Illegal Immigration is a big problem in a lot of countries, especially the United States which has a porous border
with Mexico. There are some who argue that we should deport all illegal immigrants,others who state that it
simply is not practical and that they should be offered amnesty, which means a pardon for the crime of
immigrating illegally.
In this article we will look at both sides of the argument, individual arguments for or against will be split into 3
groups, arguments about the practicality of deporting millions of immigrants, the economic benefits or
disadvantages of illegal immigration and finally the question of whether or not illegal immigrants bring crime
into the countries that they immigrate to.
Firstly there are those who argue that because illegal immigration is a crime, those who break the law should be
deported. Other criminals are not offered amnesty when they break the law, so why should we tear up the rule
book for illegal immigrants. On the other hand there are those who argue that illegal immigration is a much
broader and more complex thing that we think it is.Illegal immigrants are not just those who have crossed a
border recently, many are children and many are people who have legally immigrated but then overstayed their
visas, which is a significant problem in the UK.
As well as this, these people argue that it would be extremely expensive to deport the many immigrants illegally
residing in a country, for example the illegal immigrant population
in the United States is 11 million (Census). The other side argues in response that it is unfair that illegal
immigrants who have skipped the queue, should essentially be rewarded whilst legal immigrants wait patiently
in line. Now onto the issue of cost.
Opponents of illegal immigraiton argue that illegal immigrants put a great amount of strain on the welfare
system. According to data from the US census in 2011,immigrant families incomes tend to be lower, meaning
they are more likely to claim benefits and a CDC study from 2017 indicates that Hispanic women tend to have
more children on average than both black and white women. Opponents argue that this demonstrates how
immigrants take up benefits and school places. Proponents of illegal immigration, or people who oppose illegal
immigrants being deported argue that they contribute through paying taxes, as well as by doing the jobs that
ordinary americans refuse to do. Along these lines, they argue that sending millions of illegal immigrants back to
their country of origin would wreak havoc on these industires that require low skilled workers.
The final group of arguments when it comes to illegal immigration concerns whether or not illegal immigrants
bring crime into the countries they imigrate to. According to a Justice Department book on Prisoners in State and
Federal Institutions, hispanics make up a disproportionate percentage of the prison population in both New
Mexico and California, states close to the border.
Opponents of illegal immigration use statistics like this to demonstrate how terrorists and gangs are more easily
able to come in to America through its porous border.
On the other hand, according to census data going back 30 years, the foreign born US population has been rising,
yet according to FBI statistics the crime rate has fallen over the same time period.
In conclusion it seems that the illegal immigration debate hinges not on whether its legal status is accepted, both
sides accept that it is illegal and people should use legal means of entering a country, instead the debate comes
down to whether or not you think it’s practical to deport millions of people.