Illegal Immigration Final Essay

           

Becoming a legal U.S. citizen is a complicated, lengthy, and often costly procedure and because of this, the immigration process is often broken. Many immigrants come to America in search of jobs, opportunities, and better living conditions in order to promote an all around better life. As a legal citizen of this country, I support the fact that people are in search of better opportunities and that they look to the United States to find them, but I do not think that entering the United States illegally is an option. Living in the U.S. is a privilege not a right, and I believe that it is perfectly fine to legally enjoy the endless possibilities and freedoms that our country has to offer. Americans are greatly affected by the illegal aliens that enter the U.S because illegal immigration is costing citizens money, jobs, as well as putting them at risk of disease, increasing the crime, drug, gang, and violence rates throughout the United States.

            Legal U.S. citizens are burdened with the cost of illegal immigrants. Illegal immigration causes an enormous drain on public funds. According to a study done by the National Academy of Sciences, the taxes paid by immigrants do not begin to cover the cost of services received by them. Illegal immigrants usually work jobs that pay below minimum wage causing them to make little to nothing, therefore, illegal immigrants require high amounts of government resources. Illegal immigrants are using government aid without paying taxes, which is costing U.S. citizens money. Our current tax system is set up so that people with lower income have to pay little to no taxes, and since illegal immigrants receive very little income, many fall into this category.

            In addition to costing Americans money, illegal immigration is costing Americans jobs. Immigrants, legal or not, usually come to America in search of jobs. Illegal immigrants are desperate for jobs, and employers will hire them in order to pay them low wages and have them work in any kind of conditions whether or not they have legal documents.  Therefore, illegal immigrants are taking jobs from Americans and legal immigrants. According to an article written by Joe Messerli, “Less-skilled American citizens earn less money and have fewer job opportunities because they must compete with immigrants in the job market. Despite the improving economy, we still have millions of citizens out of work. Whether it's lack of skills or lack of opportunities, many of those citizens will be forced to take the low-paying unskilled jobs. If you pump in millions of new workers seeking jobs, it decreases the amount of work available. Plus, the laws of economic supply and demand will push the wages down far from what they would be”. Illegal immigration is affecting both Americans and the economy, and because of this, people are out of work and unable to support their families.

            Not only are illegal aliens costing us money and jobs, but illegal immigration can also cause the spread of deadly diseases. Illegal immigrants do not go through a medical screening, therefore, certain diseases can be spread to the people that they come in contact with. This is a serious concern to all Americans because the lives of many can be at stake from the infections and diseases that one illegal immigrant can bring in to our country. Serious disease such as malaria, dengue, leprosy, tuberculosis, and more are being brought in to our country and risking the lives of millions. Most are passed through restaurants, schools, and police forces. According to Dr. William Levis, head of the New York Hansen's Disease Clinic, "It's creeping into the U.S. ... This is a real phenomenon. It's a public health threat. New York is endemic now, and nobody's noticed." In the same article, Dr. Terry Williams, who runs a Houston-based clinic serving leprosy patients across southern Texas explains that most of the cases he treated were from immigrants. He states, “We see patients from everywhere--Africa, the Philippines, China, and South America." This is evidence that illegal immigration is greatly affecting the health of Americans and is causing a huge health threat. Americans and legal immigrants of the U.S. should not have to worry and fear for their health because illegal aliens are roaming the country bringing in deadly diseases.

            As a result of illegal immigration, there has been an increase in crime, drugs, and gang affiliation. Illegal immigrants are bringing illegal drugs into the United States and some may be involved in the drug trade. In addition to an increase in drugs, there is also an increase in identity theft. According to Civitas Institute website, “Many illegal aliens are also resorting to identify theft. During a recent raid at Smithfield Foods in the Bladen County town of Tar Heel, investigators found that 86 percent of workers arrested for immigration violations had also stolen identities from American citizens." This shows that these illegal aliens are using fake documents and posing as other people in order to go about the United States. All in all, illegal immigration is causing an increase in crime, violence, gangs, drugs, and other illegal crimes but the problem is that it is difficult to prosecute illegal immigrants because they can easily flee the country. People may think that illegal immigration is not harmful to others but in fact it is, and if we are lenient on people who break immigration laws then people who commit other crimes will expect our government to be lenient on them. Our country rests upon the principle of freedom but with that freedom we need laws and restrictions in order to ensure the safety of legal citizens and it is important that we stick by those laws.

            Some people may argue that illegal immigration is a victimless crime and that it is not harming anyone, but this is not true. Americans are greatly affected by illegal immigration. Illegal immigration causes a large drain on public funds and costs legal U.S. citizens money and jobs. According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform, “The quality of education, health care and other services for Americans are undermined by the needs of endless numbers of poor, unskilled illegal entrants”. Additionally, people think that illegal immigration gives the United States a better look because we look more diverse and welcoming to immigrants, but in reality, living in the United States is a privilege, not a right. We should not be more concerned about how our country looks as oppose to the safety and rights of legal United States citizens. Our country's culture can be expanded through immigrants who enter our country legally. Illegal immigration is costing citizens money and jobs, and immigrants use a high amount of government resources without paying taxes and this costs legal citizens money. Why should legal citizens of this country have to pay for people who are going against the law and entering our country illegally?

            In the last few years, illegal immigration continues to be a controversial issue. It is a matter of millions of people entering, staying, and working in the country without legal permission. I believe that there needs to be a stop to illegal immigration and that our country needs stricter laws on illegal immigrants. Many people from different countries want to come to our country in order to start a better life and I understand that completely, but I think that coming into the United States illegally is not an option. Becoming a U.S. citizen is a long process, but in order to become a citizen, immigrants need to go through with this process. It is not fair that some people enter illegally while others wait possibly years to become a citizen in this country, and I think that this should not be tolerated. While many believe it is a victimless crime, illegal immigration is costing citizens money, jobs, as well as putting them at risk of disease, increasing the crime, drug, gang, and violence rates throughout the United States.