Illegal Immigration : The United States

Illegal immigration has plagued the United States since immigration laws were created, and has worsened in recent history. Since Ronald Reagan’s Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 provided amnesty for 3 million illegal aliens in exchange for increased border security, millions of people have entered the country illegally. Over the past 30 years, the illegal immigrant population of the country has more than doubled from 5 million in 1986 to over 11.5 million in 2015. It has become one of the most controversial political issues in America. While not every undocumented alien is a bad or dangerous person, illegal immigrants in general are a national security threat, harmful to the economy, and a burden on the social welfare system. The best solution to the illegal alien problem is to secure and enforce the border, purge American territory of every person unlawfully trespassing upon it, and reform the immigration system to make it easier for foreigners to enter the United States legally like people have done for centuries.

Immigration issues have been a problem throughout history. This Society holds different perceptions on the topic. Some people favor the flow of immigrants while others oppose it. Immigration is a social problem that must constantly be reviewed due to the complexity of the problems. In this situation, different factors such as the quality of life for immigrants, how they impact the economy, how the implementation of policies would benefit them, have to be taken into consideration. Immigration policies affect all aspects of today’s society. The key figures in the immigration issue are immigrants, documented/undocumented, political figures.

Many people have their own opinions when relating in regard to illegal immigrants hurting the United States economy. There have been numerous of economist say there is no doubt the U.S. benefits from illegal immigrants. All of the undocumented people living in the United States contribute every day in our economy, they contribute as workers, taxpayers and consumers. All immigrants pay sales and property taxes and most pay federal and state income taxes as well. If there was laws like the

Are illegal immigrants or undocumented immigrants beneficial to America’s economy? Most illegal immigrants have a positive impact on the United States (U.S.) economy. Illegal immigrants have a positive impact on the United States economy because they increase our tax revenue, they add to our social security, and they also increase our employment rates.” In 2000, statistics revealed 8.7 million illegal immigrants resided in the United States” (Knickerbocker pgs.11-12). “A study of illegal immigrants living in Texas showed a 420 million dollar increase in the states economy” (Strayhorn). Companies risk hiring illegal immigrants

Economically speaking, immigration is beneficial for the American economy. Several arguments are given to try to prove this wrong. Some may say that immigrants take away jobs from Americans. But what jobs? Most immigrants work as maids or janitors, jobs that Americans do not want to do. What would the U.S. do without immigrants who are willing to do humiliating jobs for scarce amounts of money? Or maybe these critics of immigration are talking about the few amount of immigrants who want to excel and become successful? The anti-immigration people feel threatened and fear that these “minorities” will surpass the “native” Americans and they will no longer be able to control and manipulate these “ignorant, gullible immigrants.” Another argument is that immigrants receive more than their fair share of welfare benefits. But yet again in actuality immigrants pay their fair share of taxes. Julian

Furthermore, undocumented immigrants do indeed contribute to the American economy. They and their families generate revenue as workers and consumers, and contrary to popular belief, pay the inevitable sales and property taxes. Most illegal immigrants are not even eligible to receive benefits from Social Security

The US labor force would not survive if it was not for illegal immigrants. If there were no illegal immigrants our labor force would decrease by four percent (Isidore 5). “We could not have grown as much as we did in the 1990s if we did not have immigrants… our growth would have been slower (Isidore 5).” Having illegal immigrants in our labor force increases the amount of resources we have, which increases the amount of production in the country. “Some economists discuss that not only do U.S. consumers benefit from lower prices as an outcome of the low wages most immigrants are paid, but that the convenience of lower-wage labor helps create more work for higher-skilled, higher-paid workers who are generally born in the US (Isidore 14).” Illegal immigrants are opening up higher wage jobs, because they take over the lower wage jobs. Many immigrants take jobs in the field of construction, agriculture

Immigrants have been causing world wide controversy with their existence in the U.S. There are some very important industries that rely on illegal immigrants.. In 2009, Milk retail prices would have gone up if immigrants were eliminated from work. With the work that these immigrants have been putting in they have saved prices from going up and they helped american wealth go up by 1%. They have also contributed more than 10%(300 billion) of The Social Security Trust

