The United States of America is supposed to be a nation of laws, most of which were put in place by the founders of our great country, as they foresaw many of the future problems that may occur. As we have progressed as a society, many find those old laws to be outdated. A big one in recent months has been our immigration policies. Between the Arizona controversy and the recent support for the DREAM Act, amnesty is now a topic that must be addressed by all of us.

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The United States of America is supposed to be a nation of laws, most of which were put in place by the founders of our great country, as they foresaw many of the future problems that may occur. As we have progressed as a society, many find those old laws to be outdated. A big one in recent months has been our immigration policies. Between the Arizona controversy and the recent support for the DREAM Act, amnesty is now a topic that must be addressed by all of us.

The DREAM Act, for those who are unfamiliar, would allow citizenship for illegal immigrants who are between a set age range (which seems to change each time the bill is presented) and enrolled in American universities or the military for at least two years. It would not cover criminals or those who don’t fit the eligibility requirements laid out. I suggest you look it up for yourself if you are interested in more information about the specifics.

I stand in firm opposition to this process for a few reasons. The first is that it really does absolutely nothing to discourage illegal activity, and in fact rewards those who break our laws. The second is that it shows that the United States is weak on prosecuting criminals. The third is the injustice toward those immigrants who are going through the proper channels and being responsible enough to do things the right way.

I know the nice thing to do is to let every hardworking person into this country and just mind our own business. Unfortunately, the world is not a nice place. Aside from trespassers and the occasional murderer or drug runner who crosses our border, even the kind and gentle illegal immigrants are still illegal. Being on American soil without documentation is a crime in itself. If someone knowingly commits a crime, how then can he or she be trusted at all?

Rewarding bad behavior is never a good thing. If you were to apply this standard to other crimes, our country would fall into complete chaos. We have immigration laws already, and I believe that we should enforce them instead of turning a blind eye. Thankfully, the DREAM Act has been blocked from the law books before it becomes our nightmare.

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