With the dangers forced upon Americans, and the economic burden to the United States citizens, illegal immigrants hurt America. There are nearly twelve million illegal immigrants residing in America today and more than eight thousand entering daily, causing the population to increase at an alarming rate. The influx of illegal immigrants depresses wages and increases antagonism for low-skilled jobs. Steven A. Camarota states, “In 2006, the immigrant, or foreign-born population, reached about 38 million in the United States” (Camarota Immigration Is Hurting the U.S. Workers). Illegal immigrants cause Government provided free social services to be unlawfully used, burdening lawful taxpayers, and crime rates increased, endangering Americans. The Federation for American Immigration Reform states, “The costs of illegal immigration to the [U.S.] taxpayer are numerous, nut the largest costs are education of their children, emergency medical care and incarceration for those arrested for crimes” (Miller 27). Illegal immigrants cause detriment to the United States by taking advantage of social services and taxpayers’, and for that reason, illegal immigrants should be deported to their homeland and border security and laws should improve.
Illegal immigration is injurious to America’s economy, bankrupting the economy and costing billions in social services and school funds. In 2002, illegal aliens had cost the federal government over twenty-six billion dollars, while the federal government received only sixteen billion dollars in federal taxes themselves, producing a nearly ten-and-a-half billion dollar economic deficiency for the federal government. This shortage included money for food-assistance, Medicaid, federal prison, court systems, fre...
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... 2008. Print.
"Mexico-US Border: Effects of Illegal Immigration on the U.S." Ourgrations: Student Responses to Global Migrations. Ourgrations, 2006. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. .
Miller, Debra A. Immigration. Farmington Hills, Michigan: Greenhaven, 2007. Print.
Miller, Debra A. Illegal Immigration. San Diego, California: Reference Point, 2007. Print.
Sharpira, Michael. "Illegal Immigration: A Rising and Dangerous Tide." Washinton Times Communties [Washington] 2 Apr. 2013: n. pag. Washington Times Communites. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. .
"What Are the Solutions to Illegal Immigration in America?" ProCon.org Headlines. N.p., 13 Feb. 2014. Web. 2 Mar. 2014. .
The United States of America has the largest foreign-born population in the world. With nearly thirteen percent of the total population being foreign-born, one may find it hard to imagine an immigrant-free country (U.S. Bureau of the Census). Immigration has been an integral part of the United States’ overall success and the country’s economy since it was established and without it, would have never been founded at all. Although there are some negative issues associated with immigration and many native-born Americans believe to be more of a problem than a solution, overall it actually has a positive effect. Immigrants in America, among other things, fill jobs where native-born Americans may not want to work or cannot work, they contribute to Social Services and Medicaid through taxes and they help provide the backbone of America, especially by working jobs that natives may have not even considered.
History has proven that prosperity follows immigrants. Economist showed that the economic boom of the 1950s-60s was led by immigration, and the depression of the 1930s began after they enforced the Immigration Act of 1924. The Immigration Act of 1924 is a federal law in the United States that limited the annual number of immigrants who could be admitted from any country to two percent of the number of people from that country who were already living in the United States. Illegal immigrants usually work in low paying jobs that most Americans refuse to do themselves. According to (Stewart 10), whenever there was a shortage of farm workers, the INS border patrol pretended that they didn’t see the Mexican workers crossing the border. They contribute more money to the government than what they receive in benefits; therefore, they cannot be seen as social burden. According to (Szumski 14), the Orange County Task Force found that illegal immigrants pay $83 million taxes each year and they receive medical services costing only $2.7 million per year. So, they only receive few benefits and many immigrants are drained from hope of better jobs, not by benefit programs from the United States. The limitations of immigration policies are dramatic and far-reaching. Many Americans fear open border polices because of all the stereotypes about illegal immigrants. The motivation and positive aspects of illegal immigrants has become essential to this country. While illegal Immigrants work in fields, clean houses, wash dishes, and labor in sweatshops, millions of Americans would rather sit and ask for money or wait for welfare checks rather than search for a job. According to (Lee 8), approximately 700,000 immigrants are legally accepted to the United States each year. After this small limit is reached, all the others are turned away or cross
"Immigration Policy." Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 8 Apr. 2013. Web. 27 Mar. 2014. .
In the U. S today, the approximated population of undocumented immigrants stands at averagely 11 million. Therefore, this has created a hot debate in Congress about the action to take over the undocumented immigrants. Those opposed to illegal immigrants suggest that, their stay in the United States effects U.S citizens on the job market negatively . In addition, illegal immigrants are viewed in certain quarters as takers in the sense that illegal immigrants benefit more from public resources than the american-born citizens of the U.S. However, the reality is that immigrants contribute positively to the U.S economy and pay significantly into the system compared to what they send back home. In addition, the contributions associated with undocumented immigrants involve sustaining the solvency of the SSTF (Social Security Trust Fund). In this sense, the use of cost benefit analysis by those supporting immigration restrictions are unfounded and do not reflect the facts on the ground (Nadadur 1037). The opponents of undocumented immigrants believe that having more undocumented immigrants in the U.S is costly; however, there are no solid reasons to prove that undocumented immigrants are a burden to the treasury. Instead, the undocumented immigrants play an important role in boosting the economy and in particular by taking up jobs those citizens perceive as demeaning because the money they earn goes back to the economy through taxes resulting from consumer spending when they send money back home.
