The subject of immigration is one that has been dramatically divisive in America. It is a topic that has continued to elicit mixed reactions because different people have different opinions about it. In the politics, immigration has played a role where many politicians have engage d in an endless debate about how to approach this problem. For example, currently, in America, there is the issue of the wall that has pitted the president against those who do not want the wall to be made. The underlying issues driving the desire to build this wall are the issue of illegal immigration that is rampant in the Mexican border. Immigration, therefore, is an issue that has shaped American politics and the American way of life. Based on the divisive nature of migration, I sought to find a public opinion about the same. Immigration is an issue that requires proper debate among all stakeholders to ensure uniform laws are made to govern the process of migration to this country.

Background information

I undertook an interview process with five fellow students whom I identified randomly within the school. The main reasons for this interview were to find out their views about the contentious issue of immigration. I wanted to get their look and compile them together to come up with a report about their opinions. The interview was conducted orally through face to face. I randomly identified people in the school and sought their permission to carry out the conversation. Only five students participated in this interview. Due to the sensitivity of the topic, I decided to use their first names and also to protect their identity.

I conducted this interview with the following persons:

1. Ben-Ben is a US immigrant of African descent. His country of origin is Ghana. Ben has been in the USA for the last three years.
2. Ahmad-Ahmad is a US immigrant of Arab origin. His country of origin is Saudi Arabia. He has been living in the USA since he was a small child.
3. Corey-Corey is a USA native who was born of American parents.
4. Janet-Janet was born of a US father and an English mother.
5. Beth-Beth is a Native American born of American parents.

Analysis of the results of the Interview

On the first question on whether any of the interviewees had a history or experience with immigration. Three of the five respondents answered yes. Ben and Ahmad were immigrants who emigrated from different countries to the US. Ben came to the US to further his education, and he was not an American citizen. Ahmad, on the other hand, moved into the country as a young person after his parents also immigrated to the country bringing him along. For Janet, she was born American but of an immigrant mother from England. Only Corey and Beth were Native Americans who had been born in the US, and their parents were also born in the US. However, Corey shared that his grandfather was an immigrant who moved into the country in the early 1900s from Eastern Europe.

On the second interview question, every respondent answered with affirmative that they either had friends or acquaintances who were immigrants. Ben and Ahmad had several friends who were immigrants, and though some were citizens, others were not citizens. Ben knew of a person who was undocumented. Almost everyone knew of someone who was not a citizen but had a certificate of legal residency in the country. For Ahmad, he felt that most of his Arabic friends were not fully accepted in the country as he had himself witnessed cases of biases towards him despite him being a legal resident. He said some of his friends had also seen similar cases. For Ben, he also felt as an outsider especially based on the fact that people judged him by his heavy African accent.

The answer to question four was almost unanimous. Almost everyone agreed that the number one motivation for people moving into the USA was in search of job opportunities. For Corey, Janet and Beth, they believed that most of the people who moved to the USA were after better economic prospects. Ben and Ahmed said that most people also came to the USA to learn since American education was considered more advanced than from their countries of origin.

The respondents had mixed reactions to the need for immigration into the country. Ahmed and Ben supported immigration and told me that the process of becoming a citizen should have been made more flexible for people like them to be accepted as citizens. For Corey and Beth, they believed that as much as immigration was necessary, it should have been given some level of control to ensure only certain people are allowed to immigrate to the country. For Janet, she believed that the country was full and immigration should have been stopped or highly limited.

Almost every interviewee voiced support for immigration and creating a “pathway to citizenship.” Only Janet was against immigration as she believed immigration let too many people into the country something that denied natives most job opportunities. All the other interviewees agreed that there should be a system of immigration that allows people from other countries could come to the state. For Corey, he believed that immigrants built America and so there was a need to continue with that tradition. However, the process should be done to ensure only, the hard working individuals that can help grow the country are allowed into the country. For Ahmed, he believed there was a need to carry out a background check on people moving into the state to ensure questionable characters are not allowed into the country.

Not everyone was in opposition to immigration except Janet. Janet had radical views about immigration arguing that the borders should have been tightly controlled to limit cases of migration. Corey and Beth believed America’s borders should never be closed and that anyone wishing to move to the country should be given a chance to prove which kind of persons they were before being allowed. They also believed the process of allowing people to migrate into the country should have been made a competitive one where only the best are allowed. However, for Ahmed, he believed the rules should have been relaxed especially for someone like him who had spent most of his life in the country. Ben had similar views suggesting the process should not be abandoned.

Corey was not happy by the fact that whites were projected to lose their majority status within the next twenty-five years. According to Corey, there was a need to come up with a corrective measure to ensure such an issue does not occur. He argued that American whites must be able to rise to the occasion and ensure they do not lose their majority status. He also explained that strong immigration laws should be implemented to ensure no more than enough immigrants are allowed in the country. Both Beth and Janet echoed similar sentiments. Beth was quick to explain this scenario as one of the roots of her strong opposition to immigration. She argued that the fact that American borders were open primarily to the Mexicans, it was easy for people of color to become the majority in the country unless something drastic is done. For Ahmad and Ben, they were shocked at the revelation but believed it should not be a cause for alarm. Ben felt that having a diversified society was good for better societal development and so he had no problem with the issue.

The issue of the wall was divisive to its core. Ben did not have a strong opinion about the wall, but he believed it was unnecessary. Ahmed thought it was immoral to build a war, especially to your neighbors as that would bring bad blood between them. For Corey, he was not so sure the wall was necessary, but he believed America needed strong border security to curb uncontrolled immigration. Beth was for building the wall as it would help reduce the number of undocumented persons moving into the country and stealing American jobs. For Janet, she had a strong case for the wall and believed that it was the only way they could stop illegal immigrants from entering the country. Janet felt that building the wall should be the priority of any sane government to protect and preserve Americans from outsiders.

Conclusion

To conclude, I had a great time carrying out these interviews and getting to know other people’s opinion about the issue of immigration. I realize immigration was a serious topic in the country which required serious intervention from both the political class and Americans. Immigration is an issue that needs proper debate among all stakeholders to ensure uniform laws are made to govern the process of migration to this country.

 
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