In 2017, immigration is as big an issue today as it was when the country was founded. Over the past 400 years, there have been many reasons why people immigrated to America. Some not only practice the religion of their choice, but also escape war and impoverished lands. There is a common debate today about whether or not we should open our borders and allow immigrants to enter our country to live the lives they have dreamed of. Living in America, “the land of the free, the home of the brave.” However, on the other hand, the strictest Republican political parties would argue that open borders expose us to threats that undermine our freedom and endanger the families we love so much. The question remains: how much is too much and is there anything we can do to find a happy medium? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay America has always seen increasing numbers of immigrants when times in their own countries became too difficult to bear. It dates back to the 1840s, when much of Ireland emigrated to the United States due to the potato famine. We welcomed Chinese immigrants because of famine and drought, and with the Industrial Revolution we welcomed over 20 million immigrants thanks to our technological advancements. In 1882, when the government began paying more attention to those migrating to the United States, it began to be proactive about entry. Ports like Ellis Island and Angel Island served as gateways to our country. The most current debate concerns the Muslim faith and how their belief system honestly coincides with many terrorist activities carried out by extremists. Current President Donald J. Trump will have you believe that our borders will be more secure if we continue to follow his “Muslim Ban.” The polls seem to be a good mix, with phone polls indicating they oppose it, while the web indicates they are in favor. What makes us unique is that our country has built on its cultural diversity, a unique blend of individuals who create our own unique attributes. These unique individuals are among you today and have created some of the best inventions. A good example of this is Steve Jobs, when his mother emigrated from Syria in 1954. Without it, we might never have known what an iPhone was. According to the most recent statistics from 2015, 43.2 million immigrants resided on American soil (13.3%) and entered this country. If you took a poll today to find out if people were against immigration, the chances of them saying they were totally against it are slim. If you turn the same question around and ask if they are against Syrian refugees, the numbers explode. The reason is the threat of ISIS and daily fear. Ultimately, our country is built on the foundation of immigrants who have gone on to achieve great things. President Obama said, “99.9% of Muslims seek peace” and pose no threat to our society. However, if you think about it purely from the numbers, eight radicalized Muslim terrorists carried out the recent Paris attacks in 2016. If you take into account what President Obama says, that leaves 0.1% (10 people) out of 10,000 refugees who can cause harm. significant harm. Some would say that homegrown terrorism is our biggest concern, and they are certainly not wrong. But are we!”.