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Perdomo, Stephanie
Ms.Batty
Puente English 28
11/21/16
#StillWithHer:
An Argumentative Essay on why the United States of America Voted for the Wrong President
The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of
good government. - Thomas Jefferson
For centuries, the United States has prided itself on its notion of for the people by the
people, in the case of the 2016 election, the people had the chance to make incredible history
for the third presidential term in a row. Clinton's immigration reform policies were efficient
because she acknowledged the way in which we were handling immigration in the United States
was not cost efficient and simply was not efficient because we were treating innocent people like
criminals instead of welcoming them into the country. Her policies were also the most humane
because of how she states we should treat immigrants- like innocent people looking for a better
life rather than criminals looking to terrorize a country, her policies were progressive because
they are not looking to take anything away from the people but rather add something to the way
the United States welcomes immigrants. Hillary Clinton should have been elected the 45th
president of the United States because her immigration reform policies were the most efficient,
the most humane and the most progressive
Hillary Clinton believes in promoting immigrant integration because it will allow a mass
amount of immigrants to better assimilate to American society. This would have been possible
through more adult ESL opportunities becoming more available and accessible to immigrants.
We should not have such a series of barriers. I am running this campaign to knock down
all the barriers that stand in the way of people getting ahead and staying ahead, and I want to do
that when it comes to naturalization. I will work to expand fee waivers so that those seeking
naturalization can get a break on the costs. I will step up our outward outreach and education, so
more people know their options. (Clinton).

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She would have promoted fee waivers that offer help to the poorer immigrants seeking
naturalization and citizenship but cannot afford to become legal citizens.We also know that
integration begins at the local level. I will provide 15 million dollars in competitive grants to
fund efforts like the community navigators, who help guide immigrants through this system and
enroll in DACA and DAPA and more. (Clinton). This would have been so useful for the greater
majority of immigrants who wish to become citizens, however under president-elect Trumps
America, who knows how those who arent rich and white will survive. This can be connected to
author Sonia Nazarios novel Enriques Journey because if illegal immigrants were all granted
the opportunity to safely and easily become citizens it would reduce the risk of them being sent
to prison unjustly. When immigrants get sent to prison they are not given the opportunity to get
GED classes or other government help that will ultimately allow them to become regular citizens
County inmates are offered GED classes and Alcoholics Anonymous sessions. Immigrants are
not. A cart arrives but Enrique sees only books in English, Russian, and French. (Nazario, 260).
When the protagonist Enrique is imprisoned, he is not offered such help simply because he was
an immigrant. Under a Clinton administration, she would have ensured that any and all people
detained in a prison or detention center were allowed the access to resources such as GED
material and other help.
Hillary Clinton argued that we should use our government resources to help the
immigrants seeking asylum and only incarcerate those who pose a real and dangerous threat to
the safety of the public.This would have helped the overall treatment that immigrants are given
because they will be less likely to be unjustly incarcerated and thus will not be villainized in
society. In changing the way society views immigrants it will help them get jobs they otherwise
werent able to because they simply werent given the time, as well as allowing them to have a

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better sense of morale because people are finally treating them like regular people rather than a
person unwelcome in the United States.
...for me, this is far more than an economic issuethis is a family issue. I want to put
an end to families being torn apart or hardworking, law-abiding parents having to prepare their
kids for the day mom or dad might be taken away. Thats why I still passionately support
comprehensive immigration reform legislation with a path to full and equal citizenship.If you
work hard, if you love this country, if you contribute to it, and want nothing more than to build a
good future for yourselves and your children, we should give you a way to come forward and
become a citizen. And you know what? The majority of Americans agree. (Clinton).
Hillary had a plan to end family detention centers and close private immigration
detention centers.This is important because under the private immigration detention centers those
running it are allowed to do nearly anything they want because they are not being regulated.
Under federal watch, the prisons are a little regulated, albeit not completely just and fair, but at
least regulated. Private detention centers are the perfect safe zone for people who want to take
advantage of immigrants and abuse them in any way they see fit. Hillary was the more humane
choice in candidate because she acknowledged that the private detention centers are inhumane
and are more likely to mistreat their prisoners. The mistreatment of immigrants is graphically
illustrated in Sonia Nazarios novel Enriques Journey because when Enrique was thrown in jail
and the prison was overcrowded and not given enough resources. Because the prison was a
detention center they were not allotted the same rights that prisoners in federal correction centers
are given. The US government was arresting immigrants for any reason they could, just to keep
them in detention centers rather than out in the country where they were depleting resources
and bringing crime- as president-elect Trump would say.
In 2008, the federal government began rolling out a program every police department in
the country had to implement by 2013: if someone is arrested for any reason, their fingerprints
must be sent to federal immigration authorities, who will deport people who are in the United
States illegally. As the federal program was adopted by thousands of police departments,
deportations increased 40 percent between 2006 and 2011, a year when the United States
deported more than 400,000 immigrants nationwide. During those same five years, Florida

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nearly doubled the number of undocumented immigrants it had in its jails any given night.
(Nazario, 259).
Hillary Clintons immigration reform policies were the more progressive option in
comparison to her opponent Donald Trumps. Clinton stated that within her first 100 days of her
presidency she was aiming to introduce a comprehensive immigration reform. In introducing
more comprehensive reform policies, Hillary planned to fix the visa backlog as well as bring
millions of hardworking immigrants into the formal economy of the United States.Revisiting the
visa backlog is important because it is making sure that the people who have filed for a visa are
granted one and are not being kept from being with their families for any longer than need be.
Now I know, of course, were not only a nation of immigrants; were a nation of laws
too. And we do have to enforce our laws, but we should do it in a humane, targeted, and effective
ways. I agree with President Obama, we dont have endless resources, so we need to use them
wisely. That means prioritize whom to deport: dangerous criminals, yes; DREAMers and their
families, no. (Clinton).
Hillary argued that families, regardless of their immigration status, should be given the
opportunity to buy into affordable health care. This is so incredibly important because it is a
progressive step forward because we are acknowledging immigrants as people and allowing
everyone in the United States to have affordable health care, thus validating their lives because
preventative care is just as important as aftercare. In so many instances immigrants will not go to
a doctor until they absolutely have to, unfortunately many times it is too late.
I believe in an America where everyone is treated with dignity, no matter who you are
or where you come from. And where undocumented children who have been here their whole
lives and feel like Americans and are treated like Americans. And where families are not ripped
apart, but are treated humanely and respectfully. I believe in an America that is strong, secure,
and true to our values. (Clinton)
The United States of America has quickly become the country of mockery around the
world. It is shocking that the president of the most powerful country in the world is a bigot, a
homophobe, a racist, a xenophobe, and the list goes on. Unfortunately this is our reality and we
must come to terms with how we are going to proceed to the next four years. However, we do

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not have to go through this in silence. Now more than ever it is important to stand united and
build a community to be there for those who cannot stand up for themselves and use whatever
privilege we have to fight for those who cannot. In lieu of our new presidency, we are faced with
the opportunity to prove to ourselves and our country just how united we stand and create a
revolution in whatever way we see fit; peaceful protesting, political satirical art, boycotting, etc.
Hillary Rodham Clinton should have been the 45th president of the United States of America
because her policies were more progressive, humane, and efficient.

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Works Cited
"Hillary Clinton on Immigration Reform." Immigration Reform. N.p., n.d. Web.
31 Oct. 2016.
Valverde, Miriam. "Compare the Candidates: Clinton vs. Trump on
Immigration." PolitiFact. Tampa Bay Times, 15 July 2016. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.