Illegal Immigration

Illegal Immigration

In one of the most powerful countries in the world, it would seem improbable that our country would have a problem with immigrants entering our country illegally. It is estimated that twelve to twenty million people live in the United States illegally, and this number continues to grow as half a million more immigrants enter the country every year (Illegal Immigration Facts and Figures). These people often come to the United States with nothing and as a result, the American citizens have to pay more in taxes because they require money to survive. Illegal immigrants are often uneducated; so our schools have to focus more time and money into students who speak little or no English and are illiterate in our language. Because of people like this, the government spends nearly ten billion dollars every year (Fitzgerald), and taxpayers are the ones who end up losing more money. Our country should not be funding these people any more, since they entered the country unlawfully and don't deserve our respect or money. We should listen to our true citizens, and seventy percent of them say something needs to be done about illegal immigration (Public Immigration Concerns Contrast with Policy).

Immigration to the United States has been a part of the country since the day Europeans first settled in the land that we live in today. From South America to Asia to Europe, people have come to settle in America since independence from Britain was declared in 1776. Although immigrants have been coming to America for many years,

Ellis Island in New York admitted 15 million people into the United States from its opening in 1892 to its closing in 1954 and today houses a museum that serves as an icon for the American dream of becoming wealthy by working hard, but with a freedom few others in the world get a chance to experience (Ellis Island). Legal immigration such as this where people come to our country and go through a process of examination and approval is a great aspect of American culture since people who meet the United States' requirements come into our country with the desire to be successful. Illegal immigrants, or "foreigners that reside in a country unlawfully or without the country's authorization" (Illegal Immigrant) are what many Americans fear. Immigrants often come into our country in a desperate state willing to do anything to make a living, even though they aren't prepared for life in the United States before arriving in our country. Unfortunately there is little the government can do once the illegal immigrants cross over United States borders as it would be impossible to deport twelve to twenty million people. Since this is the case, the only thing the United States can and should do is make it harder for illegal immigrants to enter the United States illegally.

There is a major need for change in our immigration policies as our borders are virtually unguarded. Our border with Mexico to the south is the busiest border in world with about 350 million people crossing legally and illegally every year. In 2001 the border patrol cited 158,782 apprehensions of illegal immigrants, but they admitted that they only catch about one in five people who cross the border illegally (Walley). It is amazing that little has been done to slow the arrival of illegal immigrants across the southern border as the number of immigrants crossing into the United States from countries other than Mexico, including Middle Eastern countries has been increasing

(Bowers). With nearly 2000 miles of U.S. and Mexico border, terrorists have the opportunity to cross the border. In 2001 a man tied with the militant group Hezbollah said he paid money to be smuggled across the border, but was luckily caught by border authorities (Bowers).

Fortunately in this case a possibly dangerous man was caught before he could blend into society, but since the border patrol admitted they only catch twenty percent of all the people who try and cross the border, who knows how many people with negative intentions have crossed the border between the United States and Mexico without getting caught.

If the United States was to limit the number of immigrants entering our country there would be numerous advantages that would save our country billions of dollars in expenses and also help American citizens who live here legally. For instance, eighteen million American citizens are unemployed (McKee); one reason for this is employers would rather higher an illegal immigrant for less than minimum wage to save money from labor costs. It would be impossible to track the exact number of illegal immigrants who work in the United States but it is estimated that from 2000 to 2005 4.1 million immigrant workers came into our country, and up to 2.7 million of those people were illegal immigrants (Sum). Because of the rise in illegal workers, "the number of young (16 to 34) native-born men who were employed declined by 1.7 million; at the same time, the number of new male immigrant workers increased by 1.9 million (Sum)." This means the impact of illegal immigrants is giving American citizens trouble when finding a job.

Another way illegal immigrants are hurting the United States is the increase in crime rate they bring into our country. Statistics estimate that up to one third of our

prison population is composed of illegal immigrants (McKee). Also, in Los Angeles, " 95 percent of all outstanding warrants for homicide target illegal aliens (Mac Donald)." Right here in Colorado many crimes are committed by illegal immigrants, and just last month a man was deported only after going to jail thirteen times and committing 9 sex offenses. Another man from Denver was recently deported because he killed a man in a hit and run situation and had a history of drunk driving (Wooldridge). Here are just two examples of illegal immigrants getting off too easy for a long period of time. Drugs are also a problem related to illegal immigrants. Evidence suggests up to75 percent of all cocaine in the United States and 40 percent of heroin was smuggled in from Mexico (Staten). If the United States continues on this path, a plethora of problems will begin to arise as illegal immigrants are injuring or country more than they are helping it.

Some may feel sorry for illegal immigrants and say that they are crossing our borders to survive and live the American dream, but this is not the case. It turns out that Mexico and many South American countries have more natural resources per square mile than the United States and therefore have the potential