Immigration: More than a domestic issue
By Jong-Joon Chun

America is divided by the current immigration debate. Immediately following Obama’s announced administrative action for undocumented immigrants, the Republican Congress began to take action by threatening legislative sanctions, government shutdowns and/or possible impeachment. The problem with the current approach is that we address immigration as a domestic issue. However, in order to resolve this struggle, we need to change our perspective on immigration from a domestic to a global issue.

While we struggle to combat our immigration issues domestically, we are losing sight of the global competition in which the U.S. is falling behind at a rapid pace. Trying to solve the immigration issue using domestic policies fails to recognize the fact that the solution to this problem is global in nature. Through immigration reform, newly legalized immigrants can contribute to America’s social and economic future, helping us regain our standing as the ultimate economic, political and educational super power.

Today, China is the U.S.’s leading competitor in world economics and politics. China’s biggest advantage in this race is its population, which accounts for 20% of the total world population. Their population is over four times that of the United States, which ranks third in the world. According to the Pew Research Center, there are an estimated eleven million undocumented immigrants currently living in the U.S. By granting legal status to these people, they will become mainstream workers paying their taxes to bolster our economy and to better compete in a global market.

We are a nation that was founded by undocumented immigrants. Our founding fathers freely came to this nation and created the American dream, which inspires others to follow. People are power. People are the economy. In order to solve the immigration problems within our country, we need to look outside of it. It is time to pass immigration reform for America’s future in the global economy.