First off, let's define what an "illegal immigrant" is. Unfortunately, when many people in this country hear this term, their first impression is of an Hispanic that crosses the border in the middle of the night, most likely carrying drugs. That's not the case though, the majority of illegal immigrants in this country are people just like you and me that came into the United States legally and simply haven't left after their visa has expired. Usually because they've decided to make the U.S. their home, but unfortunately the laws and fees that are imposed on immigrants make it next to impossible for many to become U.S. citizens. For starters, it costs $675 to apply to become a U.S. citizen, imagine if you're a family of four, that's a total cost of $2700! Could you come up with $2700 today to pay for yourself and your three family members to become citizens if you had to? Probably not in today's economy, I know I wouldn't be able to.
Before 1906, all it took for an immigrant to become a U.S. citizen was to take an oath. No fees or tests required. Why was this? Because the U.S. wanted immigrants to help build this nation. That's why our country is called the cultural melting pot. That's why the U.S. experienced such a boom in population and was able to carve a great nation out of the land. Today though, the rich, white elitists who benefited the most from the immigration wave of the late 1800's no longer want those immigrants in this country. They see them as a drain on their pocketbooks and their profit margins. What these people need to see also though is a dwindling population of taxpayers. Not wanting immigrants to become U.S. citizens doesn't keep them out of the country, it only keeps them out of the "system". Drop the fees and the tests required to become a U.S. citizen and you won't see any more rush to enter this country than you already do, you'll just see a growing tax base that will help fund this country into the next century!
