Why Illegal Immigrants Must Follow the Law - Essay Example

These illegal immigrants have made America their home and many have raised families in this country. It is therefore necessary for them to be law abiding so that their stay in this country is not ended abruptly through deportation or if they are convicted of a crime, they do not end up serving time in jail. Whether their status in the United States is legal or illegal, it is their duty to abide by the law of the land because these laws have been passed to ensure that there is order in society.

Illegal immigrants, no matter what their background is, should ensure that they abide by the law for the purpose of keeping order in society. Abiding by the law is very important because if the large number of illegal immigrants would were to get involved in illegal activities, then there would be a radical increase of the crime rates in the United States. This would make it very difficult for the law enforcement agencies at the federal, state and county level to contain crime and the order which has been a part of the American society since this nation was created would be destroyed.

Illegal immigrants should therefore follow the law to the latter as they found it and should avoid any activities which will put them on the wrong side of the law. This will not only ensure their own security but it will also ensure the security of all the people in the nation as a whole. Many immigrants in the United States are in the country illegally and because of this, they must be very careful not to break the law because this will bring the attention of the law enforcement agencies on them (Katel, 393 – 420).

Breaking the law would be to their disadvantage because it would lead them to either serve time in a prison or get them deported back to their home countries, defeating their purpose of coming to the United States to improve their lives. I believe that the fear of deportation should be enough to make the illegal immigrants abide by the law so that they can keep their positions, although illegal, within the United States secure. However, the United States also has a duty to treat these illegal immigrants with the respect they deserve because whether we like it or not, the majority of Americans are not native to this land.

America was founded as a refuge for those who were running away from persecution for their beliefs or for people who wanted to make better lives and have a new beginning, and that is the reason why America is said to be a nation of immigrants. Since most Americans hail from immigrant families, they should not look down upon or discriminate against the illegal immigrants because they also are looking for opportunities the same as their ancestors were. Furthermore, discriminating against illegal immigrants only drives them towards breaking the law through committing illegal activities in order to make a living.

A major incentive for illegal immigrants to follow the law and not to commit any crime is for the purpose of preventing the rise of a negative public opinion of them. This will enable them to rehabilitate the image of illegal immigrants being opportunistic people whose main purpose is to earn a living without any consideration for the welfare of the people of the country in which they have gone to work (Scarborough, M). Their following the law will enable a building of good will towards them from the American public and will deprive their critics of the argument that illegal immigrants in the United States are a security threat to the nation and that there is a need for them to be deported and stricter measures have to be put in place to ensure that there are no illegal immigrants in the country.

The good public opinion will also ensure that there is social harmony in the country and not the aggressive debates