The Real Expense of Illegal Immigration - Research Proposal Example

The Real Expense of Illegal Immigration Numerous polls indicate that a majority of Americans, including Mexican-Americans, want the government to prevent the tidal wave of illegal aliens cascading over the border. A nation without borders is not a nation and this country has been losing control of the borders for many decades, losing prosperity, security and autonomy along with them. The massive numbers of illegal aliens pouring across mainly the southern border has and continues to cause substantial economic, social and physical harms to legal citizens. These harms occur predominantly to those who are among the most vulnerable segments of the population: minorities, children and the poor. Illegal immigrants have already broken the law upon arrival into the country and a considerable number break more including selling drugs, theft, murder, rape, etc. while in the country. The cost to the federal court and prison system alone in 2002 attributed to illegal aliens was $1.6 billion. This does not include the costs to state judicial and penal institutions. It costs Arizona, for example, $80 million to jail illegal aliens yearly. According to a 2002 report by Heather MacDonald of the City Journal, “In Los Angeles, 95 percent of all outstanding warrants for homicide (which total 1,200 to 1,500) target illegal aliens. Up to two-thirds of all fugitive felony warrants (17,000) are for illegal aliens” (McDonald, 2004). Illegal aliens drain social services paid for by legal citizens, $2.5 billion from Medicaid, $2 billion from food aid programs and $2 billion in hospital care from the federal coffers in 2002 alone. States along the southern border pay out hundreds of millions of dollars every year providing social services for illegal aliens. The children of illegal aliens do not have to prove citizenship to attend public schools which has resulted in overcrowding – a tremendous sapping of resources. It takes more time to teach children that only speak Spanish which thus costs more money. California spends a staggering $8 billion every year just in educating the children of illegal aliens (“Illegal Immigrants”, 2007). It has been estimated that the added cost to the federal government will be more than $15 billion per year when the present illegal aliens become citizens and begin collecting welfare benefits. The proposed bill will add greatly to this number because it will encourage a new surge of low skilled workers through its guest worker program. Traditionally, immigrants to the U.S. were less likely than those born in America to collect welfare. This historic arrangement has radically changed over the past three decades. Today, immigrant families are at least 50 percent more likely to receive federal benefits than those born in this country. Additionally, immigrants are more likely to adapt their lives to rely on the welfare system and studies have shown the longer immi­grants stay in the U.S., the more likely they are to be on welfare. To further aggravate the situation, when an illegal immigrant becomes a citizen, he can legally bring his parents who also have the right to become citi­zens. The estimated long-term cost of overall federal benefits could exceed $50 billion per year for the parents of the 10 million beneficiaries of amnesty. “In the long run, the bill, if enacted, would be the largest expansion of the welfare state in 35 years” (Rector, 2006). Approximately half of current illegal immigrants do not possess a high-school level education. Welfare use among this group and for low-skill immigrants granted amnesty is three times the rate for the U.S. born citizens. Over the past two decades, about 10 million people who do not possess a high-school diploma have entered the country and predictably end up on welfare. Laws should be enacted that bring criminal charges against all those who aid illegal aliens to gain entry into the country and against those employers who hire them. All social benefits, including medical care, education and welfare for illegal immigrants should be eliminated with the only exception being medical treatment given when first contacted before deporting the criminal. If the U.S. can’t secure its own borders, what confidence does this instill in the world’s view when it tries to police other areas of the globe? The U.S. can hardly be seen as credible when helping to solve other countries’ problems when it can’t solve its own immigration dilemma, a problem many other countries don’t seem to struggle with. Those that support amnesty of illegal aliens currently in the U.S. argue that deportations would result in the splitting of families. Children born in this country could stay but their illegal parents would have to leave. They also express that it would be unfair for a child that has lived in the U.S. all their life to be suddenly thrust into the conditions of a third world country. While that is a compelling and reasonable argument, the cost is too great. By allowing the continued and unabated free-flow of illegal immigrants, this country too before long will assume third world status. Methods to stem this flow such as building a border fence, deporting all illegal aliens, cracking down on employers and implementing a federal identification system might appear severe to some but are necessary steps in safeguarding America for Americans. The U.S. could consider adopting similar immigration regulations as in the U.K. where a person cannot immigrate without first securing employment. The British employer must obtain permission from the government upon submitting evidence that the position cannot be filled by a resident. Non-residents cannot apply for state benefits of any type. Legislators should consider the net effect on society and encourage the immigration of high-skilled and well educated people who will contribute to the economic health of the nation rather than low or no-skilled workers who are a heavy economic burden. References “Illegal Immigration is a Crime.” (March 2003). Federation for American Immigration Reform. Retrieved April 13, 2008 from McDonald, Heather. (Winter 2004). “The Illegal-Alien Crime Wave.” City Journal. New York: The Manhattan Institute. Retrieved April 13, 2008 from Rector, Robert. (May 25, 2006). “The Wrong Course: The Senate’s Proposed Amnesty Will Cost a Fortune.” National Review Online. Retrieved April 13, 2008 from Read More