Tortured for a Better Life: An Essay about Immigration and Ethics
As a young adult growing up in Arizona, one of the states facing the largest
amount of illegal immigration problems in our country, I feel this is an extremely
important issue. With news articles and programs on television telling us these horrible
stories of the ethical violations that happen to these people. Mr. President, may I suggest
that illegal immigration be one of your top priorities during your presidency.
No matter if a person is a citizen of the United States or not, no person should
have to go through torture in the US. The nation needs to protect the rights of these
people. They may not have the same rights as true citizens, but every person has human
rights that need to be protected.
The horrible atrocities that happen to these illegal immigrants are terrifying.
While they may be illegal immigrants, they are still humans. When stories about how “[a]
man’s head had been wrapped in a plastic bag and submerged in a waste-filled toilet”
(Smugglers Torture Illegal Immigrants, 1) are written in newspapers, they really show
how far human rights have fallen for illegal immigrants in America. It seems that if the
person is not a US citizen, the general population of the states does not care. Just because
the person is not a citizen, does not mean that they are unimportant. These immigrants
pay thousands of dollars to make the dangerous trek across the border. Then their
“coyote” guides take advantage of them and hold the as hostages for even more money.
In yet another article about how poorly these people are treated it is said that, “each of the
illegal immigrants paid about $2,400 to be brought into the United States, but once here
the smugglers demanded thousands more… the suspects beat several of the victims with
a curtain rod, wooden sticks and pistols as punishment for not paying the extortion fee”
(Illegal Immigrants Tortured, 1). If the nation heard that this was happening to
Americans, the nation would be up in arms, and demanding the smugglers be brought to
justice. Even though the people are not Americans, the heinous crimes were still
committed on US soil.
The best way we can solve this problem is to make the immigration process easier
for immigrants. At the present time it can take anywhere from 7-17 years to become a US
citizen. If the process to become a citizen became easier, then the need for illegals to
cross the border with corrupt smugglers would be diminished. Thus make the number of
these hell houses greatly decrease. That way the nation would be safe not only for the
immigrants, but also for its own citizens.
We as a country need to become more accepting and lenient with our
immigration process. It makes no difference if the person is a citizen or not, no person
should be tortured for a better life.
Works Cited
"Smugglers Torture Illegal Immigrants in Phoenix Drop House | Fox News." Fox News.
FOX
News Network, 21 Oct. 2007. Web. 12 Dec. 2012.
Thomas, Jennifer, and Jared Dillingham. "Illegal Immigrants Tortured in Drop House."
Azfamily.com. N.p., 8 Dec. 2011. Web. 12 Dec. 2012.