Illegal Immigration is Harming America
by Amy Reese, 2007
When you respect an authority you obey their rules and regulations, if you break them you are displaying contempt towards them. Eleven to twelve million illegal immigrants violate America's laws by living here. In the Wikipedia Encyclopedia they estimated that 700,000 to 850,000 illegal immigrants cross the Mexico and America border every year. Why is America letting lawbreakers illegally benefit from our public schools, hospitals, tax refunds, and labor force?
The people who support illegal immigrants living in America believe that they contribute to the economy of America by paying taxes. In reality, what illegal immigrants receive in benefits immensely exceeds what they are paying in taxes. All illegal immigrants have to pay is the sales tax, while still being able to file for federal income tax. This is not fair when they are receiving the same benefits as legal citizens do, but the legal citizens have to pay several additional taxes. Some of the benefits that illegal immigrants receives include tax refunds and deductions, public education, health and medical care, use of the police and fire departments, and attorneys in court. Chris Frates stated that Colorado tax payers compensate an average of $40 million a year for benefits provided to illegal immigrants. If you multiply this number by fifty, for each state in America, the average is $200 million spent on illegal immigrants a year. America is already in debt, its' citizens should not have to pay an extra $200 million dollars per year to support this rising illegal population. This extra money could be put to our education systems or our national deficit.
Then there are the people who say that illegal immigrants increase our labor force which brings in more money. These jobs that illegal immigrants obtain in America would be filled if they were not there. These lower occupations are filled by the uneducated citizens as well as teenagers who wanted to start the work force. I feel that illegal immigrants are taking these jobs from the lower and younger class. When I started applying for jobs the only one I could obtain without work experience was a position as a custodian. When I applied for the same job a year later I was accepted because I did have work experience. If all the fast food and lower jobs are going to illegal immigrants how are teenagers going to get work experience? This just encourages them not to work during high school or college until they get a degree. The jobs that illegal immigrants have would be filled and then the wages would benefit America's economy not Mexico's. Chris Frates stated that illegal immigrants send approximately $10 billion a year back to Mexico from the jobs that they take from American citizens. In a way supporters are correct, illegal immigrants bring in more money but just for Mexico not for the United States.
As for the benefits and privileges that illegal immigrants receive, is it fair to legal citizens? Illegal immigrants receive several things that the average citizen does not, there is also a double standard concerning them. The average white citizen does not receive financial aid or scholarships based on financial need for college, even if their family or the students have to take out loans to pay for school. However, illegal immigrants receive scholarships, in-state tuition fees, and financial aid to college even though they are here illegally and do not apply to all the in-state tuition rules. I do not believe this is fair. My parents had to take out loans to pay for my college because I did not qualify for financial aid; while illegal immigrants are receiving financial aid and scholarships despite the fact that they are here illegally. They can also register their cars without a social security number or a green card and obtain a drivers license. When someone gets hit by an illegal immigrant, they cannot file for an insurance claim, take them to court, or make them pay for the damages. Do you know why? Illegal immigrants cannot be taken to court or sued because they are not a part of the American justice system, yet they still receive almost all of the same benefits.
To solve this illegal immigration problem, the federal government needs to open their eyes and enforce the laws. The employers who hire illegal immigrants need to be severely punished for this crime. This will help with the illegal immigration problem because they would not cross the border if they knew there was no chance of obtaining a job. Then the current illegal immigrants would slowly migrate back to their home country because there were no jobs up here. The federal government should not allow illegal immigrants to file for federal tax refund and get money from the American government. The government is already in enough debt, there is no need to give money to people who are not even citizens. They should also punish illegal immigrants by deporting them back to their own country. If they want to come to America, they should only be welcomed if they come legally. As a citizen we should send letters to our representatives and speak out on this issue. We need to vote for limiting illegal immigration and enforcing laws concerning them. This is only a small step to solving the illegal immigration problem, but it is a step in the right direction and a resolution to this overwhelming issue.
