RE: The Immigration Conundrum
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This is a complex and difficult topic, and you have covered some of the overarching issues with immigration.
When I was in high school (Grade 10), my geography teacher gave us a newspaper article to read, it was called "Leave Your Baggage at the Door." In this article, the author argued that when you're accepted into Canada, then you should leave behind the troubles of your homeland, including crime, politics, bad behaviours, and so on. It's the same when someone invites you to their home. You don't go in and make a mess. You behave. The teacher then asked us to discuss the article and formulate an opinion. I would say 95% of the class agreed with the premise, and a few did not, arguing that as a multi-cultural society, Canada should allow you to keep your culture (good and bad).
I think that the teacher was surprised that we overwhelmingly agreed with the author. She did not argue with us but simply said, "hmmm..."
This was an interesting article that poses interesting questions about the mass movement of people across the globe.
I like the exercise the teacher offered the class. I used to teach social studies (geography/history/government) so I appreciate her approach: let the kids respond.
It is a complex issue. I'm what is known as a bleeding heart, but I don't believe in open borders. I think a nation needs to have a rational immigration policy. This includes room for refugees (screened for appropriate behavior) and family reunification. Beyond that, only those immigrants who will be an asset to the country should be allowed in. We need smart people, workers, exchange students.
For a couple of years I volunteered at a neighborhood outreach that tried to meet the needs of our local community and also the needs of immigrants who had entered the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status. The people I met were hard working and sought to assimilate into the U.S. culture--I even gave one woman English lessons.
It is a difficult issue. I didn't want to know if some of the people I helped were here without documents and some were here with protected status. They were just people, and on that level I wanted to help everyone.
However, as a country we can't help everyone. I believe, as many of your classmates did, that if you want to come to the U.S., then you have to learn our language, and learn our culture. You are welcome to keep your own, but only insofar as that does not conflict with the larger culture. That's what my forebears did. They treasured their native customs, but they assimilated and became truly citizens of their new country.
That's interesting volunteer work and definitely not easy given the wide array of issues surrounding immigration. Usually, a person doesn't leave their country because things are going well but because something is forcing them to move. Yet, there has to be balance, and a host country has to have an orderly process of entry.