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.
Claim;
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.
Response: This and other claims were not been back by any substantiating references.
Conclusion: Most likely propaganda, pamphleteering, fear mongering the usual right-wing ‘Klan-like’ antics.
Claim:
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.
Response: Any critical minded person know that sample size of 1 has no prognosticating value.
Conclusion: Red herring.
Using logic and not knee-jerk emotional pap it is clear that the cause of ‘worker migration’ is function of ‘supply and demand’ in the job market. And with respect to the ‘supply side’ the hiring of migrants are profitable for the ‘U.S. business industry’ as a whole.
I suggest that the editor of this magazine monitor more closely any pamphleteering from obviously racist hate groups.
Thanks
I agree. Being on the receiving end of American migrants in what they like to refer to as ‘The Islands’ (i.e., the Caribbean), it doesn’t seem fair that we as souvereign black nations end up with these awful, mean-spirited, a-historically-minded right-wing loudmouths who happen to have the money to ‘escape’ Obama’s US of A. Just because you slap a black or hispanic bartender on the shoulder in a bar in ‘The Islands’ doesn’t make you a decent guy, you know.
Elroy,
Why are you are so quick to say ‘racist’ and ‘klan’ to anyone who disagrees with you. You are coming off as typical of the ethno-centric groups that would make us all feel that we should simply lie down and allow anyone from Mexico or Latin/Central America come in as they will and do what they want.
Fact: MS-13 is spreading like wild-fire in the USA; a result of illegal immigration that is out of control.
Fact: Search the internet and easily find case after case of illegal immigrants that have committed violent and serious crimes against US citizens.
Fact: It is sadly becoming evident that this IS a race centered issue, with several groups of Hispanics, even many those residing legally here, backing/supporting illegal immigrants because they, deep down inside, DO want to see America become a primarily Spanish speaking country. Many of these groups have websites that proudly proclaim this on their homepages. They see this as the “reconquest” of an America stolen from them, even though the US DID in fact purchase the lands specifically in question from Mexico through the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo back in the mid-19th century.
Fact: Many Hispanic groups are the first to cry ‘racist’ when in fact, often it would seem that they are the racists. This leads many Americans to suspect that they are under attack by them and that they want to see white America become the minority. Are you one of these so-called “reverse racists”? Are you someone who secretly would LOVE to see America “go Latin”? No accusations here, but don’t you realize that your speech could make many Americans wonder exactly that? Many Hispanics behave exactly as such and then wonder why Americans are uncomfortable.
Many Americans formed the impression that Latinos/Hispanics behave as if they have no loyalty to our country and refuse to accept our melting pot tradition. A large number of the new Hispanic/Latino immigrants refuse to assimilate, want special privileges, and cry and whine ‘racist’ at anyone else who calls them on their game. Add to that a largely silent naturalized or native-born Hispanic population that either says nothing, or, supports the illegals disrespecting and using our country for their personal gain. If you don’t think assimilation is a problem, just go to south Florida where entire communities have sprung up in which the average American could feel like a foreigner in his own country. I experienced this first hand at a Spanish bakery recently. I am not fluent in Spanish and was having difficulty ordering something special. The shop keeper could not speak English, nor could the other five people who were waiting in line (and getting VERY impatient with me) behind me. No one wanted to help me. First off, I should not have had to speak Spanish, but tried to do so anyway out of politeness. Secondly the arrogance of the shop employees and customers was appalling. Many of these were older people and appeared very well-to-do. Why couldn’t any of them speak English? This is becoming a real wide-spread problem in this country and could eventually cause a big division of Americans in our country.
Case in point about the ‘racist’ label: Lou Dobbs on CNN who has repeatedly said that he has no problem with immigrants, so long as they follow the rules of coming here. Yet, every Hispanic ethnocentric group out there from La Raza on down has labeled him as a hater, simply for having the courage to demand people respect the laws of our country. Political correctness has run amok in America and this is but another example thereof.
Fact: Let me try sneaking into Mexico to live and work illegally. Do you know what would happen to me? I’d be tossed out on my ear quickly, with not a second thought to me feelings or cries of ‘racist’. Oh, and by the way, you can bet that if I managed to stay on in Mexico or other country in central or Latin America (Well, except for Belize) illegally or otherwise, that I would NOT be given any special privileges such as forms written in English, driver’s license tests in English, educational benefits, health care benefits, or anything else. I would be treated as just another foreigner expected to learn Spanish, adapt to the culture, contribute to society, or get the heck out.
Based on the fact that you guys are the ones getting all the press as far as all the groups that come here illegally (they also come from Russia, Europe, and everywhere else), Hispanics would appear to the average American as the biggest, self-centered cry-babies yet that think they are special and deserve to be treated specially. Whether this is true or not, this is the image that most Americans are receiving.
As for Obama, I doubt he will get a second term, and Independents and Libertarians are starting to gain popularity in this country. These folks are people who think is its time we started to follow the Constitution and the laws we have had on the books for years (and haven’t been observing).
Yes, some of this is the fault of political and corporate deals that have taken advantage of people from poorer countries. That also needs to be addressed because it is against the law and morally wrong. Those participating in such things should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. However, corporations and politicians cannot be blamed for everything because there is also a large percentage of Mexicans coming in for the sole purpose of building crime networks in our country.
Do I have a problem with Latinos/Hispanics? No, I do not, so please spare me the ‘racist’ label, okay? I grew up with Mexican and Latin American neighbors as a child and their children were my friends and schoolmates. I learned a little Spanish because they spoke it to one another in the home and I thought it was great to have such a wonderful and living resource to learn a second language. However, when they left the home, they spoke English because they felt that was the right thing to do. They loved this great country and wanted to give something back. No, I do not have one, single problem with Hispanics/Latinos, so long as they follow the same rules as everyone else and are willing to not appear as if they are trying to hijack our country, but rather be willing to become part of the melting pot that is America. But above that even–do it LEGALLY.
Claim: Using logic and not knee-jerk emotional pap it is clear that the cause of ‘worker migration’ is function of ’supply and demand’ in the job market. And with respect to the ’supply side’ the hiring of migrants are profitable for the ‘U.S. business industry’ as a whole.
Response: This and other claims were not backed by any substantiating references.
Conclusion: Most likely propaganda, pamphleteering, fear mongering the usual left-wing ‘Klan-like’ antics.
I suggest that the editor of this magazine monitor more closely any commentingfrom obviously racist hate groups.
“…Illegals have contributed to state bankruptcies”? Facts and figures, please. Seems from the reading I’d done it was corporate greed that sank the American economy. Predatory lending, anyone? This character demonizes people he doesn’t even know; to charactize all illegal residents as being highly likely to commit numerous crimes is absolutely preposterous, not to mention that nothing in this article is backed by references of any kind. Sad drivel.
well played Mr arx well played i love the fact you set off so many pf these bigots with out even taking a side. Just the facts, nothing but the facts.
However the term illegal in itself is criminalizing and is used out of sheer ignorance.
the correct term is undocumented.
I doubt most of these will see past their racism and zealous atitudes to notice that.
but other than that, kudos.!