Dr. Michael Babula is currently running for Congress in the Maryland 4th District. Dr. Babula supports increasing the size of the labor force through immigration, and therefore, Babula supports legalizing the status of current illegal immigrants. I strongly agree with Dr. Babula, not only because I am an immigrant myself, but also because immigration has helped the United States become the world leading country it is today.
In the past years, New York has been known as the "melting pot of America", primarily because of its diverse population. Since America’s beginning, immigrants have immigrated to the United Sates in search of a better lifestyle and a more promising future. According to Joel Millman "Between 1982 and 1993, over 1.5 million immigrants entered New York.” As a result, immigration has played a key role in shaping what over the decades has become the culture of the United States.
Moving from Argentina, to the United States at age thirteen has had a great impact in my life. I currently attend Loyola College in Maryland, where I am studying to graduate with a degree in International Business. Moving to the United States has enabled me to continue my studies, ultimately offering me the opportunity to become a stronger and more knowledgeable individual. Once I earn my degree, I will benefit America’s economy by using the skills this great nation has provided.
Immigrants are often viewed as a threat to the country since immigrants could potentially take high paying jobs away from citizens. Moreover, immigrants are believed to threaten the American culture. These comments about immigrants taking away the jobs of the citizens are not realistic, since most high paying jobs are given to American citizens and immigrants have to live in the United Sates for at least five years before becoming a U.S. citizen. Dr. Babula would agree that immigrants not only bring their traditions and ideologies to the United States, but they also bring their ideas and high motivation to help the country in every way they can. Daniel T. Griswold explains, "Immigration is not undermining the American experiment; it is an integral part of it.” Everywhere I go, I can see international influences: food, art, clothing, music, and religion—just to name a few.
In the past decade, illegal immigration has become a major issue for the United States. Not only because of their illegal entry to the country, but more importantly because they take potential jobs away from citizens. In "Immigration" Opposing Viewpoints, Peter Roberts defends illegal immigrants by stating "Should they be condemned, despised, and dubbed [The scum of the Earth] for doing basic work which we all know is a necessity, but which we ourselves will not perform?" Illegal immigrants often take unwanted jobs, and they are only paid a fraction of the pay they deserve. Although most of their jobs are extremely dangerous, they do not receive health benefits, and if they happen to get injured while working they are fired without being compensated.
Just like Dr. Babula’s grandfather and myself, millions of immigrants have moved to the Unites States in order to start a new life. When moving, immigrants leave behind not only their country but also their loved ones, in hopes of becoming a part of the "American dream." For most legal immigrants hard work and determination often enables them to achieve a better life as well as a more promising future.
Dr. Babula’s opponents do not address these issues as well as Dr. Babula does. For example, opponent Donna Edwards does not express her views on the immigration issues that are currently our country and economy. Opponent Albert R. Wynn proposed the idea for undocumented immigrants to register for a temporary visa, that would be valid for six years. Then by paying a significant fine for breaking the law and paying back any taxes, illegal immigrants would be allowed to apply for citizenship. I do not find this approach effective since most illegal immigrants are being paid below the minimum wage and they do not have the necessary resources to meet these payments. This would result in the deportation of most of the immigrants that are currently providing their hard work and labor to help our economy.
Because of the reasons mentioned above, I support Dr. Micahel Babula in his campaign for Congress. I believe he is a strong candidate, and he has good arguments concerning one of the most controversial topics currently facing the United States of America. The United States would greatly benefit from Dr. Babula’s innovative ideas, as well as his willingness to help our society.
