Illegal Immigration Reforms
Introductory Summary
The concerns about illegal immigrants stem from various aspects including fiscal effects of immigration, national security, the welfare of immigrants as well as the rule of law; just to mention but, a few. There are many emotional issues that surround the topic in relation to culture, politics and the economy. The issue has been very controversial because it has been hard to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of these illegal immigrants-at least what most people say. A closer look suggests that the immigration phenomena may work well for business people and the economy that relies on demand and supply forces. However, it impacts negatively on American citizens seeking jobs and also becomes a burden for tax payers. Despite the fact that the issue can be openly declared as controversial; nothing much has materialized in the form of changes in the federal laws of immigration. On the other hand, the problem continues to spin out of control because illegal immigration is always continuous and the illegal immigrant population is always on the rise the longer the illegal immigrants stay on American soil. Therefore, in view of the impacts that I shall mention below, I would suggest that there is a need for quick legal reforms to curb this problem.
The impact of immigrants in America (U.S)
A fiscal analysis by the Center of Immigration Studies simply shows the fact that by living in the U.S illegal immigrants impose a rise in the government expenditure that is paid for by the citizens. This is because these immigrants also enroll their children in American schools, use the roads and any other utilities that are government funded. The down-side is that more often than not they never pay for these services via the taxation system because of their state. Thus, whereas they live off the system they contribute less or nothing at all. This in turn, burdens the common American tax payer. Illegal immigrants negatively skew the law of demand and supply in the American capitalistic society. This is because illegal immigrants are willing to do jobs at a very low pay. Subsequently, Americans are unable to do similar jobs and cater for their daily lives because they are liable to taxation which immigrants evade. Thus, the raises in the minimum wage can be termed hypocritical if there are no federal reformed laws to curb illegal immigration of people willing to work at a lesser pay (“Center of Immigration Studies” n.pag). The resultant skew in the job market makes the low income earners to increase the load on the welfare system because most poor Americans opt to go into the system instead of working for the low pay in competition with the illegal immigrants. Therefore, there happens to be fewer working poor Americans in comparison to those under the welfare system (“Center of Immigration Studies” n.pag)… Considering, the fact that the welfare system is supported by government funds then it is right to conclude that the rise in expenditure is an indirect result of illegal immigration. Equally disadvantageous, is the fact that some illegal immigrants are paid off the books by unscrupulous business people for services rendered in order to evade taxation. As a result, these immigrants qualify for welfare which they really do not deserve. Economically, the American people do not benefit much from the service of aliens because almost all of their incomes are repatriated to their nations via wire money transfers. Therefore, their incomes do not create any additional jobs in America or expand the market potential.
This is a loss to the American people considering that this money is initially earned from jobs that would have been meant for American people. This is exemplified by an article on the San Francisco Chronicle that stated that Mexicans living in the U.S sent home 6 to 8 billion dollars every year. This actually makes them the third largest legitimate economic earner for their country after the oil and tourism industry. Recent reports on the Brownsville Herald hinted that these immigrants were sent about 45 billion dollars to their home country in the year 2006. Therefore, this is population that lives off Americans while contributing meagerly. The situation is worsened by the fact that most illegal immigrants are barely educated (about 60 %). Research has shown that this low level of education makes them earn very little and in turn, contribute very little to the economy in taxation and other forms of contribution. Finally, an analysis of criminal, terrorism and traffic offences statistics show a great number of involved illegal immigrants (“Center of Immigration Studies” n.pag).. The criminal side of this data may be attributed to the fact that these immigrants are unable to earn in a clean way of living. Thus, most of them result to crime of any form including trafficking and peddling to make a living. Similarly, terror and extremists find this lot of people easy to bait and use in their works of terror. This in turn, poses a security threat to the American people.
The essence of the long over-due legal reforms on illegal immigration
According to the New York Times the political and cultural elements attached to the issue have served to delay these long awaited reforms. However, with recent developments in matters pertaining to the world economy and security threats exemplified by 9/11 there is a genuine reason to have reforms on the issue. This is because without control and information of the already existent illegal immigrant population it would be difficult to monitor security matters because we as a country will be oblivious of who exists within our borders.On the other hand, the economy was recently hard hit all over the world and this could result in to a more influx of immigrants as the economy revives. The fact that these immigrants affect and influence our economy we should come up with policies to regulate their pay, type of jobs they hold, their contribution in taxation as well as the remittances back to their homes. This will serve to ensure they not only live off the sweat of hardworking American tax payers but also contribute towards their expenditure.
Works Cited
“Immigration and emigration”. The New York Times Website, May 4 2010. Web. 11th May 2010.
“Center for Immigration Studies”. The high Costs of Cheap Labor: Illegal Immigration and the Federal Budget, n.d. Web. 11th May 2010.
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