The Impact of Illegal Immigration on the US
By EFAM Subscriber / Nov 09 • Categorized as Living Overseas •
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Caution – Immigrants Crossing
Without a doubt illegal immigration is one of the biggest problems the US has faced in recent history. Until just a few years ago virtually nothing had been done about the millions of people coming over the border from Mexico. Once on US soil phony I.D.’s and jobs were easy to come by. The government was well aware of it and did nothing for decades. Why? – Cheap fruit? Loyal janitors? Surely the past governments could see a problem brewing. Obviously they missed that one. Now the problem is so big and out of control that no one really has a good solution.
Illegal immigration has contributed substantially to the bankruptcy of several states with heavy illegal populations. The baffling thing about the situation is the selective law enforcement. In many situations when a person who has no proper ID and is stopped for a minor infraction and is obviously from a foreign country (cannot speak English) they are let go after being briefly detained. Often they are arrested later for a more serious crime.
In San Francisco there was the case of the illegal immigrant who was arrested for a minor offense. He was released on bail and committed a triple murder that same day. Why wasn’t this person taken immediately to a detention facility and deported when he was initially arrested? The taxpayers paid for a trial and put him in jail for about the next 50 years at roughly $20K a year. By the way, San Francisco is a self designated ‘sanctuary’ city where illegal immigrants are not scrutinized, are free to operate as they wish and are even encouraged to migrate there.
On the other hand a born and raised US citizen is subject to being prosecuted to the full extent of the law for minor traffic offenses. Those who pay taxes, are educated, have insurance, and have never been in jail or even been convicted of a misdemeanor are not happy that they don’t get to select the laws they must obey. It is little wonder that many US citizens feel they only exist to contribute to the government’s tax coffers. It creates resentment when it is obvious that their tax dollars are supporting illegal people that shouldn’t be on US soil in the first place. When they voice opposition to this financing of illegal immigration they are labeled a racist, insensitive to the poor or mean spirited.
There are really no accurate figures on how many illegal people are in the US. You see numbers of anywhere from 12 to 35 million. To be objective and to not lump all illegal immigrants into one category it would be fair to say the vast majority are law abiding (except for being in the country illegally) and just want a better life.
They contribute to the economy by consuming goods and services. They wouldn’t come to the US if there weren’t jobs. Of course the big justification is that they do all of the jobs no one else will do. In a way it helps the employer who pays them low and doesn’t report them to the IRS. By employing illegal aliens the employer reduces his expenses like health care and unemployment insurance. The employer usually gets a dedicated person to do a menial job by someone who actually values it instead of resents it. But by dodging employment laws the employer becomes an outlaw also.
That has been true but what about now that the economy is down? Maybe a seasonal work program where the immigrants come to work and then return home would be a good idea. This would have to be based on trust that the illegal immigrant would return home out of season. That would be very difficult to enforce.
Perhaps the solution lies in a program where illegal immigrants who can prove they have been in the country a certain amount of time, have paid taxes, speak English and not committed crimes could become citizens. At the same time a crack down on the drug cartels and other illicit activity should be enforced. Stiffer penalties for employers who give work to illegal immigrants would halt a lot of them coming.
Then you have people like Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Arizona. You may know him as the hardnosed Sheriff who makes his incarcerated personnel know they are in jail not in a luxury hotel. They sleep in tents in the hot Arizona desert. When they complained he told them that US Marines sleep like this and they didn’t commit any crimes. His prisoners sued in federal court and won the right to have cable TV in jail. The sheriff responded by limiting it to the weather channel and Disney cartoons. He has aggressively gone after the flood of illegal visitors from Mexico. When his officers see what are obvious illegal immigrants he stops them and asks for ID. If they can’t produce it they are detained. If it is proven they are illegal they are sent back to their home country pronto.
Now the Obama Administration is attempting to curtail Sheriff Arpaio’s aggressive policies. The Obama staff has caved into political posturing and the same old, racial profiling argument of the ACLU. They use the Constitution when it’s convenient to allow the flood to continue. President Obama’s attorney general’s office has issued an order to the Sheriff to stop detaining people to check for citizenship. The Sheriff has cited States Rights. He refused the federal order and said that he will take them back to Mexico in his own car if he has to. This issue is currently in the courts. Hmmm, Obama says you can’t stop someone just inside the Arizona/Mexico border fence in the middle of a desert to investigate suspicious activity. However it’s ok to put up a road block and stop me to see if I’m drunk. Many see this as a political maneuver to gain favor with Hispanic voters.
Now, more than ever, the illegal immigration situation is in transition. Many illegals are returning to Mexico because of limited job prospects. Others are turning to crime and staying in the US. Now that jobs are scarce US citizens are eyeballing jobs that illegal Mexicans have. This is creating resentment and the cry of foul is getting louder. In these hard times the federal and state funds going to illegals are under more scrutiny. The fact that illegals have contributed to state bankruptcies and continue to receive welfare has some Americans outraged.
Something effective needs to be done to lessen the negative impact of illegal immigration and it needs to be done soon. What is being done now is too little too late.
Many Americans are fearful that the US is being ruined by lack of control of immigration and cite it as one of the major reasons they want to flee. Are you one of them or do you think immigration, legal or otherwise is beneficial to the American social structure and economy? Please let us have your comments.
the one thing I have found out about that concerns me regarding illegal aliens (illegals are NOT immigrants!
