they rule the earth. If someone wants to go in a country, they should do it the right way.

I'm Against Illegal Immigration: Change my Mind

Resolved: Birthright citizenship should be abolished in the United States I stand in firm affirmation on this bill. I believe that it is unfair, unjust, cheating, and not what the creators of the 14th Amendment originally intended. Contention 1: This law allows illegal immigrants to cheat the system and immediately become US citizens. Birthright citizenship gives illegal immigrants a motive for cheating the system and finding way to become legalized citizens. In a recent study there were approximately 11.2 illegal immigrants in the United States. The 14th Amendment give motives for all immigrants to cheat there way into gaining US citizenship by having children. The process of becoming a United States citizen normally takes between 5 months and 2 years. A person who has a baby on American soil takes one. Because the baby is now a United States citizen the process is sped up immensely for parents. It is almost guaranteed that the parents will get citizenship because the government will not forcibly deport the parents away from the baby or remove a US citizen, this being the baby. Contention 2: It is unfair, unjust, and does not create an equal society. I believe that if we allow this bill to remain it gives people who have a child here illegally an unfair advantage. Think about the thousands of people that have to wait through the process for 2 years. The people who have to pay and study in order to become a US citizen. Also think of the people who were paying taxes and benefiting the US economy while the illegal immigrants were illegally in the country and used a leu poll in order to become a citizen. Does that seem fair. Our country is based on a place where we are all considered equal. Does a person who has no knowledge of our country and became a citizen over night deserve to be a citizen more than the hardworking man who has been struggling to gain citizenship for the past 2 years, or the man who has studied and payed for tests, or the woman who has been doing local jobs everywhere in order so that she can pay for the documents and tests in order to become a citizen? The answer is no. Convention 3: It is not what creators of the constitution originally planned. The 14th Amendment was created in July of 1868. The men who created it would have no idea what would happen 144 years later. It was originally made so that recently freed African Americans would have citizenship if they were born here. Present day this is a means for illegal immigrants to unlawfully sneak past the system and gain citizenship. There have been other countries that have corrected laws similar to this. In Ukraine, they recently got rid of their "Tourist Baby" bill. This bill now states that if you have a baby in Ukraine and you are not a citizen of Ukraine you will not be granted citizenship. So now back to us, I believe that if we abolish birthright citizenship we can create a new bill that is geared towards giving citizenship to babies born of legal citizens of the United States. This would create a more fair and just system and would also clear up the controversy that the original founders of the 14th Amendment could not foresee.

Resolved: Birthright citizenship should be abolished in the United States

You stated that "if you live in a lower state you have to get special shots because of the illegals coming from Mexico." I have yet to see a single scrap of evidence that American citizens are required to take additional shots due to the influx of immigrants coming in from Mexico. You also stated that "plus, all the illegals are taking up the jobs a legal American could have which puts more American citizens into poverty." Most economists in America will find this statement utterly ridiculous. The Brooking's Institution's Michael Greenstone, said that, and I quote, "on average, immigrant workers increase the opportunities and income of Americans." Immigrants (whether they are illegal immigrants or not) increase the job opportunity's for Americans, because they start businesses and hire more workers. Our goal shouldn't be to send back the immigrants, but to welcome them. It's our responsibility to give them more chances to become lawful American citizens. It can take years for close relatives of U.S citizens to obtain Immigrant Visas. This difficult immigration process only encourages people to immigrate illegally. You also state that "also the illegals don't have to pay taxes." That's my point exactly! If illegal immigrants are allowed citizenship, then they will pay taxes! Many illegal or undocumented immigrants actually pay income and sales taxes anyhow. On average an immigrant, regardless of status, will pay 80,000 U.S dollars more in taxes than they use in government services over the course of their lifetime.

I am unable to watch the video at the moment, but when I get the chance to I will. I am for Trump's immigration policy because it is an extra procedure to make sure we are safe when allowing foreigners to come into our country and become a US citizen. My mom is an immigrant from the Philippines. She was abused and knew nobody, but she managed to come here legally. Why should people just be able to come here whoever they are from wherever. Shouldn't we be allowed to make sure they're safe and don't want to harm us?

Trump's immigration policy.

I do think immagrents should come leagly but i dont think it should be very "user frendly" i think they should apply or even ahving bidings to enter they should action citizenship to Want to be American Citizens it would clear up a lot i see immagrents here all the time that come leagly and own shops and are super nice people but i dont think illegal immagents shpuld come and i dont think it should be much more easeyer

Immigration reform is good for the country

I am making sure that I don't get a message that I "forfeited" this round.

