Undocumented Immigration Essay Sample

Let’s take a moment to look at the following photo—twins Brizzia and Maria Munoz Robles are carelessly labeled as job stealers, illegals, or aliens. People do not take adequate time to consider their stories. However, we are not that different in that most of us sitting in this room are descendants of immigrants or even immigrants ourselves. At the age of five, Brizzia and Maria’s parents brought them from Zacatecas, Mexico without documents. Being undocumented made them change their names and both were constantly stressed if people found out they were undocumented. The twins were accepted to Notre Dame University based on their high GPA scores through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, also known as DACA. This U.S. immigration policy provides a temporary work status and relief from deportation for undocumented youths. Maria also used QuestBridge, another nonprofit program that helps first-generation, low-income students. Brizzia and Maria started writing in the school newspaper titled The Observer, about awareness for undocumented immigrants and were published by the Washington Post soon after (O’Shaughnessy). However, many undocumented immigrants do not get the same chance because they live in fear of being deported and do not have access to the same resources in education as others do. Undocumented immigrants come for various reasons, often fleeing from their native countries due to economic or political reasons, and their children being brought against their free will. Nevertheless, some beneficial laws include undocumented immigration rights. For example, in 1982, the Supreme Court ruled in Plyler v. Doe, that no child should be denied a K-12 public education based on their immigration status (Flores). Also, there are policies such as DACA, which was established under President Obama to protect undocumented students from deportation and to get a college education (Immigrant Children Timeline). However, the states of Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina do not allow college applications for undocumented youth (Vasilogambros). Moreover, no state gives funding to support undocumented immigrants to get their college education (Ibid). Undocumented immigrants living in the United States deserve the opportunity to go to college because higher education improves peoples’ lives overall and benefits the economy. 

Undocumented immigrants in America are being left in the shadows or in fear of deportation, but with access to a college education, undocumented immigrants can improve their lives. Studies have shown that a college graduate earns 1 million more dollars over a lifetime than a high school graduate, which comes with better health outcomes, and has the potential to allow them to enjoy better financial stability in their lives (Jordan). Likewise, with proper education and a degree, these immigrants can get good jobs and enjoy a more financially stable life. However, the path to getting into college and then getting the careers that lead to financial stability and health care is difficult to obtain. Out of the 65,000 undocumented students who graduated high school, none receive federal financial aid, and only 5 to 10 percent goes further in higher education (Flores; Gonser). Furthermore, because of their undocumented status, they are given no support from the government. Thus, all immigrant youth depend upon their luck from scholarships and government programs. The tedious and near impossible entrance into colleges as undocumented immigrants takes away from their potential. Moreover, as seen in the Georgetown Public Policy Institute study, 65 percent of jobs require a college education (Vasilogambros). Undocumented immigrants, working as hard as they can, often can only find low-wage jobs. With higher education, they can receive benefits equal to those that other American workers receive (Ibid). Undocumented immigrants should have access to higher-paying job opportunities. Their low-wage jobs often do not cover enough support for their needs; but to get better-paid jobs, they need to get a college degree, and, as demonstrated, college acceptance is harder for undocumented immigrants. In one case, Karla Cornejo Villavicencio grew up in America her whole life in poverty (Villavicencio). Her parents moved here from Ecuador in hope that Villavicencio could achieve the “American Dream.” She did just that, working hard and studying for hours each day. This work paid off. She did well in school, becoming valedictorian, and managed to get into Harvard, which helped her get a job.  She also wrote a book called The Undocumented Americans. Through all these successes, she used this money to buy her mother her first real winter coat. Education needs to be open to all. Undocumented immigrants deserve the chance for equal opportunity and through a college education, undocumented immigrants can have a chance at more opportunities to improve their lives.

Not only does a college education benefit the student directly, but undocumented students with higher education contribute more to America’s economy. The American Community Survey in 2019 showed around 427,000 or 2 percent of all undocumented immigrant students receive a higher education, but only half or 0.8 percent have access to DACA which helps undocumented students get a college education (New American Economy). DACA helps supply undocumented students with a two-year work permit and a Social Security Program, giving them more opportunities. All undocumented students should have a chance to succeed in college education to become participants in the American economy. Furthermore, the students with access to a college education will have opportunities for better jobs, which is essential to the American economy. An example is through COVID-19, undocumented immigrants could contribute to the community through being healthcare workers, however, degrees are needed for this. Additionally, research shows that DACA will contribute 460.3 billion dollars to the American gross domestic product, or GDP, over the next decade (Jawetz). As college education has the potential to increase the employment rate and wages, all economic indicators will contribute to a growing GDP benefiting the overall American economy. Undocumented youth, and youth in general, benefit the economy, and DACA enables undocumented students to receive access to higher education. The Center for American Progress shows that undocumented immigrants are 3.2 percent of America, but they are 4.4 percent of the workforce (Montecinos). Undocumented immigrants impact the American workforce, if they were given the opportunity to better education, their productivity and earnings would increase, leading to a greater American economy. An example is Ranferi Avilez, who works long hours day and night. He has no time to do extracurricular activities and works three different jobs to pay his rent and bills. His dream is to go to a top college, study mechanical engineering, and get a good-paying job instead of all his small low paying jobs. A better-paid single job would pay more than all his smaller low-paying jobs, combined, which will provide more for Avilez and the American economy. Avilez, living in Texas since a child, is allowed to apply for in-state tuition, however, his situation is in doubt because the Texas legislature is trying to remove the benefit of in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants. Furthermore, Avilez still has not saved enough money to go to school, and federal funding is not permitted to him, further limiting his options (Gonser). To improve individual American lives and the economy, we need to get all the best-qualified people working, including undocumented immigrants. Therefore, undocumented immigrants would greatly improve our social fabric through economic means. 

Undocumented immigrants need the opportunity to go to college in the United States because education improves their lives and the economy will benefit greatly. However, some people think that undocumented immigrants are just leeching off of our taxes. As an example, if undocumented immigrants get educated, it will be easier to get a good job which increases financial stability at all levels: personal, community, state, and federal levels will benefit. But also, the statement that ‘undocumented immigrants are not paying any taxes’ is incorrect. Not paying property or income taxes may be valid in many cases, depending on various living situations, however not paying other taxes is false. If anybody buys anything, they may pay sales tax. Moreover, many rich, who already benefit from society, do not pay taxes. Just look at Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Michael Blumberg who pays no income tax (Eisinger). So my proposal to you is this: write a letter to your senator for your support for the DACA program, that helps undocumented immigrants on the path to higher education. I will send out an email with a letter form; if you are willing to fill it out, you can forward it back to me and I will mail the letter (FWD.us). There is also a great website to learn more about undocumented immigrants’ stories, which I will also provide in the email. If you are further interested in this topic, I urge you to listen to their problems (Immigrants Rising).