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.
Excellent article. My grandfather tried his very best to assimilate as an American when he arrived, even to changing his last name. Of course, from hard to pronounce Greek that was probably necessary. It would probably be possible to solve the illegal problem with a partial return to the past. In the 50’s as I recall you could hire Mexicans for primarily agricultural labor. The US Immigration Service actually had offices in Mexico and did the hiring. Wages, etc went through them. That could be combined today with the way the federal government lets contracts on federal reservations, in that they require you pay prevailing wages for the area. Just add 10 per cent above prevailing wage to stop cheating. In leiu of social security withholding here, pay it into the workers home country program. Those who truly wish to join us and not just come here for a job, could apply legally.
I too enjoyed the article and Steve Parker’s comments. When I think of my mother’s grandfather who legally immigrated from Germany, he never learned much English. He was a cowboy and the cows didn’t care what language he spoke was the argument he made. But his grandchildren and great grandchildren spoke no German, so he missed out on a lot. I used to live near the Mexican border and in a nearby border town the election poll workers were barred by a court order from challenging the identity of those who arrived to vote. They frequently had more people arrive to vote than were on the local voter roles, of course several dozen with the same name and address voting but they could do nothing. Interesting how a predominantly republican county turned out so many more democrat votes in precincts than there were voters on the roles. The lines of people crossing into the US to vote and then return to Mexico were almost as disgusting as the lines of school children crossing to go to American schools because they really live with aunt Martha in the US. How can political-correctness be so correct when it is so clearly wrong?
I’m not for the open border policy we seem to have in this country, but I’m also not for articles filled with truisms and middle aged anger at a world passing you by. What I hear in this article is a Glenn Beck wannabe who can’t quite find a voice, or a reference, for his statements.
Here is the ugly truth about illegal immigration that you can’t seem to understand, but everyone in Washington does: a goods and services based society, such as ourselves, RELIES ON SLAVE LABOR. Its the sad truth
Zara,
Let me get this right. You think that people who at great risk and expense come illegally to the US of their own free will and illegally obtain jobs that they get paid for are SLAVES. Thats laughable at best. You must be kidding. Please look up the word SLAVE in the dictionary before you use it again.
Try thinking a liitle broader and finding why compassion is the only rule that allows humanity to survive in the Universe. Just taking a stand that something is ‘illegal’ without taking the time to conscientiously EXAMINE the foundation that gave rise the the proclamation , is blind and often ignorant followship. How does an arbitrary line, drawn in the sand by individuals who self proclaim that they hold the ultimate power to decide for others, become a foundation for ‘law’ when any FREE HUMAN BEING on the planet EARTH decides to exercise his absolutely inalienable RIGHT to go freely about the world simply crosses over it? The way it does so is by the firm and absolute establishment of ARROGANCE and the threats of FORCE and HARM that come from a few select people ASSUMING they are SUPERIOR to others. Personal Sovereignity dictates, and rightly so, that each and every FREE HUMAN BEING is equal in status to every other. No one is above another,as is no one below. No sovereign being ‘rules’ another, nor are they in turn ‘ruled’ by anyone else. In turn this sets the principle of INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS in stone. Were this principle adhered to, and not overturned at the very basic level, such as arrogantly proclaiming that crossing an abritrary line in the sand is a ‘crime’ and thus people doing so are now ‘illegal’, then a plethora of problems that currently exist would melt away into nothingness and the sincere but caustic comments that are rampant on these boards (stemming from all sides), would not be necessary and no harm would come from them. Until objective assesments of law are the rule rather than the exception, and law is thoroughly and completey examined and reviewed for any and all consequence; only argument and bitterness will be the continual result , as is in evidence , in full, on these boards. It is time to replace all that with a firm embrace of compassion, the true ruler of the Universe.
Suzanne, please see my comment above to Bob. I don’t know which of you is worse!!! You must be one of the “Free Spirits” that believe in no borders, no governments, no flags, following John Lennon’s ideas of “Imagine”. Well, imagine this. At the rate they are crossing the border and having 4,5, or 6 children, the American way of life as “The Greatest Generation” knew it, will cease to exist. The US will become one giant welfare state.
Wow. Your all caps are impressive. And then it occurred to me that there is no “absolute inalienable RIGHT to go freely about the world.”
But thank you nonetheless. Your new age enlightenment was refreshing. Particularly your notion that if all people were free to immigrate to the US at will, “then a plethora of problems that currently exist would melt away into nothingness.”
You must be an economist!
I whole heartedly agree with this article. As a teacher in Oregon, I see daily the negative impact of the current immigration policies. Our entire educational system is being destroyed. My brightest students are neglected because I have to devote so much time and attention to students whole refuse to learn english. The amount of money spent on ESL is criminal. Students born in this country, educated in bi-lingual classes since kindergarten cannot pass grade level english language tests. I have had students refuse to say, or even stand for the Pledge of Aligence. One young man even spat on the Flag and then cursed everything he could think of that this country stands for. As a 10 year old he is espousing the views heard at home. I wanted to kick his butt out of my class, all the way back to Mexico. What I had to do was smile and bite my tongue, for objecting means loosing my job. And the current administration wants to give legal status to these people. It leaves me very angry, especially because my family ( a same sex couple with a son) are denied legal status. I am not trying to divert this discussion from the original topic, just pointing out that there are a lot of other people who pay taxes, follow the laws and add to our communities that are being overlooked. Last point: Add 20+million, Hispanic, Roman Catholic voters and my rights will never be granted. So yea, I’m pi##ed! Thus the reason for trolling this site, looking for a country where a lesbian school teacher/church bell choir director, retired contractor/now stay at home mom and their 2 year old son can be good neighbors