5% of the total US workforce is a very large number and can easily decrease the rate of unemployment in USA if these jobs were given to American citizens. Not only will the rate of unemployment decrease but this will also help the US government maintain its economy.
USA is seen as the “land of opportunity” which creates a desire for many people to live here but are unable to legally migrate. This results in a steady stream of undocumented or illegal aliens who take low-paying jobs. This makes the US loose all its jobs which thus leads to unemployment.
It is estimated that illegal immigrants add 245$ billion in Gross Domestic Product to the economy and account for 2.8 million jobs. (Illegal Immigration….. Finds). About two thirds of the illegal immigrant parents of the newborns have been living in the Unites States for at least five years.
- Cause of Illegal Immigration
The US shares nearly 8000 miles of border with Canada and Mexico. There are approximately 300 official ports of entry. (U.S. Immigration and Naturalization)
The more the number of ports, the more places of entry into US for illegal immigrants. The ports provide an easy way for the illegal immigrants to get into the US without being detected by the immigration officers.
58% of illegal immigrants in USA are Mexican. (11.2 Million…’09). This proves that the US can’t really stop a lot of illegal immigrants from entering into the US premises. Illegal immigrants make it tough to migrate to USA as the US only allows a small amount of people to immigrate here and because of illegal immigrants US’s capacity of immigrants exceeds hence not letting other legal immigrants to migrate to the country.
- Statstics
3.1 million U.S.-born children have parents who are illegal aliens, and children under the age of eighteen make up almost 16 percent of the undocumented migrants. (Illegal Alien). Conservative lawmakers in Congress and state legislatures have announced initiatives to cancel automatic United States citizenship for children born here of illegal immigrant parents. (11.2 Million….’09).
It is also a tendency for illegal immigrants to have children in USA so that they could get the US citizenship. “They argue that birthright citizenship, which is described in the 14th amendment to the Constitution, encourages illegal immigrants to sneak in to have babies here in order to gain American Citizenship for them). (11.2 Million….’09). About 350,000 babies were born in 2009 to families with at least one illegal immigrant parent, a number also unchanged from the previous year, representing about 8% of all newborns. (11.2 Million….’09). About 98% of the US residents are descendants from immigrants.
“A 1986 law gave legal status to nearly three million aliens who were in the country illegally”. (U.S. Immigration and Naturalization). Instead of departing the illegal immigrants from US, the US government is passing laws, which are making them legal citizens. Turning 3 million illegal immigrants into US citizens means giving them at least 1 million jobs which could have caused a significant decrease in the rate of unemployment if given to the US citizens.
- Expenses
The single largest cost to the government of illegal immigration, according to a report, is an estimated $52 billion spent on schooling the children of illegal immigrants.(Illegal Immigration…. Finds)
Schools in America are for public and most of them are free for residents but are paid by the government. Children of illegal immigrants increase the government spending as they go to schools which are run by the government. “The single biggest ‘expense’ it attributes to unauthorized immigrants is the education of their children, yet most of them are native-born, U.S. citizens who will grow up to be taxpaying adults,” said Walter Ewing, a senior researcher at the American Immigration Council. Most of these children will pay tax when they grow up but their parents do not pay taxes.
- Cost of Illegal Immigration
The cost of harboring illegal immigrants in the United States is a staggering $113 billion a year – an average of $117 for every “native-headed” household in America – according to a study conducted by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). (Illegal Immigration…. Finds). “it is the first and most detailed look at costs of illegal immigration ever done,” says Bob Dane, Director of communications at FAIR.
Moreover, the study’s breakdown of costs on a state-by-state basis shows that in states with the largest number of illegals, the costs of illegal immigration are often greater than current, crippling budget deficits Jack Martin, the researcher who completed the study said. (Illegal Immigration…. Finds). In Texas, for example, the additional cost of immigration, $16.4 billion, is equal to the state’s current budget deficit; in California the additional cost of illegal immigration, $21.8 billion, is $8 billion more than the state’s current budget deficit of $13.8 billion; and in New York, the $6.8 billion deficit is roughly two-thirds the $9.5 billion yearly cost of its illegal population, according to Jack Martin, the researcher who completed the study. (Illegal Immigration…. Finds)
The report also found that the federal government paid $28.6 billion in illegal related costs, and state and local government paid $84.2 billion on an estimated 13 million undocumented residents whereas Obama estimated that there are 11 million. (Illegal Immigration…. Finds). This proves that more than $110 billion are being paid for illegal related costs and that the number of illegal immigrants in USA are more than the number assumed. This $110 billion could have been used in many other ways, the US government could have also used it pay off their debt and fix its economy.
- Precautions and Actions Taken
About 11.2 million illegal immigrants were living in the United States in 2010, a number essentially unchanged from the previous year, according to a report by the Pew Hispanic Center. (11.2 Million….’09).
Federal immigration authorities deported about 4000000 immigrants in each of the last two years, the highest number in the country’s history. (11.2 Million….’09). the Federal government is trying to solve the issue of illegal immigration but is really not affective in doing do. “ We just don’t see indications that enforcement is pushing people to leave the U.S.” said Jeffrey S. Passel, a demographer and co-author. (11.2 Million….’09). The possible reason why illegal immigrants are so attracted to US is that they are safe at work. “It could be that the shift away from work-site enforcement is making it more attractive for illegal immigrants to stay here, since they do not feel as threatened at work,” said Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies. (11.2 Million….’09)
The nonpartism Pew Hispanic center estimates that there are 11.5 to 12 million illegal aliens in the United States representing 30 percent of the nation’s foreign-born residents. (Illegal Alien). This issue of illegal immigration is a complex and sophisticated issue and requires some serious action to be taken by the government. Firstly, the government should increase security at airports, ports and other places from which immigrants can sneak into this country. Secondly, the illegal immigrants currently staying in this country should be deported back to their country. Thirdly, if any illegal immigrants still manage to sneak into USA there should be rules and laws that will create problems for them hence not letting them survive and going back to their own country.
- Conclusion
Deportation of illegal immigrants will let this country to be illegal immigrants free which can help the government decrease the unemployment rate and will slowly help the government to pay off their debt as the money spent towards illegal immigrants will now be extra and can be paid towards the debt which will in turn help to fix and maintain a strong economy. With more jobs the citizens of America would be happy too and America will be again called “the land of opportunity”. The deportation of illegal immigrants will also help people who are waiting in the queue either for their visa, green card or citizenship as now after deporting the illegal immigrants US will be able to accommodate even more legal immigrants. This will also fetch the government more money as the new legal immigrants would pay taxes rather than the illegal immigrants who did not pay taxes. It will also help the US to not increase its population. “The presence of illegal aliens stimulates a wide-ranging debate about national resources such as jobs, housing, education, and the environment. If there are no illegal immigrants in the United States then there will be an end to this debate and other debates like this would not arise.