Illegal immigrants help boost the United States economy by paying some taxes. Like American citizens, illegal immigrants may pay local, state, and federal taxes including sales tax that helps support government services that they may not be able to access (Ewing 9). Since more American citizens are becoming aware of the benefits of an education, openings are being created for illegal immigrants in low paying jobs (Nadadur 1037-1052). Americans, unlike illegal immigrants, have more diverse careers. Aliens are more concentrated in specific job areas, resulting in a decrease in immigrant labor cost. This helps boost the United States’ economy (Carter 777-795). Of the approximate eleven million illegal immigrants in the U.S., most work in labor intensive jobs. Careers such as construction and agriculture tend to attract illegal aliens and they account for about twenty-five percent of the work force in these areas (Ewing 9). Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve admits that illegal immigrants help improve the United States economy and does not suggest turning them away (qtd. in Quindlen 90). Anna Quindlen, in her article “Newcomers By Numbers,” agrees with Bernanke and believes that immigrants are the factor that helps keep prices low. She also adds that immigrants are not causing American citizens unemployment, but are simply taking the low wage jobs that citizens are not willing to do and even boosting the economy (90).

Immigrants may change the market in certain ways, but their hard work at bargain prices is good for America. Immigrants can’t even apply for welfare for the first five years that they’re in the country. “They buy clothes, food, televisions and houses, while paying sales tax on every bit of it and income tax on their salaries” (site) Most immigrants get fake social security cards to get jobs other than in the fields or factories were they don’t ask for social security cards. As they get fake social security cards, employers take out the same deductions from their salaries as they would to a U.S. born citizen. Even a day without immigrants in the United States, it would hurt the economy. If one day all the immigrants didn’t go to work, school or bought anything form stores, the economy would go down that day. Immigrants do give a lot to society these days.

For ages, the United States has seemed to be the country where people seek to move to for a better life. The United States was built on immigrants. People have always migrated to the United States both legally and illegally. The main problem the country has face with immigrants is the amount that trespass the border illegally. Illegal immigration is the unlawful act of crossing a national border(Illegal Immigration Pros and Cons). The illegal immigrant population keeps growing at an annual average of about 300,000 people(Currie 10). In the recent year of 2014, there were about 11.3 million undocumented people living in the United States(Krogstad). Many have asked what harm they do to both the economy and the American citizen. Although there are many arguments as to how much harm they cause, there are as many arguments stating illegal immigration benefits the United States. Illegal immigration has a positive impact in the United States within the consumers, the working class, and the overall economy.

Recently the United States has experienced a large number of immigrants coming over to the country within the 2000s. In recent studies, there are about 11.5 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. The undocumented immigrant population has grown 27% between 2000 to 2009. Immigrants from Mexico make up 59% of the undocumented immigrants in the United States. These undocumented immigrants can help the economy and country grow. These undocumented immigrants do have some downside to them, which makes people question do they really help this country. Many people question if this is a good or bad thing for the U.S. economy or the country. Immigrants have helped the U.S. economy out a lot and propose more positives then negatives on

Contention 1 - According to NLCATP one main benefit of an undocumented immigrant has been cheap labor. Immigrants are willing to take all kinds of jobs that Americans aren’t. They are more than often times seen as hardworking people especially those who send a sum of their money back to their loved ones. With more than enough labor force, businesses can increase production and reach their targeted sales. If businesses are booming, the economy will move smoothly.

You may be asking yourself how do immigrants hurt the U.S economy if they are working and paying taxes? The sad fact is that most immigrants do not pay taxes, instead they get paid so little the most paychecks are under the table, which means no taxes are being taken out. Most of the money that they make they send back to their home country, which means less money in circulation in the U.S economy. The U.S economy is already suffering enough, the gross US federal government debt is estimated to be $19.5 trillion, according to the FY18 Federal Budget. We as U.S citizens are obligated to pay off that debt and we need every job to do so. We the people of the United states will need to pay about $73,000 to pay off that debt, and there is no room for

An economic boost is something the government longs for and shockingly many illegal immigrants have provided just that. According to an article written by The Nation, “undocumented immigrants contribute about $11.6 billion to the economy annually, including nearly $7 billion in sales and excise taxes and $3.6 billion in property taxes. They are, in economic terms, productive citizens, and pay a higher effective tax rate than the top 1 percent income bracket.” (Chen). This information helps put into perspective how much the undocumented immigrants contribute to america's economy.The thought that illegal immigrants have helped boost our economy is something that does not settle well with many americans. Americans do not like the fact that people who are not even truly apart of the country are the ones helping it rather than the naturally born citizens. The government has spent years trying to find ways to make the economy bigger and better. They never expected immigrants to be the solution.