Cara Stephenson
Ms. Hart
Research Paper
October 7, 2018
How Illegal Immigration Directly Effects The United States
The “issue” of illegal immigration in the United States is an extremely prevalent topic discussed daily. For better or worse immigration will always be a topic discussed. Most can agree that immigration and cultural diversity are for the betterment of this country, but the divide sits when immigration is done illegally.
In 1889 a geographer by the name Georg Raventstein wrote his Laws of Migration, “Bad or oppressive laws, heavy taxation, an unattractive climate, uncongenial social surroundings, and even compulsion. All have produced and are still producing currents of migration, but none of these currents can compare in volume with that which arises from the desire inherent in most men to ‘better’ themselves in material respects.” Between 1880 and 1910 alone over 17 million people migrated to the United States. This heavy immigration lead to increased transportation technology like boats, ships, planes and even railroads, and in turn helped shape the economy to become the way it is today. The rapid increase in immigrants was great for industries who needed workers and allowed them to keep afloat. In 1910 a law was passed outright to ban any immigration of those whom were of the Asian descent. The law held until the 60’s and allowed Asians to enter the United States once again.
The majority of economists agree that immigration, whether done legally or illegally, is good for the economy. Studies show that the increase in the number of immigrants again legally or illegally helps grow the nations GDP (gross domestic product) and increase productivity in the work force. George Borjas has a theory that an increased population leads to a higher demand which in turn helps create more jobs and increases wages for workers. If Immigration restrictions were eliminated worldwide, the worlds labor supply would double economic growth would grow by three times that of what it is today. Studies show that if these restrictions became null, workers in countries like Afghanistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia and many others could see there wages go from $8,900 – $18,000 per year which is more than two times than the average in those countries. Studies also show that foreign born entrepreneurs account for 25% of new patents in the U.S. In 1998, the expansion of the H1-B visa program, which allows companies to hire high skilled illegal immigrants, led to an 18% increase in revenues for those companies who adapted to the program.
In 2014, the federal government deported 369,000 immigrants which is nine times as many that were deported in 1994. Economically that hurt/ hurts the economy. Research shows that if the United States were to allow illegal/undocumented immigrants, who live in the United States, legal status that it would create a positive net income growth on the economy. If the United States did so, it would allow immigrants to acquire jobs more suit to their skill which would drive their wages up. When wages go up for any person(s), that creates a demand for more goods and services which comes full circle to help the customers, consumers, and the economy. According to the Center for American Progress, giving illegal immigrants a legal status and the right to live here as a citizen, would create more than 210,000 jobs nationwide per year. It is obvious that whether an illegal immigrant is a highly skilled hard worker or a low skilled lazy worker, they boost national output and provide an economics benefit. If the United States were to secure the boarders completely, GDP would decrease 0.61% and would increase 0.53% if they allowed full legalization. A research done by the Pew Research Center found that more than half of the United States agree that Illegal immigrants Strengthen the economy. But you cant fight statistics. Anti-Illegal immigration debates are blown out of the water when you bring up how impactful it is on the economy.
Illegal immigration has been a topic of discussion within The United States for years on end. Whether you think that it is not a big deal, or you can’t stand it, it is occurring everywhere and has been for a long time. The outbreak of illegal immigration started in the mid to late 1900’s when the country had a surplus of jobs that were unfulfilled. From ABC.net, an immigration and U.S. census analyst reported “From 1942-1964 five million Mexican workers were admitted to the United States to perform temporary services of labor”. This uprising in the number of immigrant workers was significant to the economy’s growth and the population size. The types of jobs these workers would be doing were tough manual labor jobs, for employers could pay the workers a lower wage. When an illegal immigrant enters the United States, they are being “granted” the freedom, liberty, and opportunity that they might not have in their country. Many illegal immigrants have to work to pay for their house, food, gas, and other everyday needs. They are often on the move, jumping from job to job to steer away from authorities.
