The United States Should Abstain From Fencing - 1522 Words

Tear Down This Wall How does a country go from Tear down this wall! to Build a fence to keep out all immigrants? An ongoing issue in American politics is whether or not to fence the southern border of the US and close it to immigration. States such as Arizona have taken action regarding this issue however, the federal government has not yet passed legislature or decided upon a course of action. The United States should abstain from fencing in the border due to the fact that, even though they can take jobs from Americans, Central American immigrants enrich the American culture and greatly benefit American society. America has long been a multicultural and multiracial society. As a result of European immigration in the early 1900s,†¦show more content†¦Jews and other similarly oppressed groups sought safe haven from political or ideological persecution and wished to find a place where they could practice their religions or express their beliefs without the incumbent threat of violence. However, these Open Door sentiments soon began to fade. People started feeling angry towards these new immigrants because they were often poor, illiterate, or came from different cultural or religious backgrounds. The trauma of the First World War and the fear of Communism during the Red Scare of the late 1910s also worried many Americans. As a result, Congress passed laws restricting the flow of immigration because the government did not believe that the new immigrants enriched the life and culture of the USA (History.com Staff). In addition to the fear of immigrants, xenophobia and racial persecution set the stage for today s world of restrictive immigration propositions. The United States government should refrain from sealing the border with Mexico as such an act would violate the ideals that American society reveres; the ability to make something of yourself when you have come from nothing or very little and the inherent equality and freedom of all men. Dick Arm ey, a retired member of congress, states that this country has always held its doors open. We don t build up walls in the United States. We tear them down. These sentiments parallel the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s; both the