Living in a poor society. Not knowing when or what the next meal will be. Hoping to live the American dream even though it may be a challenge getting across the border. Finally getting to the border only to be met by Border Patrol and sent back to the impoverished streets of Mexico. This is the harsh reality of being an illegal immigrant, but is the United States to blame? Many immigrants cross over into the United States unauthorized each day with the hope of being able to stay. Although this may victimize the ones crossing over, it also affects those who lawfully live and were born in the United States. Some citizens may be put in danger or unfortunate situations because of unauthorized immigrants, and that shouldn’t be what America stands for. Undoubtedly, the border between Mexico and America should be enforced.

Starting, major cities that should otherwise be providing amazing opportunities for their legal citizens may struggle because of the large amount of money spent having to deal with illegal immigrants. Cities are suffering and being choked out by the many people going into the city that shouldn’t be there. An example of this is, “...New York City might reach a ‘breaking point,’ which could include forced cutbacks to school programs, the police department, trash pickup and resources for senior citizens” (Alvarez, Flores, Yan). This evidence shows that a city as far from the Mexico border as New York is still being wounded and eclipsed economically because of the immense amounts of money spent dealing with illegal immigrants. Thus, this causes something as simple as trash collection to be halted or delayed because of the cutbacks, and this cutback will increase the amount of litter in the city which isn’t something anyone would want. A major deficiency that would be horrible is the lack of resources for senior citizens because the city would be shifting the resources from older citizens, who have put forth so much effort into working their entire lives, to people who have done next to nothing for this country. In addition to this captivating evidence, “Several fires each year are started by illegal border crossers. These are either rescue fires as they get into trouble, or warming or cooking fires that have been left unattended or otherwise escape” (“The Impacts of Illegal Immigration on Public Lands”). This further compelling evidence proves that illegal immigration affects not only the people in the city but also the nature and wildlife around the city by starting several fires. Forest fires are a major concern because a small burning ember could turn into numerous square miles of forest being burned, a catastrophe that takes many years to recover from. Ruining the parks and other wooded areas that are paid for with the citizens' tax money is something that doesn’t seem fair or justifiable. Both of these riveting pieces of evidence show why America should enforce the border and have control over illegal immigration. 

However, some may believe that the border should not be enforced because these immigrants are real people who are trying to live the “American Dream” and start businesses, raise a family, go to school, and become a permanent part of society. This perspective fails to acknowledge the fact that the citizens of the United States are also people who are trying to accomplish the items listed above. Other countries' problems being forced onto the American people is, without a doubt, a problem that America shouldn’t be responsible for and one America shouldn’t feel obligated to address every time a country looks towards us. For that reason, the Mexico border should and must be enforced by the United States. 

To end, the United States should apply force and maintain control at the Mexico border. Immigrants are not only causing many problems to the people in the cities crowded with immigrants, but they are also bringing the city down as a whole and affecting the nature around and within the city. These individuals are taking some of the problems with their society and slowly implementing them into the American society. Taking immediate action to enforce the border, providing the necessary resources, and supporting the legal citizens are all actions the United States must take to gain back control.