Ruth Asmah, an illegal immigrant who has lived in the states for 13 years, sat down for an interview with Mirror.co.us where she told her story of being illegal. “This is how you live when you are undocumented,” says Ruth, “You are constantly moving. I don’t take anything – no benefits, not even free school meals for Dyanna”. You might think to yourself, “Why is this so bad? Why is this negative? They are just people trying to live a good life and provide for their family, why is this such a bad thing?” There are more underlying facts that will be provided to support the negative effect claim.
Since World War I and World War II, citizens from Poland, Germany, Asia and many other countries started trying to immigrate into the United States illegally during the wars. Today, we have a similar situation occurring. People from Mexico and Canada are illegally coming into the states. A professor at Occidental College, Jane Hong, whom studies History and published a book on the immigration during WWI and WWII states in his book, “Starting in the late 19th century, race-based restrictions kept Asian immigration to a trickle. The 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act largely did what the name suggests; by 1924 Congress had barred all Asian groups. Eventually this complete prohibition gave way to a nominal quota system, but it wasn't until Hart-Celler that lawmakers finally abandoned blatantly racist immigration policy”. Evidentially, Hong believes this is what sparked the outbreak. Once this law was passed, the majority Caucasian country of The United States saw Caucasian number drop like crazy. This is how the United States got their name as the melting pot of the world. When immigrants come to the states for work they often come and return back to their country with the money they acquired. This causes a problem for the United States citizens and the economy.
According to CNN Immigration Statistics Fast Facts, in 2014 there were approximately 12.1 million unauthorized immigrants living in the United States, up from 11.6 million in 2010, which makes up for about 4% of the population. Steven Camarola, a writer for The New York Times said, “there are an estimated eleven million illegal immigrants in the country and we also admit over a million legal immigrants each year, leading to enormous implications for the United States labor market”. As you can infer, more illegal immigrants enter the United States than legal immigrants do per year. Approximately 8.5 million jobs are occupied by those with the “illegal” or “undocumented” status. Currently there are 160.32 million jobs in the labor force with 6.8 million legal Americans unemployed based on facts from Statista.com and Money.CNN.com. That being said, with 8.5 million jobs occupied by illegal immigrants. If these people were legal and documented, it would help the economy immensely.
The result of undocumented people acquiring work is that wages are declining. Some studies show that when illegal immigrants take jobs it causes unemployment rates . In 1986 a law was passed which made it illegal for illegal aliens to take jobs from Americans. The one thing about this law is that American employers disobey this law because it is cheaper for them to hire undocumented workers. Changes are being proposed every day to ensure that American workers are a priority. Many may argue that immigrants often times take the jobs that everyday American citizens would not prefer to do or would not apply for but that is not the case. Proctor and Gamble CEO, on August 1, 2014, said that they got 1 million applications for 10,000 jobs. The wages in America are decreasing, which is a result of more people in the workforce. Businesses do not feel a threat from the government when hiring illegal immigrants which in turn is why many politicians want the government to crack down on corporations and the small businesses that hire them.
Furthermore, illegal immigration has negatively affected not only the population, but also people’s wallets. The annual cost of illegal immigration is estimated at $113 billion to American taxpayers. Illegal immigration does not only affect US citizens job opportunities but their income as well. Illegal immigrants are often paid less than their legal counterparts which leads to not only exploitation but also lowering of wages and working conditions. According to the Washington Examiner, households headed by illegal aliens are costing American taxpayers $135 Billion a year the highest the US has seen. This mass amount of money is caused by free health care education and boarder security costs. This created an annual net fiscal deficit of $19.3 billion. One thing which makes America great is how much is provided to the people who reside. Even the people who live in America illegally benefit from tax dollars.
