Is immigration a human rights issue?

Except in the context of an illegal immigrants right, or lack of, to representation or other such constitutionally based issues, immigration is not a human rights issue. Let me ask you this. If you deny a person access to your house or make them go through a selection process to gain access, are you violating their human rights? The answer in nearly every persons mind is a very simple and straight forward no.

Immigration laws are put in place for reasons similar to those behind burglary laws. I would like to clarify that I am not trying to say that immigrants are criminals, but instead that these immigration laws are put in place to protect the well being of the United States as a whole. This includes areas such as health, te economy and the general safety of our citizens.

Immigration laws are designed to allow certain people to immigrate to this country and become citizens. They allow for a selection process that weeds out people who would be a threat to our society and allows for the immigration of people who will be productive citizens. This process, however, is not a right. It is a privilege and this fact is often overlooked.

I am not against immigration by any means. Some of the best and brightest societal leaders we have had over the years have been immigrants and I think that it would be a shame not to allow them into our country. I do believe, however, that immigration is a privilege that must be monitored in order to protect our society, both physically and financially. By this, I mean that we cannot accept criminals that are likely to pose a threat to society and we cannot accept those individuals, in mass amounts, that are likely to be a drain on society. Our nation has enough trouble fighting crime without importing criminals and we have enough trouble supporting those who cannot support themselves. This is why we must monitor the privilege that we extend to immigrants.

Now, for those who would argue that being too strict with immigration would leave some people in dire situations, let me set your mind at ease. US immigration laws allow certain individuals to bypass a large part of the immigration process. These refugees are given the safe haven that they need and they are allowed to live as members of American society with relative ease. This allows those who have no other reasonable choice to enter the US without extensive waits that would seriously endanger their well being or their lives.

In closing, I would like to refer again to the example I gave in the first paragraph. If a stranger wanted into your home, most likely you wouldn’t let him just walk in. It is not his right to enter your home, but instead, it is a privilege that you wish to extend to him if you feel it is acceptable to. A nation is quite the same. It is up to them who they let in and who they keep out and I am confident that if you actually look at it, comparing the immigration rules of other countries across the globe, you will find that the US actually has some of the most lax immigration rules in the world. We also have more to offer than most countries around the world. None the less, immigration is not a right. It is a privilege, and something cannot be a “Human Rights” issue if it is not a right.