For decades, a debate has raged in the U.S. over what to do about the nearly 11 million immigrants in the U.S. who are undocumented. That means they are living in the U.S. without official permission from the U.S. government. Many of them entered the country by crossing the border with Mexico.
Many undocumented immigrants came here to find jobs or to escape violence in their homelands. Some Americans say that most of those immigrants should be allowed to stay because they have a right to seek a better life.
Others point out that many undocumented immigrants arrived in the U.S. as kids and have grown up here. They say it would be cruel to deport them. Many Americans support the idea of offering a path to citizenship to undocumented immigrants who haven’t committed crimes.
But others think that all undocumented immigrants should be sent back to their original countries. They say letting those immigrants stay isn’t fair to all the people who want to enter the U.S. legally. They argue that undocumented immigrants broke the law and shouldn’t receive health care, education, or other services provided by the government.
In the past decade, the U.S. has deported an average of more than 300,000 undocumented immigrants per year, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. But many more continue to arrive. How the U.S. deals with undocumented immigrants is sure to be a big debate for years to come.