The Lion's Pride Volume 9 (January 2018) | Page 35

isn’t burdensome. Their plan touched on the idea of having illegal
immigrants pay fines, back taxes, and wait at the end of the line of
current visa applicants. However, this simple idea is unfeasible for
families already residing in the U.S. when the line of current visa
applicants never dwindles. The number of applicants waiting for their
day in immigration court continues to grow exponentially as
immigration judges continue to try less cases each year (especially in
regards to cases of asylum).
Growing up in a diverse community myself, I have firsthand seen
many of the different points of immigration researched. In regards to the
term anchor baby, I remain curious as to why some immigrants find their
way into the United States by illegal means, to purposely have children
knowing full well that they do not intend to become a lawful resident.
Many preach the notion of immigrating for “a better life for their kids”,
yet without legally seeking citizenship for themselves, are they not
contradicting that statement as living in fear of parental deportation is
psychologically detrimental to a child’s health?
My family is of mixed citizenship, one familial structure that is
mostly left out of this ongoing debate. In much of the research
conducted for this paper, the statistics, stories, and policies refer to
children born in the U.S. with both parents being unauthorized
immigrants. Ours is that of one American citizen and one immigrant.
While we do not share with the majority of families in the fear that our