I am very excited for tomorrow’s election. I left Lebanon before I was eligible to vote (age of suffrage is 21), so I have not been able to exercise my civic duty of voting yet. However, unlike in Lebanon, voting in the United States is meaningful, with consequences that matter.
Tomorrow is very important, and your vote as a US citizen might impact the rights of literally millions of immigrants whose fate hinge on tomorrow’s results. If the Democrats retain the Senate and gain seats in the House, the chances of immigration reform will increase. If the opposite happens, researchers and practitioner believe that the chances for reform will dwindle.
Regardless of the results, the consensus is that President Obama will use his executive power on immigration to allow certain immigrants to apply for some form of immigration benefits. This will fall short, however, since there is a dire need for reform, not only to help undocumented immigrants, but to allow young immigrants to remain in the United States after they get educated in American universities.
Immigration opponents argue that we should not allow people who violated our laws to remain in the United States. However, reform does not only affect undocumented immigrants who remained here illegally; it affects immigrants like yours truly who simply cannot live in his country because he has adapted to the American way of life. These immigrants are the future, and we should really fight to allow them to remain here. The process to stay in the United States for these immigrants is cumbersome, and reform of such process is needed.
No matter how you feel about immigration, you should vote. So many people around the world are prevented from voting. You should really cherish that right by exercising it.
- What Was Your Life Like Before Coming To The United States?
- Is Immigration Reform Possible Even After Last Night’s Vote?
- DRUM ROLL: President Obama’s Video Announcement of his Prime Time Address to the Nation
- Deferred Action for Unauthorized Immigrant Parents: Analysis of DAPA’s Potential Effects on Families and Children
- Elections 2020: Immigration Consequences of Electing Joe Biden