Chris Hooton
2A
Harward
Argument Essay
Illegal Immigration in the U.S.
Illegal immigration has been relevant in the United States for many years. It is a
major problem for both the country and the illegal immigrants. Illegal Immigrants,
especially the poorer ones, consume a high amount of government resources including:
health care, education, and welfare without paying a corresponding high rate of taxes.
Many of these immigrants are bringing in drugs and increasing criminal activity which adds
to an already overcrowded jail system. Less-skilled American citizens earn less money and
have fewer job opportunities because they must compete with immigrants in the job
market. On the other side of the argument, Immigrants often taken the low-paying jobs
that most Americans don't want to do at such low wages, like cleaners, harvesting, etc., but
with this comes their employers. Some employers pay them well under minimum wage and
do not have to give them benefits like healthcare. Some say that the government needs to
allow illegal immigrants to stay in the country without them becoming citizens because they
need a new start that they need help to support their families; however that would take
away from Americans.
Illegal immigrants use a lot of government resources, taking a large amount of
money from the country. Illegal immigrants in the United States cost the federal
government more than $10 billion a year (washingtonpost.com). "Households headed by
illegal aliens imposed more than $26.3 billion in costs on the federal government in 2002
and paid only $16 billion in taxes, creating a net fiscal deficit of $10.4 billion, or $2,700 per
illegal household," said Steven A. Camarota. Many illegal immigrants make use of
government aids including Medicaid, medical treatment for the uninsured, food assistance
programs, the federal prison and court systems, and federal aid to schools without paying
all of their taxes putting the country into a larger deficit.
Illegal immigrants have a very high crime rate. In the population study of a sample
of 55,322 illegal aliens, researchers found that they were arrested at least a total of 459,614
times, averaging about eight arrests per illegal immigrant. Nearly all had more than one
arrest. Thirty-eight percent (about 21,000) had between two and five arrests, thirty-two
percent (about 18,000) had between six and ten arrests, and twenty-six percent (about
15,000) had eleven or more arrests. Forty-five percent of these offenses were drug,
immigration, or property related. The rest were violence and traffic offenses. With the
crime rate of illegal immigrants so high they are filling an already over-crowded prison
system. In California alone thirteen percent of their inmates are illegal immigrants
(Bakersfieldnow.com). Prisons across the country have a large percentage of illegal
immigrants that the U.S’ taxpayers have to pay for.
Many jobs have been taken by illegal immigrants through the years. Illegal
immigrants usually take low paying and low quality jobs that seem unappealing to most
Americans, however if these jobs were not being taken by illegal immigrants, the employers
would have to raise the job pay to attract more workers (jobsback.com). Employer’s higher
illegal immigrants because they are able to underpay, overwork, and refuse benefits from
them. Since they are illegal they cannot fight to gain their rights in the workplace, if they do
not accept their working conditions then they do not have a job. An illegal employee risks
being deported if they complain to their employers. Employers do not risk much by hiring
an illegal immigrant. Enforcements against the employers of illegal immigrants are
becoming better with time, but as of today are weak. With so little to lose the employers
are able to make a larger amount of money from illegal immigrant workers than American
citizens (csmonitor.com). Illegal immigrants are taking jobs that American citizens could
have and are being taken advantage of.
In conclusion the problem of illegal immigration needs to be put to an end. Illegal
immigrants use a large amount of government resources including Medicaid, medical
treatment for the uninsured, food assistance programs, the federal prison and court
systems, and federal aid to schools but they do not pay taxes, adding to the countries debt.
These immigrants have a large amount of criminal activity. Many come into the country to
sell drugs; others just commit crimes trying to make a living. Large percentages of inmates
in prisons across the country are illegal immigrants. Taxpayers in the U.S are paying to keep
these immigrants housed in these prisons. Millions of jobs are taken by illegal immigrants,
causing many Americans unemployment. If we can put an end to illegal immigration we can
greatly help the United States’ economy.
Citation Page
http://www.balancedpolitics.org/immigration.htm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33783-2004Aug25.html
http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/kouri/060622
http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/investigations/122630554.html
http://jobsback.com/do-illegal-immigrants-take-jobs-from-american-workers/
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0418/p01s01-usec.html
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0418/p01s01-usec.html
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_do_Mexicans_illegally_cross_the_US-Mexican_border