In the past America has accepted immigrants from near and far with open hands. The United States of America has been known as a place of opportunity for all, because it is founded on the idea that all men are created equal. That is stated in the constitution and has influenced all legislation. However, with the United States population nearing 400 million citizens, and the economic shift from a manufacturing to a service economy, the question of who we should allow to immigrate and how many is being revisited. There is no question that in recent decades there has been an immigration influx from Central and South America. These people are coming to the United States for the same reason many in the past have, opportunity. There are many who migrate to the United States legally and go through the entire legal process to receive their citizenship. However, as displayed by Barrera and Krogstad (2017), an equal to greater amount of illegal immigrants are coming from Central and South America, than legal immigrants. This is having a devastating effect on jobs and other economic opportunity for legal American citizens. By increasing border security there will be more ability to control both legal and illegal immigration from the southern border, this will allow American citizens to have more economic opportunity and lead to a more prosperous America.
The great recession of 2008 exposed an unforeseen vulnerability in the American Economy, that it is not perfect. There is in this country, as in many other countries, many poor citizens. When the great recession hit many of these people were forced out of the workplace leaving them without means to supply for their families. Along with the housing market crash, left many homeowners with no option but to foreclose on their homes. Needless to say the times were not great for the lower to middle class Americans. When America goes through a rough economic time, most other parts of the world also do. As Krogstad, Passel, and Cohn (2016) shown there has been a steady increase of illegal immigration from 1990 to 2008. After 2008 the number of illegal immigrants has remained nearly the same. What is happening is that in a time of economic crisis there are people that legally should not be in the country and are taking jobs away from American citizens. As explained by Gurley (2016), the decline of the coal industry West Virginia has left many people without jobs. These people also do not have the skill set to work in a white collar environment. Not to say all, but most of these people are grossly undereducated and have a limited skill set from working in the mines their whole lives. Now they are out of work and unable to get jobs and must rely on government aid to provide for their families. The jobs that these people are qualified to work are the same jobs that many migrants from Central and South America also have the skill set for. The difference is that in these peoples home countries they are paid much less than what is required to be paid minimum in the United States. It is important to note that most of the time illegal immigrants will not be paid at minimum wage; $7.25 average per hour, from U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics. These people will be paid half to quarter of minimum wage. From Time’s Money magazine Martha C. White (2016) states “they are also willing to work regardless of what they get paid.” They are willing to work for a fraction of the amount legally required because back in their home countries they are used to much less. For comparison, if an American minimum wage worker suddenly was being paid twice to three times the amount they are accustomed to, in their eyes they would be rich.
The question to be asked is that if these citizens could work the same jobs as illegal immigrants for the same wage, why wouldn’t they? Working something and getting some income is better than nothing. What has transpired is that a person can make more off government aid than they would working these below minimum wage jobs. From the Heritage Foundation writers Bradley and Rector (2012), on average a low-income American receives $9,000 per year for food stamps. Food stamps are one form of welfare, this study does not include child tax credits, assistance for needy families, supplemental security income, medicaid, disability, or housing assistance. With looking at the amount of welfare an American citizen is eligible for it becomes clear why a low-income person would choose not to work for the amount that an illegal immigrant is willing to work for. That is that they can make more money from government aid than working. The effect this has on the overall economy is devastating. According to Jeffry Bartash (2016), from years 2008 to 2013 the number of unemployed Americans was between 28 and 24 million people. That number is greater than the entire population of Florida. Or the collective population of Delaware, Idaho, Hawaii, Montana, Maine, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Vermont, West Virginia, South Dakota, Wyoming, Alaska, Rhode Island, and Arizona. Compared to the 11.4 million illegal immigrants reported by the Department of Homeland Security. There is no question that from the sheer number of illegal immigrants has led to such a large number of American citizens to become unemployed. With American citizens out of the workforce and relying on welfare to provide for them, it puts tremendous stress on the economy. The United States debt continues to rise at alarming rates, nearing almost 20 trillion dollars today (2017). Also, with more and more tax dollars having to go towards welfare systems less is available to go towards education and various other social services. In inner cities where tax dollars are vitally needed to help failing schools and the children that attend them, the money is not there to give them. The effects this has on the youth is one that will continue to last on them their entire lives. Without a proper education it is near impossible to have a job to bring them out of low income. This causes them to be trapped in the lower tax bracket and become more prone to have to relying on welfare services to keep them going.
Just deporting all illegal immigrants will not solve the economic crisis we are in, nor will stop people from migrating to this country illegally. By securing the southern border the United States will be better able to allocate tax dollars to the people that need them. Inner cities will be able to improve their schools and citizens that do require some form of welfare will have more money openly available to them. More tax dollars is good and the increase could lead the government to lowering taxes which would put more money in the average Americans bank accounts. Having more money causes more spending by people stimulating local economies. Industries would not have to rely on huge federal bailouts and people would be at less a fear of losing their jobs. It is important to note that illegal immigrants are not the cause of all problems we face in America, and immigration plays an important role in building our country and advancing the economy. A solution would be to make legal immigration easier for people who want to come to the United States and provide them the means to do so. Everyone, including legal immigrants will benefit from a secured southern border, from the economic benefits stated previously. The “wall” that has been stated by President Trump and other members of the Republican Party is a solution to a problem. As with all solutions in the real world, the wall is not a perfect one, but it is a step in a long process of securing the United States and giving better opportunities to its citizens.