Immigration

My great grandparents on my mother's side emigrated to the US from Germany in the 1860s. They settled in the Detroit area where my great grandfather started a business and contributed heavily to his community. My great grandparents spoke their native tongue at home, and my grandmother spoke German too. She was bilingual. They didn't come here expecting that everything would conform to them; they adopted the language of the United States and they sent their children to school where they were taught in English. The other thing about my great grandparents is that they came to this country legally. They went through the proper channels and become US citizens. I don't believe that someone who comes to this country ILLEGALLY has the right to US citizenship or even amnesty over someone who has legally tried to emigrate here. It is unrealistic to keep our borders open so that anyone can cross over and enter this country illegally. We should not be rewarding people who break the law! I do support a guest worker program that would require workers to come here temporarily, and through the proper channels, apply to become citizens. This would also force employers to treat these workers with respect and fairness. But those who are here illegally should not be allowed to cut to the front of the line ahead of legal immigrants. It is important for the US to maintain a strong and secure border, especially in these uncertain times. I think it would benefit the workers as well so that it would be less likely that they would be taken advantage of. The US needs to accept people from all over the world, not just our latin neighbors. Everyone should have the chance to come here as long as they follow the law of the land. And they should work to become Americans and melt into the pot, not stir it and try to meld it into their image.