Illegal aliens should not be given American citizenship at all

Well if they came over fairly ,or have came for a better life,and also had worked hard in the US to get the little they can get,why shouldn't they be classified as a US citizen?I know some people from different counteries compared to some Americans. Also I would like to piont out where are your sources?

They are also treated very poorly! You see, most immigrants are Mexican or latinoes. People are very racial to those kinds of color. People call them very rude names that all have to do with there color.

The US should immediately repatriate all illegal immigrants due to the drain their presence creates on our economy. Never mind the fact that they are "illegal" and therefore don't belong here.

The United States Government should immediately repatriate all illegal immigrants.

To clarify the topic is Illegal immigration as defined by section 1325 title 8 of the United states code "improper entry of an alien. " I quoted it but in somewhat laymans terms above where I numbered. I'm willing to open the topic to both alien and immigrants in the United States illegally. I don't think that my points are opinionated. My thoughts on the matter mirror either the laws pertaining to Illegal immigration or the closest counterparts I could find in laws pertaining to minors who are U. S citizens. In reference to people going through inspections those people are legally in the united states or are turned around before they enter. The only way the individuals you're referring to can be here illegally is if they overstay their allotted time. Furthermore I don't see in what way the US is being selfish. People who choose to live in our society and granted our benefits are subject to our rules. I don't see how any of these rules are unfair. Finally I really wouldn't like to pay to be taken somewhere illegally. Especially when crossing into the United States border legally is free. Not to mention if an alien is paying 9, 000$ to a coyote to help them cross I think they have enough money to help them start the naturalization process. I'd also like to point out that it isn't the United states responsibility to provide planes boats or buses to people who don't live here. Mainly cause the United States isn't even required to give that to its own citizens. If someone dreams of coming to the US its not illegal. What is Illegal are the things I mentioned.

Illegal immigration

This allows illegals to masquerade as normal immigrants.

give illegal immigrants drivers licenses

I'd just like to preface my argument by saying that I don't participate on any debate teams. I don't know all of the nuanced rules. I simply want to state my opinion and have someone attempt to prove me wrong. I am for prosecuting Illegal aliens. I believe that we are a nation that abides by our own laws. I think that this extends to illegal aliens. I define Illegal aliens as 1. Someone who crosses the border illegally. 2. Someone who intentionally misleads people in order to enter this country 3. Someone who avoids updates and inspections with authority. Illegal immigrants have a right to a speedy trial in the United states. If immigrants are seeking asylum they need to see a judge to determine the validity of their claims. If Illegal immigrants are minors under 7 years old their parents should be held liable. If they are 8 to 18 they should go to a juvenile court after the parents are tried. If the state doesn't accept the case a federal delinquency proceeding should take place. If the minor immigrants are without parents they should be tried in a juvenile court. If asylum is not granted and the youth has no legal guardians the state should hold custody until their native country can take custody of the minor.

