Illegal_Immigration

Illegal Immigration Is Not Deplorable Many people flock to America in hopes of having a superior lifestyle. Families come here to promise their children stability and to give them a shot at prosperity. Native born Americans have ancestors who migrated to the States for this very reason. Presently, there are numerous immigrants who have made rigorous, life-threatening efforts to come across the US border for a chance to live a better life. Who are Americans as a multi-cultured population to send away their brothers and sisters who just want to work hard and make a little money' Amnesty for illegal immigrants currently living and/or working in the United States should be a federal law because it unifies families, supplies workers for unwanted jobs, gives these families an opportunity to escape poverty, and boosts American economy. By recognizing illegal immigrants as citizens, more families will be held together without the jeopardy of losing one or more members. Babies born on American soil are automatically awarded US citizenship. According to a study done by the Pew Hispanic Center, the vast majority of unauthorized immigrants are young families that have children at high rates. This leads to families with a “mixed-status,” meaning that some members are American citizens while others may be unauthorized to be in this country (Aizenman). If amnesty for undocumented aliens was put into motion, then these families would not have to live in fear that they could lose each other. The government does not want to tolerate anyone without a mere piece of paper that authorizes that individual to live in America. Therefore, innocent families are heinously ripped apart by deportation. It is critical for the overall health of a child to grow up with his or her parents. A family cannot properly function without being together. With an amnesty law, legal daughters would not have to worry about having to say good bye to their undocumented fathers. Those opposed to granting a period of amnesty to immigrants argue that there will be a decrease in job availability. It is certain that jobs will be obtained by immigrants; however, they take the jobs that Americans turn down. The United Farm Workers union tried to give unemployed Americans a leg up. The union offered jobs that “may include using hand tools such as knives, hoes, shovels, etc. Duties may include tilling the soil, transplanting, weeding, thinning, picking, cutting, sorting & packing of harvested produce…Work is performed outside in all weather conditions (Summertime 90+ degree weather)…” (“Jobs”). Not many citizens are going to want these jobs because for pampered Americans, the physical demand is too high while the benefits are too low. The union states, “How can immigrants steal jobs that nobody else wants'” (“Jobs”). Clearly, it is invalid to think that amnesty for immigrants will decrease the number of jobs because there are various employers that offer jobs, but Americans apparently do not want them. How many native born US citizens are seen at a day labor center in comparison to those who migrated here' The migrants greatly outweigh the Americans. James Smith, a senior economist at the Rand Corporation, claims that there is not any proof that migrants further the level of unemployment (Cullen and Fonda 43). Until Americans humble themselves and actually take the jobs available, this nation cannot imply that the work force will be unfairly dominated by immigrants. Awarding citizenship to immigrants will offer families a chance to escape from the grip of poverty. According to estimates by academic and government agencies, 50% of illegal aliens were born in Mexico. According to the World Bank, 53% of people living in Mexico live on less than two dollars a day while 24% live on less than one dollar a day (White 1). Any person living under these conditions will by all means try to flee from the situation. This is the major reason why immigrants are determined to come to America even if it endangers their lives. The World Bank reports that millions of Mexicans live in exorbitant poverty and children have to work in the street to supply their families with food. Also, they do not have government unemployment benefits or welfare (White 1). The people born into this poverty basically have no way out. If the United States government rules that the undocumented immigrants already living here are American citizens, then these immigrants not only from Mexico but any other country will no longer face the threat of being forced back into poverty. Once an American citizen, immigrants would be able to, at the very least, work for minimum wage and send their children to school. The worst case scenario would be that the new citizens being in poverty here in the US. However, that is substantially better than the level of poverty in their home country because they