The Impact of Illegal Immigration on the US
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 first thing to do about illegal immigration is to stop rewarding it, but that is the most difficult step of all. The remedy usually proposed is to demand proof of “US citizenship” of anybody seeking public services. It seems logical, but in fact it is as destructive of our liberties – you know, the ones all those guys died for in the 18th century – as any flood of militant Aztlan-seeking wetbacks. Liberty means first and foremost not having to carry Government-issued documents declaring us to be in our public servants’ good graces. Liberty means putting the burden of proving non-eligibility where it belongs – on the government.
The problem is those “public services,” which are themselves un-American. Jefferson didn’t compose the Declaration so that some indigent crackhead could get “free” medical care at the expense of his law-abiding, bill-paying congenerates. Take away “free” education (indoctrination), “free” medical care, subsidized living in general and the attraction won’t be there – at least not for social parasites and militants. A pleasant by-product of that is that we will have a much better country to live in, as well.
Sounds like its time to “Escape from America”, boys!
Apparently the way the American government is failing you is that you didn’t have a good history teacher either. 55% of Mexico (67% if you include Texas) was taken in the US-Mexican War of 1848.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_mexican_war
And before you whine about the condition of schools today, did you vote for the latest tax increase to help fund American schools?
no comments for this man’s intresting point???
just crickets…. : (
Interesting read, and I learned a few things, but it feels like the article got cut off at the 75% point.
It ends with a tone of “something must be done”, but doesn’t then have a section “here is what we could do” or “here are 3 ways this could be solved”.
Not that I’m saying it would be easy, but not saying anything at all is even lamer.
As a _legal_ foreign worker in this country who has to jump through many hoops to stay here including a recurring flight to a foreign embassy every few years to have a new visa, new fingerprints and all of that, I have a perspective on this that many of you won’t. Illegal Immigration in the US is one of several symptoms of how the US works: through corruption and mediocrity. The “optional” but actually mandatory tips you pay for people who are supposed to be paid to do a job is nothing short of bribery in my view, and no, I don’t buy any argument that they “deserve” it because they are paid low.
The truth is that illegal immigration will remain in the US for as long as the current culture lasts, and that will be the case until there is some major – really major – adjustment. I don’t believe this will happen within decades, if ever.
Want to eliminate it? Pay properly for the jobs that illegals go for, enough so locals treat it seriously. That feeling you have when you read this? That feeling of “but that would make my coffee cost $2 not 50c!” is the reason why it persists: because ultimately you care about your own financial bottom line and are willing to accept whatever price it takes (illegal immigrants).
Then, put a 12 month moratorium on employers, but say “in 12 months time, anyone found employing someone without a legal right to be here will be fined and possibly jailed”. That is the American way, right? You threaten that for me if I drive without a license, for goodness sake.
Then, and of course none of this will ever happen because the culture is ultimately toothless, create an image of “Illegalls not welcome”. Put anyone that can’t be proven to be legal in jail for 2 weeks and ship them back. Sound draconian? Sure, but it solves the problem. Word will get out and people will realize: it isn’t worrth it.
Now, so far this is all cleanup. What about buildup? Highly skilled workers are allowed in if we jump through enough hoops, so why not apply the same at the low skilled end? Create a formal, agile, highly optimized but legal pathway for Illegals to enter the US.I chuckle at the idea that the US govt could do anything agile, and _yes_, other governments _can_. This would not be citizenship, but would be a _legal_ right to work in the US, say for a period of 10 years. Candidates would be assessed on language, on attitude, on history. If no assessment can be made, no entry, period. Provide nicely written (in local language) guides on how to raise your family so that they’ll be able to take this program, e.g. how to get all the right records, get their language to the right level, etc. This will change the whole image and attitude of illegals. But it has to be done right at the government level (and hence will never happen).
Empower local governments (like the sheriff mentioned) to arrest illegals for the crime of entering the US illegally. Individuals should be put in a jail for 30 days (or so) and given full rights to reach out to ambassadors of their nation. If they can’t prove where they are from or are unwilling to do so, they have a choice of rotting in what will essentially be a concentration camp in a desert or, when they choose, being given a free ride home. This would apply to men, women and children.
Now, are you feeling concerned? You should be. I never said it was “right” or “just”, but I’m saying it would _work_.
I feel the truth is that the population of the US resents illegal immigrants but ultimately feels like this:”hey, I get cheaper goods, and I get to pretend that I’m allowing some poor person a chance at ‘a better life’, and realistically there is no way we could get rid of them without feeling worse (like creating camps in the desert), and I sure don’t want to look like that in front of my neighbors, and we’re not screwing ourselves, just our future generations, and so what, we’ve done that all our lives anyway, and anyway it isn’t my fault, its the politicians, so I can bitch about and reap the benefits forever – so just leave it as it is.”
And so it shall remain this way for a long, long time.
Think deeper, what good are lower prices if your job was taken by somebody who work perform the work for half the wage and an even lower quality? The result, we get lesser quality products, with less money to purchase them. Frustrating, yes? They’ve just got to go.
How can EFAM publish this — and anonymously? The craziness of the comments (or have I missed the irony underlying the reference to “the Marxists”?) should indicate that this piece has left the realm of rational discussion. Certainly one must appreciate the irony inherent in a publication devoted to helping Americans find cheap havens where they can live better publishing a piece opposing the people who come to the US seeking a better life.
I do not mean to dismiss any legitimate harm that someone has suffered (as in the accidents cited). However, I would point out that uninsured motorists are uniquely represented by immigrants. I know of a case in which a young woman nearly died after being struck by an underinsured motorist – and who ran out of both the motorists and her own insurance’s benefits to cover her medical costs.
For those who object to “illegal” immigration, I will pose a simple question: Why is it that capital should be free to cross national boundaries, but not labor? Are the free markets sauce for the capitalist goose, but not the laboring gander?
I post the question as a challenge to us all to reframe the issue – and to recognize that the objections to so-called “illegal” immigration (would not the term “illegalized migration” not be more honest?) suggest a double standard – and a clear desire to protect advantages of “non-immigrants.”
Again, how ironic that this piece on the problems of “illegal” immigrants in America be published in a magazine devoted to helping Americans capitalize on their advantages by taking their dollars and the (now eroding) advantages it has conferred and spend them in lower cost – and frequently unspoiled by the economic activity from which Americans have benefited – parts of the world.
You confuse FREE with UNMETERED. As a well-traveled foreign worker, I have never been allowed to enter a country and work without a sponsoring employer. Why should they not be required to do the same? There is absolutely ZERO advantage to having illegal aliens present in our country.