Immigration is a prevalent issue in the United States and must be addressed in order to open more jobs for Americans and stop illegal immigrants from entering. In 2008 there were roughly 11.9 million immigrants living the in the United States. President Obama said that immigration reform would be a priority in his 1st year in office. Immigrants are currently held in prisons and jail cells and the government wants to make it more civil. They are living in substandard conditions and often mistreated. Immigration need to be kept under control and have constant upgrades in security. Foreigners’ can complement our workforce, but now they are taking American jobs and lower pays.
Marcovitz, Hal. How Should America Respond to Illegal Immigration? San Diego: Reference Point, 2012. Print.
Dougherty, Jon E. 2004 “Illegal: The Imminent Threat Posed by Our Unsecured U.S.-Mexico Border” Publisher: Thomas Nelson.
Illegal immigrants in the United States (US) have long been a topic of debate for policymakers and the public. The rationale about them is that they do not pay taxes; they add to the costs of taxpayers and use up funds in resources meant for assisting citizens and legal immigrants (the legal citizens). Therefore, they are perceived as a threat to the US economy. The true impacts of illegal immigrants on the US economy are discussed by debating over the economic benefits as well as economic costs of these immigrants. The negative impacts, discussed first, presented the decreases in low skilled jobs’ wage rates for legal immigrants and citizens instigated by illegal immigrants, the social services such as educations and healthcare that they utilize and add to taxpayers. Then contrary to the negative impacts, the positive impacts reveal benefits of low production costs, increases in the local market sales, undocumented tax generation, impact on growth and employment brought forth by illegal immigrants. These impacts, both negative and positive, are independently analyzed and weighed against each other. The discussion does show a slight net positive impact on the US economy in contrast to the normal belief about illegal immigrants.
The issue of undocumented immigrants has been a huge debate in the 2016 Presidential Debate. The increase in undocumented immigrants to the US has Americans scared that the increase is more like an invasion, but there are so many other reasons on why it is better to keep our undocumented immigrant population than deport them. The fact they better our economy, by taking low end jobs, or increasing our GDP per capita by 4% is a great place to start(). Most Americans say that deporting the undocumented immigrants is in America’s best interest, but in reality, the undocumented immigrants help America and even Americans themselves.
Thompson, Art. “Illegal Immigration Hurts the Economy.” Opposing Viewpoints: Immigration. Eds. David M. Haugen, Susan Musser and Kacy Lovelace. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2009. 30-35. Print.
Immigration is the process of entry of individuals into a new country (23). Throughout past centuries, immigration has been a means of discovery and exploration of new lands. In today’s culture, immigration to the United States is an avenue for individuals who wish to start new lives and take advantage of the capitalistic, entrepreneurial system. People from many countries have migrated into the United States. Most recently, the migrants have come from Central and South American countries. These Latin American countries influence America’s society culturally and economically through their language, traditions, and workforce. From the 1990s to the present time, immigration from Latin American countries has more than doubled. Mexico is one of the leading providers of immigrants to the United States. According to the United States Census Bureau, 16.3 percent of our nation’s population consists primarily of people with Hispanic or Latino background (4) (This percentage does not include illegal immigrants). By understanding the background and development of immigration, the effects of immigration on the economy and culture, as well as, the different perspectives of Americans on immigration, one can begin to grasp the overall significance that Latin American immigration is having on America’s infrastructure.
The United States of America, being a country founded by immigrants, is known all over the world as the land of great opportunities. People from all walks of life travelled across the globe, taking a chance to find a better life for them and their family. Over the years, the population of immigrants has grown immensely, resulting in the currently controversial issue of illegal immigration. Illegal immigrants are the people who have overstayed the time granted on their US, visa or those who have broken the federal law by crossing the border illegally. Matt O’Brien stated in his article “The government thinks that 10.8 million illegal immigrants lived in the country in January 2009, down from a peak of nearly 12 million in 2007.”(Para, 2) While some argue that illegal immigrants burden the United States of America and its economy, others believe that they have become essential and are an important part of the US, economy.
The current effects of immigration throughout the United States has had a negative impact on its economy. Whether foreigners are legal permanent immigrants or illegal occupants, nations must diligently keep track of all individuals. This is a brief analysis on how immigrants impact the U.S and strategies to minimize their effects on this nation. In addition, the U.S must implement and monitor plans of action to lessen unemployment of citizens and reduce the excessive use of benefits and resources by immigrants.
The first major concern regarding the borders for the United States is illegal immigration. In January of 2000, the INS estimated that there were 7 million illegal immigrants in the United States with the number growing by about 500,000 a year. Under the Bush Administration, funding has increased along main entry points, displacing illegal immigrants points of entry into the country. Yet the increase has displaced immigration to rural immigration points, causing many every year to die from starvation and heat stroke. Despite the harsh conditions, immigration has grown rather th...
Anderson, Oliver C: Illegal Immigration: Causes, Methods, and Effects. New York: Nova Science Publishers. 2010. EBook. , Database: eBook Collection (EBSCOhost).