Another study on the effects of illegal immigration is the increased crime rates among such people. Texas Senator Ted Cruz was quoted saying “nobody who cares about being human or compassionate, should want to see a system that encourages illegal immigration…. The people trafficking children in this country, are vicious smugglers. We need to have a plan where we secure the borders and people wait in line to come here legally.” Since the rise in illegal immigration, crime rates and sex trafficking have both risen. On July 18, 2018, a University of Iowa student, Mollie Tibbetts, went missing while on a late-night walk. That night she never returned and was reported missing. After a month of searching, Police identified undocumented and illegal alien Christiana Rivera, guilty in the murder of Mollie Tibbitts. This is one example in a long list of undocumented immigrants who commit heinous crimes such as this one. According to a 2011 government report illegal immigrants account for 25,000 accounts of homicide, 42,000 robberies, 70,000 sex offenses, and nearly 30,000 kidnappings. The crime rate in America caused by illegal immigrants is significantly higher than such legal citizens per citizen. In Texas, there were a reported 600,000 arrests due to criminal offenses in the last 7 years.
As we conclude the research done it is evident that illegal immigration has a strong effect on the United States as an economy, the population, the wellbeing and the country as a whole. On the topic of immigration, research shows that it is incredible for our economy and country. Cultural diversity is what drives this country to stand as one. Freedom, liberty, and opportunity are the three key elements in which many people move to America looking for a fresh start. When immigration is done legally it works out for the betterment of the country, vs. when it is not and the statistics show the negative effects. Although immigration whether legal or not shows terrific economic growth, as of right now the rules are in place disallowing immigrants to enter the states illegally. Many politicians are devising plans to work together with people to quicken immigration processes and to allow more people to enter the US, legally. We see how and why illegal immigration negatively affects this country: Immigration drives wages to plummet, job opportunities to become absent, and violence to become more apparent and regularized. On the other hand, Immigration drives the economy upwards: creates more jobs, produces higher wages and also creates a market. Statistics are only a small part of the argument though. As stated above the example of how illegal immigration hurts our country there are still many ways that it helps out country. Whether white, black, purple, brown, American, Indian, Mexican or Canadian, each and every single person is still a person and has a heart. Everyone can make this country better we just need to work as one to make sure it stays safe. As a country, a culturally diverse population, is the goal and its our job to make that happen.
Works Cited
Borjas George J. "Symposium on Immigration: An Introduction." Independent Review, vol. 22, no. 3, Winter2018, pp. 325-328. EBSCOhost
Camarota, Steven M. “The New York Times Company.” The New York Times, The New York Times, www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/01/06/do-immigrants-take-jobs-from-american-born-workers/unskilled-workers-lose-out-to-immigrants.
Hong, Jane. “The Law That Created Illegal Immigration.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2015, www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-1002-hong-1965-immigration-act-20151002-story.html.
Nadadur, Ramanujan. "Illegal Immigration: A Positive Economic Contribution to the United States." Journal of Ethnic & Migration Studies, vol. 35, no. 6, July 2009, pp. 1037-1052. EBSCOhost
“The History of Illegal Immigration in the United States.” Radio National, 20 Aug. 2014, www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/rearvision/the-history-of-illegal-immigration-in-the-united-states/5678670.
Acton, Matthew. “Man Accused Mollie Tibbetts Murder 'Stalked Other Girls in
Hometown'.” The Sun, The Sun, 23 Aug. 2018, www.thesun.co.uk/news/7080375/murder-illegal-immigrant-christian-rivera-mollie-tibbetts/
“Analysis | Fact-Checking President Trump's Numbers on the 'Human Toll of Illegal Immigration'.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 6 July 2018, www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2018/07/06/trump-falsely-claims-the-human-toll-of-illegal-immigration/?utm_term=.93defa563a20.
Nicholson, Michael D., and CAP Immigration Team. “The Facts on Immigration Today: 2017 Edition.” Center for American Progress, www.americanprogress.org/issues/immigration/reports/2017/04/20/430736/facts-immigration-today-2017-edition/.
Dunn, Amina. “Shifting Public Views on Legal Immigration Into the U.S.” Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, 16 Oct. 2018, www.people-press.org/2018/06/28/shifting-public-views-on-legal-immigration-into-the-u-s/.