would have access to welfare so they could eat healthy food and drink clean water everyday. Fundamentally, offering amnesty to unauthorized immigrants will diminish America’s debts because immigrant laborers are already helping to revive the American economy. Mortimer B. Zuckerman claims that eleven million illegal immigrants live in the United States (64). However, Bear-Stearns investment firm analysts report that there could be as many as 20 million (White 1). If the entire illegal immigrant population had to pay for crossing the border in order to get into American, then the national debt would be heavily diminished. According to Alan Greenspan, an economist and former chairman of the Federal Reserve, illegal immigration has contributed to America’s economic growth. From 2000 to 2007, unauthorized immigrants made up more than a sixth of the increase in the civilian labor force (Greenspan). Having a strong labor force will yield more profits for America because there would be more productivity. Daniel Griswold, an immigration expert for the Cato Institute, states that immigrant labor could help create white collar jobs because the employer would have more time to invest in higher paying work (Cullen and Fonda 43). He also states that the immigrants “pluck our grapes, stock our shelves, grill our burgers and clean our offices…” (qtd. in Cullen and Fonda 43). This distributes the workload and because the labor force is growing, this calls for more managers to overlook staff (Cullen and Fonda 43). If the United States had more management positions open, then more native born citizens would the opportunity to make more money. According to Lisa Takeuchi Cullen and Daren Fonda, consumers can buy more because immigrant labor causes the cost of goods and services to be low. Migrants working in the US keep wages from increasing, but that prevents inflation and interest rate from skyrocketing (43). With consumers buying and saving, there is more money being put back into American businesses, and there is more money in the banks which supplies money for loans. Surprisingly, most undocumented immigrants do not live here for free. Martha Pantoja, an IRS-Certified volunteer tax preparer, claims, “It is a mistake to think that no illegal immigrants pay taxes. They definitely do” (qtd. in Loller). The Social Security Administration reports that three-fourths of illegal laborers pay taxes into the Social Security and Medicare systems. In 2005, people who submitted incorrect W2 forms, including illegal aliens, contributed $9 billion to Social Security in taxes on $75 billion in wages. Because the US government outlaws giving Social Security to illegal laborers, the tax money they pay into the system goes unclaimed. These laborers politely cover the elderly’s retirement checks without having retirement savings themselves (Loller). Ford, of Middle Tennessee State University, states that illegal aliens contribute to the American economy in sales taxes, property taxes, and excise taxes “(such as the gas tax)” (Loller). Anyone paying taxes in the United States should be a citizen. Immigration overall benefits the well-being of the United States. Allowing a period of amnesty to all unauthorized immigrants presently in the country will aid both the immigrant and US citizens. Here in America, migrant families will be preserved and in higher quality living conditions. The American economy will benefit because of all the new labor which will in turn make life more affordable. America is a land of people whose ancestors migrated to this country. Therefore, the United States cannot shut people out who are already here. The government must pass an amnesty law to show mercy to a conglomerate of hardworking individuals and to build the prosperity of America. Works Cited Aizenman, N.C. “Illegal Immigrants’ Legal Kids Snarl Policy: Increased Birthrate Exacerbates Issue.” The Washington Post. 15 Apr. 2009. Web. 11 Nov. 2010. Cullen, Lisa Takeuchi and Daren Fonda. “What it Means for Your Wallet.” Time 167.15 (2006): 43. Academic Search Complete. Web. 11 Nov 2010. Greenspan, Alan. “Both Legal and Illegal Immigrants Help the U.S. Economy.” Immigration. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Current Controversies. Gale in Viewpoints in Context. Web. 11 Nov. 2010. “Jobs for the Picking.” New York Times 18 July 2010: 7(L). Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 11 Nov. 2010. White, Deborah. “Illegal Immigration Explained – Profits and Poverty, Social Security, and Starvation: Why the Federal Government Can’t End Illegal Immigration.” About.com: US Liberal Politics, 2010. Web. 20 Nov. 2010. Loller, Travis. “Many Illegal Immigrants Pay Up at Tax Time.” USA Today. 11 Apr. 2008. Web. 11 Nov. 2010. Zuckerman, Mortimer B. “Land of Opportunity.” U.S. News and World Report 138.23 (2005): 64. Academic Search Complete. Web. 9 Nov. 2010.