Illegal immigration

I'll divide this into 3 parts: 1) My Case2) Con's Syllogism3) Con's case 1) My CaseCon ignores my entire case in favor of an absurd assumption that: "when we offer citizenship to immigrants, we don't need to offer them all rights as well"The government doesn't grant rights to its citizens in bits and pieces. When immigrants are naturalized, they become American citizens with all the same rights as all other US citizens. The only place the constitution uses the word "native-born citizen" in particular is in its presidential eligibility clause. "US Citizenship is not defined by Pro's ideals; it is defined by the US."Con attacks a strawman. I never said it was defined by my ideals. I was using the 14th Amendment which says:All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. [1]With his 2 unsubstantiated claims above, it is Con who is attempting to define citizenship by his own ideals. I don't think Con understands the concept of citizenship. Colonialism & CriminalsCon's case rests on the fact that the law provides security. I have shown that it is misguided and provides no security. Far more dangerous people such as convicted criminals exist in our current pool of presidential candidates. The fact that criminals are allowed to run shows that pre-emptive security is unnecessary in presidential elections. People should decide for themselves who is dangeous and who is not. Con attacks my statements on criminals out of context. My rebuttal to Con's contention about security was that security doesn't increase by allowing criminals but disallowing immigrants to run. It had nothing to do with whether or not criminals should be allowed to run. Con's attempts to differentiate Naturalized US citizens from "Americans" are misleading. They are not mutually exclusive terms. 2) Con's syllogismCon makes a syllogism that seems to work at first glance but is deeply flawed becase it relies on the assumption that naturalized US citizens must not be included under the definition of US success. 1. Changes to Pres. requirements .... likelihood of US successCon doesn't address my point that choosing from all citizens gives a greater likelihood of success than choosing from just 7/8 of it's citizens. Con gives no justification for excluding 1/8 of the US population from the definition of "US success." Extend. 2. Success .... decisions to be made based solely on US interests.Con misrepresents my rebuttal. He COMPLETELY ignores my assertion that the interests of all US citizens count as US interests. By saying that "we agree on the basics" he claims a false concession whereas it is he who conceded by not addressing my rebuttal. 3. People have a natural loyalty.... Con never shows how caring about a nation is dangerous in and of itself. Bush hates Iraq (Con's admission) and dragged the US into a war. Isn't that more dangerous?4. More likely to include foreign interests Bush example: This negates Con's contention and works for my side because a US-born citizen is just as likely to have a personal connection to a country as a Naturalized citizen. Bush hated Iraq so much because of the conflicts his father started with Iraq. Bush was not born in a country like Iran which is an enemy of Iraq. Bush was born in the US, yet he had this intense, emotional response to Iraq because his father had a conflict. His emotions did not serve US interests. Could this have been any worse if Bush was born in Iran? Why is it that being born in the United States is of any importance at all? Personal conflicts are not exclusive to Naturalized citizens. A Naturalized US citizen may love the country of his birth, but a native-born US citizen is just as likely to hate a country that his father had a conflict with. Con wonders how we would know if a person is exceptional. I already answered this by showing how their previous decisions in a position of power as a senator or governor are public. Extend those as Con dropped them. Con never responds to my contention that Naturalized citizens will be more heavily scrutinized than Native-born citizens because people will be cautious with them to begin with. He concedes. It is less likely that a Naturalized US citizen will be able to convince the people to elect him if his real intentions were dishonorable. "The US lost over $ 3 tril and 4000 lives over something that didn’t exist." We lost this because a US-born citizen couldn't put his emotional hate aside. It completely contradicts Con's assertion that Naturalized citizens are dangerous because they have "personal connections." He says they are more likely but so far, all he proved was that immigrants love their country of birth which by itself does not show that they are any more dangerous. Should we stop people whose fathers had been president because it is more likely that they would hold a grudge? Why not? This fits in perfectly with Con's argument and actually makes more sense than preventing immigrants from running. 5. Will not increase US success. Con ignores my rebuttal. I'd like to remind Con that in a debate, unaddressed points count as concessions [2], and if Con brings any of these conceded points back up in the last round when I can't respond, voters are to disregard it. 3) Con's case(a) "[Pro] is suggesting here that the constitution has no place enforcing a rule that will protect the country"- Con appeals to the constitution's right to enforce laws, yet disregards the fact that the law was not written for the reason that he claims. It was written to protect the US from colonization, not from immigrants. - I proved that no protection occurs. It doesn't stop people who are truly dangerous (criminals) nor people with a bundle of confused emotions (Bush). The average risk of the current pool of candidates with criminals and all is the same as, or more than, the average risk with immigrants included. (b) "decision must be based on having the best leadership possible to lead the country, not fulfilling the desires of those who wish to run"- The government has no obligation to provide the "best" leadership. The voters do that. - The government makes a decision based on assumptions which may or may not be true but depend entirely on possible likelihood. That is inherently unjust to people who are incorrectly denied because of the government's assumptions. (c) Grandma analogy: "harms caused by the rare instances of the unexpected outweigh the harms caused by the restrictions themselves." If that is the case, then restrictions should be placed on all US citizens and no one should run for president. Con already showed that even native-born citizens can be dangerous (he made my case for me) and the risk exists regardless of who is running. For that reason the above logic cannot be applied to elections. ConclusionCon's argument relies on strawmanning my position, claiming concessions when there were none, dropping points, and misrepresenting my rebuttals. He could not find an effective argument so instead he makes up his own definition of citizenship - a charge he ironically lays on me. He also does not include naturalized US citizens in his definition of "US success" even though that 1/8 of the population is just as American as the remaining 7/8. I have given considerable reasoning why immigrants are not any more dangerous than the people who are already allowed to run such (criminals and people whose fathers had run before them). There is a certain amount of risk already in our current pool of candidates. Expanding it to include immigrants does not increase the average risk that is inherent in a candidate pool.The voters have the right to vote for who they want. While they may not make the best choice, democracy demands that they make the choice, not the government. For all these reasons, immigrants should be eligible to run for president. The resolution is affirmed. Sources [1] http://bit.ly...[2] http://bit.ly...

Immigrants should be eligible to run for office of the President of the United States

Soooo...I guess this debate is over? Haha.

Illegal immigrants should be granted the rights of legal citizenship

I believe Immigration is key to society and should be allowed, plus some of my best friends are Mexican immigrants.

Illegal Immigration