Immigration: An American Tradition?

"Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore, send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door." (http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre1993092400&type=hitlist&num=0) Such is the saying that is inscribed on the bottom of the Statue of Liberty. Such a saying should also be inscribed upon every heart of the individuals in this great nation. If not for the courage and desperation of past immigrants most if not all of this nation's population would be living elsewhere. Immigration is the very foundation of what America stands for, but as of late it seems it has become major economic and social scar upon the nation. Since it has become a scar upon our nation, the presidential candidates, John McCain and Barak Obama, have made bold statements in order to solve this problem.
The debate and controversy of immigration has been a long and sore discussion that lives upon a loop ever since this nation's conception, only rising when a national crisis comes about. The immigration of the Catholic Irish, the Italians and the Chinese are such examples. Riots would break out whenever new boats full of immigrants docked. Events such as the bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993 and the crashing of the three planes into the World Trade Center and Pentagon in 2001 tempted American citizens to point their fingers at illegal immigrants as if to say, "This is why we don't like you and why you should not be here." Why are some American so adverse to immigration?
So what are the immigrants of today doing to the American public and American economy and why have they chosen to come to American soil? Let me begin with the later part of the question which pertains to why immigrants, illegal and legal, have chosen to come to the U.S. Back in 1993 the main influx of immigrants was due to several reasons. The main reasons being the fall of the Soviet Union and unrest in Eastern Europe. The main reason for the influx of today would have to be the result of the economic success of the U.S. I know this seems to absurd after what has occured the past several weeks and the Stock Market falling, but before that our economy was in a very comfortable and stable position in the eyes of the consumer. Houses and other goods were being sold and bought at regular rates. Immigrants saw this and moved to America in search of a better life for themselves and also for their children.
Now let me answer the former part of the question at the beginning of the paragraph above. Immigrants, especially illegal immigrants, have begun to become a social and economic burden to the America public. More and more immigrants are draining public resources such as public school and health care. I have two stances on this issue. On the one hand, I know that illegal immigrants have broken the law by coming here without the proper paperwork and should be put to full penalty of the law as any lawbreaker should be, but I also see the side of our newfound dependency upon them. Immigrants, legal and illegal, make up most of the hard labor of our nation. Unintentionally we as a nation have place immigrants under us as a crutch. 1.6 million immigrants now make up our agricultural labor. We no longer want illegal immigrants here but to remove them would leave our nation in a total economic collapse. So what should we do? Since we do not have a clear view of everything we look to those who would make decisions for us, the presidential candidates.
Both Obama and McCain have made bold statements about immigration and what should be done about it. "The Democrats tend to like immigrants, but are suspicious of immigration, while the Republicans tend to like immigration but are suspicious of immigrants," says Frank Sharry, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, a pro-immigration lobby group. (http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre2008020100&type=hitlist&num=3&PHPSESSID=er1ltvv3t7vdc4solcsvpa2n46) McCain in the beginning of his campaign took a very moderate approach to immigration. His belief was in the immigrants' hearts and he thought that all immigrants should have an opportunity to become citizens. This view is a stark contrast to most Republicans who think that all illegal immigrants have broken the law and should be put against the full penalty of the law as lawbreakers. After quite some time and deliberation, McCain got down off of his stance and comformed to the Republican view in order to gain more support and votes. Senator Obama shared some of the same views as McCain's original stance. Obama was instrumental in the formation of the Senate Immigration Bill.
If passed, this bill would allowed those illegal immigrants who are contributing to the America society the ability to become citizens. Basically this bill would make it easier for those who are working to become citizens. This would not be an easy process though. The immigrants would have to learn English, pay a heavy fine and back taxes, and then pass all safety and criminal requirements. (http://obama.senate.gov/issues/immigration/index.html)

Both candidates seem very vocal about immigration and how to best integrate or remove illegal immigrants. Now all that is left is for the American public to choose who they believe will help our nation the best.