The US government spends over 20 billion dollars every year to support illegal immigrant families. Illegal immigrants should be deported because they can have a negative economical impact, affect government/public programs, and boost crime rates and drug use in the US.
First, illegal immigrants have a large negative impact on the economy. Even though immigrants provide a cheap labor force for the US employers, in the mid/late 1990s forty percent of workers were illegal immigrants (Orrenius 1). This constantly growing flow of immigrants into the economy takes away job opportunities from native born citizens, as well as lowering wages and raising taxes. Professor Samuel P. Huntington says that the 10% increase in immigrants, leads to a 3-4% decrease in wages for the poor (Huntington 2).
This is one major contributing factor as to why illegal immigrants should be deported. Because illegal immigrants will work for below minimum wage, illegal immigrants take away job opportunities for others.
A survey conducted in 2005 showed that the average wage for illegal immigrants was $5.45 an hour. This is far below minimum wage which is currently $7.20. Also, even though illegal immigrants obtain jobs, a large percent are in poverty and therefore, they need government help. Because only about 7.5 million out of the 13 million illegal immigrants in the United States capable of working are employed, the government spends an average of 4,867 dollars per illegal immigrant family each year. This equates to over 20 billion dollars a year (“Illegal Immigration” 3 and 7).
Also, a survey taken by illegal immigrants showed that only 5% were unemployed before crossing the border. Even though this is a very good number, the jobs they currently have are not higher paying jobs. Even though the rates start very low, first generation males make 60% less than white natives, but this drops down to 29% less by third generation (Orrenius 2). Every year, the US spends billions on welfare and relief for illegal immigrants in poverty. Because illegal immigrants are not citizens, they shouldn't be liable to receive the same benefits of legal immigrants and citizens, and can take away from the economy.
Government services and policies were created to benefit American citizens, and not illegal immigrants. Education is largely affected by the massive inflow of immigrants. Many immigrants, both illegal and those who migrated legally cannot speak English and go to school in America. But, where most children go to learn about all different subjects, some immigrant children only go to school to learn English, taxing on the schools funds and teachers (Orrenius, 2). Currently, there are over 600, 000 illegal immigrants in the US who came in on student visas, but then overstayed and never went back. This is also the case with many of President Bush's programs, created to help illegal immigrants but only for a specified time, after which they should go home (illegal immigrants 5). Also multitudes of other public and government policies are being abused. In California, 90% of illegal immigrants use government medical insurance (“Illegal Immigrant” 7). Also, 80% of illegal immigrants in a survey taken used public health services, and 49% didn't have health insurance (“Distribution of Illegal Alien Population” 2).
A Medical lawyer, Madeleine Pelner, stated that the burden of illegal immigrants on the health care system in the US made many hospitals close due to unpaid bills or other financial problems. Between 1993 and 2003, 60 hospitals in California closed and others had to lay off many staff members and stop providing some medical services. This is a serious problem because it takes away jobs from workers and provides fewer opportunities for others. Pelner says that the affects on these hospitals are said to be caused by immigration. Illegal immigrants pose a large threat to the economy and Government programs. Overall, illegal immigrants tax our society and greatly threaten the US economy.
Aside from economical threats, there are also many criminal threats posed by illegal immigrants. For example, between 1999 and 2006, around 1 million sex crimes were committed by illegal immigrants and 70% of the victims were citizens (“Illegal Immigration” 8). Also, the CIS (Center of Immigration Studies) concluded that many crimes committed by illegal immigrants are committed because they think that they can just get across the border, and since they are improperly documented, if documented at all, it makes them difficult to track (illegal immigration 8). The potential threat posed by illegal immigrants to citizens is enormous, but also, is the same on a national scale. Two of the men who were convicted of the 9/11 attacks had entered and overstayed in the United States illegally. Also, over 25 other illegal immigrants have been apprehended for attempted terrorist attacks (“Illegal Immigration” 8). In both of these cases it is very easy for criminals to get out of the country over the US-Mexico border, especially since 70% of illegal immigrants in the US are from Mexico and 13% are from Central America (“Distribution of Illegal Alien Population” 2).
