The Impact of Illegal Immigration on the United States
Monica Savard
Axia College University of Phoenix
The Impact of Illegal Immigration on the United States
America is in a time of economic crisis. Everyday on the news, it seems there is talk of more Government financial bailouts. In the mist of soaring gas prices and rising taxes, Americans are losing their homes, jobs and their dignity. In the quite mist of all the chaos, more than 11 million immigrants have crossed our boarders illegally and are living here in the United States in search of the American dream. They come to the United States for jobs, free healthcare, education, and a sanctuary for economic security and for some, illegal activities. While there are laws in place to secure and keep our borders safe, they are not fully enforced. The American government must control the flow of illegal immigrants into America in order to provide more opportunities for Americans. Strengthening enforcement on illegal immigration will help alleviate the financial burden it places on the U.S. economy and provide a safer country for its legal citizens.
There are many problems due to illegal immigration, including overpopulation, rising crime rates and unemployment. These are major issues that create a drain on our economy. According to Steve Camarota (2004), author of "The High Cost of Cheap Labor, Illegal Immigration and the Federal Budget", illegal alien households make up 3.6 percent of the total population. They pay an estimated 0.9 percent of taxes and 1.4 percent of costs. The combination of both their payments and costs are considerably less than their share of the total population. Although that would seem to make immigration a smaller-issue than originally thought, we must take into consideration the high use of public services and the virtual non-payment of taxes as the result of the fiscal deficit. It is estimated that every illegal household carries a fiscal drain on the federal treasury of...