They are I-
LLEGAL ALIENS. Immigrants have been screened for deadly, contagious diseases, such as :
ebola, dengue fever, h.i.v., hepatitis a,b,c, tuberculosis, malaria, as well as for alcoholism and drug addiction. Illegals have NOT been so screened, and those having any of these diseases are NOT allowed to emigrate into the USA. not a one of the media, either radio, newspaper or television reporters make any distinction between illegal aliens and immigrants. The embassies and latino countries have influenced the use of ‘immigrant’ for all their people. Neither have any reporters told of the diceases coming back into the USA through illegals. Oh yes, I forgot to mention leprosy outbreaks in New York state, too. In Oklahoma, in the city of Guymon, the population is now 50% hispanic, and since 2004, the incidents of tuberculosis has risen 400%. For the new public health laws none of this was even mentioned, either. The recent incidents of e-coli on tomatoes and lettuce are an indication of illegals working in the fields, picking the produce. In Mexico, for inxtance, they put the toi;et paper in the trash. it cannot be flushed as their sewer systems cannot handle it. And in the fields. there may be porta-johns, but no hand-washing facilities.
For decades we in the USA have had a good record of cleanliness and elimination of most of these diseases. But, no longer. I personally suspect the recent outbreak of bacterial meningitis coming from illegal aliens – in Oolaga Oklahoma.
“Many Americans are fearful that the US is being ruined by lack of control of immigration and cite it as one of the major reasons they want to flee.”
First, let me say I’m really surprised to see this article on escapeartist! I thought the above quote was ridiculously funny. The US is being ruined by illegal immigrants?! In South Carolina the state spends nearly twice as much on housing convicts as it does on a child’s education! How’s that for priorities? While Chinese are sending their kids to class 6 or 7 days a week (if they can afford it) the US is actually cutting education and reducing our school week from 5 to 4 days a week. Those lousy immigrants!
Thinking logically, who exactly wants to “flee”? More often than not, it’s not Average Joe making $10 an hour that thinks about moving abroad. Much more likely though is people receiving a fixed income (SSI, etc.) or younger professionals. Yes, I said PROFESSIONALS. I’m outside the norm – make minimum wage stateside, $20-30/per hour overseas.
When is the last time you saw an illegal immigrant managing a store? How about an illegal doctor, lawyer, salesman, teacher, cop, etc? Those jobs actually pay a decent wage. Illegals tend to work in restaurants, lawn care, farms, or construction; ie hard jobs that pay crap. If America wants to get tough on immigration why not start with the AMERICANS that employ illegals. Harsher penalties and public boycotting of offenders would be much more effective than patrolling our border.
At the end of the day, illegal immigrants don’t STEAL our jobs, they are GIVEN them.
I’d just like to point out that my state, Arizona, has been asking the Federal government for help with immigration problems since 1907. Arizona only became a state in 1912. So, for more than 100 years, Arizona has been consistently ignored by Washington, whose responsibility it is to make sure our national borders are secure. Now that Arizona has finally done something, everybody gets mad. I’d say 100+ years is enough time to act, and that Arizona should have passed this law a long time ago.
OK. So people crossing an arbitrary line in the dirt all of a sudden makes them bad people? There’s no way that a few million more people in an area as big as North America is detrimental. It’s going to bring more money in. The only reason there may be a decrease in money is welfare. End welfare today, everyone is richer tomorrow. That also means anything that people are forced to pay for needs to end. If people really need those products and services then they can and will be provided by private enterprise. Private businesses are good. Who doesn’t need private business. I’ll tell you who. People who build there own house with there bare hands, who also made their own tools and machinery. People who grow their own food. People who build their own cars that run on resources that they grew. People who build and repair their own refrigerator and Air Conditioning.
More people means more money exchanging hands. Anyone immigrates here just looking to improve there lot in life through peaceful means and means you no harm is a poor excuse for making them an enemy. The minority of immigrants that commit crimes should not hurt the victim twice by paying to put the perp in a cage. The Perp should be made to pay restitution. If you want to know who is responsible for crashing a global economy, look no further than those that would force you to pay for a service whether you want it or not, whether you get a good service or crappy one. It’s easy to find the culprit when one follows the money.
I’m not sure how pointing out the fact that there are large numbers of people in the country in violation of the law who are, for the most part, underemployed, uninsured, and operating in the cash economy (no taxes paid) – qualifies as “bashing.” Ad hominem attacks on people pointing out such facts do not serving to strengthen your viewpoint.
“If you look at the ACTUAL economic statistics, the average American benefits from illegal immigrants much more than they are dragged down by them.”
And you want to tell us that the author is misinformed? Pot, meet Kettle. I invite you to provide those statics, along with the acompanying analyses and sourcing. While I don’t doubt that the argument has been made, I have no doubt that a closer look will be revealing.
Gee Mr. ARX you seem very angry. You attack the messenger but don’t offer anything other than an angry rant. The author is merely stating the obvious. You actually think that illegal immigration had nothing to do with California’s financial woes?? What s**t is made up in the article? You say this article is bigoted? How? I don’t have a problem with immigrants, my grandmother came through Ellis Island. She did it LEGALLY. The problem I have with left winger, Moveon.org, Daily Kos bleeding heartslike you is that you ignore the fact that the people causing the problem are ILLEGAL. What don’t you understand about ILLEGAL. You play the race card when you are wrong because you are incapable of making an intelligent rational response.