Illegal Immigration Benefits
The impact of illegal immigration of Hispanics in America’s economic system. Illegal immigration has always been a subject of much controversy and debate, in part, due to the way that it affects our economy, whether in a negative or positive way, as a whole. Oftentimes arguments from both parties arise, from “they’re draining our resources”, “they’re taking jobs away from lawful citizens” to “they help build up our economy” chances are both parties are right. However, more than delving into the subject of which side is right or wrong, I will try to bring to the forefront the advantages and benefits illegal immigration has to our economy, while also acknowledging the challenges and hurdles they face, as they slowly reshape our economy.
As of …show more content…
the latest census in 2014, it was estimated that the overall Hispanic population, excluding illegal immigrants was of 55 million, while the illegal immigrant’s population was that of 11.4 million people, according to DHS’ Office of Immigration Statistics (OIS). Statistics do not lie, Hispanic population, whether under legal or illegal circumstances account for xx percent of the overall United States’ population, the largest minority group in the country.
But more than statistics, Hispanics immigrants play a bigger role not only in the economy, but in the country as a whole. Aside from arguments of political nature such as civil rights, public safety, and the gentrification of areas who were once populated exclusively by people other than minority groups, illegal immigrants often times if not most of the time because of their lack of proper documentation are forced to take on jobs that are usually not seen as favorable as those lawful citizens are able to obtain. Illegal immigrants tend to lean on the agriculture industry as a means of employment. A, it is more feasible option for them to do this kind of work as the main requirements is usually time availability and not much documentation is needed on their side; and B, because this minority group tend to establish themselves close to each other, it gives them a sense of security as well as a piece of mine to be able to at the very least, work with people who speak their same language and whom also happen to be sharing their same situation so they can relate to each other.
According to the Pew Research center, only four percent of illegal immigrants work in agriculture. However, about half the crop workers in the United States are illegal immigrants, therefore, making a less than average hourly wage than their authorized coworkers, something that is quite visible given that they make about $5,600 less per year in their overall income. This however, does not seem to be truly detrimental to them since their lower wage actually puts them at an advantage when it comes to work opportunity. Because employers pay them minimum wage if not less, they can afford to give illegal immigrants more work hours than their legal counterparts, therefore, saving money on salary payments while also increasing the workforce coverage.
The agricultural industry has never been very thrilled with legalization of illegal immigrants and for many reasons.
As said earlier, legal workers do not usually go for this sort of physical work, which defers greatly with their illegal counterparts who tends to go after these jobs. Legalization of immigrants would not play to their advantage, since it would mean that they would have to pay them the wage they’re entitled to. Also the work demand will increase since Americans are not necessarily willing to do this type of work. And then there are even bigger repercussions, such as higher prices for necessary food items as well as a decrease in the productions of these goods since there wouldn’t be enough manpower to carry out the main …show more content…
work.
Aside from agricultural work, illegal Hispanics work a wide array of different jobs, most notably: restaurant work such as bus person, food preparation, cooks and dish washing; also, cleaning, gardening and landscaping, garbage collection, construction and laborer. All of this workforce help our American economy in many different ways, one of them is by increasing the workforce which in turn helps business generate revenue of which a percentage would go to federal and state taxes. The higher the income, the higher the taxes business are required to pay back to the federal government.
Illegal immigrants are helping reshape the entire US economy. They provide employers with the flexibility they require in order for them to meet their goal. Their flexibility stems from their lack of options in the job market. They are usually always available for work, when employers need them and exactly where they need them. This sort of flexibility is not likely in other groups, and employers know how to take advantage of this situation to generate additional income and keep their production booming.
It is not the fact that illegal immigrants are more likely to take on this sort of work, or that they don’t have any choice, it’s the fact that ironically, these not so much sought after jobs happen to be the type of jobs that keep our country and our economy running. Take for instance agriculture and farming where thousands of businesses depend on their work. The worked performed by this illegal immigrants help our economy because their agricultural and farming skills help us not only in the exportation of this goods, but also in making sure business such as restaurants, hotels, supermarkets, meat shops, markets, and any other business than depend of this type of work have everything they need. Same thing occurs with the construction industry, everyday more and more contracts both private and federal are available, making it easy for illegal immigrants to find work and somehow contribute to our economy.
Yet, in spite of this, illegal immigrants continue to be frowned upon.
There are many claims, whether they contribute or not to our economy, or whether they pay income taxes, or are they taking benefit money from struggling lawful citizens. The truth is, they definitely contribute to our economy, not only through work, but also through taxes. Illegal immigrants just like the rest of the United States population pay sales taxes on anything that’s either consumables, like food, as well as clothing and for services such as gas, repairing and utilities. These taxes vary by state, but they apply pretty much to anything you purchase. There is no way to track the legal status through a purchase, neither is it necessary nor required. Additionally, almost two thirds of undocumented immigrants pay taxes by using an individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN). This number issued by the IRS does not discriminate or asks for legal status as both undocumented and legal residents are able to apply as long as they qualify. This number reports their overall wages to the IRS and it’s used as a means to track both, their earnings and their contributions, which are measured through tax withholdings on their
paychecks.
To better understand undocumented immigrant’s contribution to our economy, an immigration reform must be put into place in order to gauge their contribution through federal and state taxes’ withholdings from paychecks. An ITIN basically acts as a social security card in giving this people the opportunity not just to work, but also to give something to our economy in the form of taxes. Granted, it’s not the same as having a social security card where they are able to obtain bank accounts, credit/debit cards as well as loans, which are the sort of things that keep our economy flowing. This reform, however, will require all immigrants to be granted legal status to the United States of America. There is no real way however, to track their exact contribution to our economy; we cannot track their spending through purchases of goods, they usually avoid surveys and sometimes find jobs which pays them under the table.
Regardless of this, illegal immigrants do contribute to our economy, and in a major way. It is estimated than in between state/local and federal taxes they pay $11.64 million dollars in average a year. Contributions differ from state to state as some of them have a higher percentage of sales taxes and property taxes than other states, but when combined nationwide, it provides us with a huge number. On average, illegal immigrants pay more in taxes than legal folks do, according to The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), unlawful immigrants pay 8 percent of their overall earnings in taxes, as opposed to the 1% of the American population, whom happen to control most of the wealth of the United States; They only pay about 5.4 percent of their overall earnings in taxes. Rightfully, undocumented immigrants’ illegal status puts them at a disadvantage, since they’re not only paying more than other groups, but also they do not get to receive a yearly refund due to their inability to file for a tax return, which is perhaps one of the only ways to sort of track their overall contributions.
But people argue whether their contribution is outweighed by the amount of resources undocumented immigrants received. In a 2012 report by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), it shows that undocumented immigrants make extensive use of our country’s welfare system, oftentimes at a very much higher rate. It should not be hard to understand why this occurs, after all, they are making less than ideal wages and they pay their fair share of taxes, so the net income they get to bring home is much smaller than it should be; Therefore, utilizing this services for basic needs such as food, housing and medical care.
In the same report, it showed that just four years ago, 30.5 percent or nearly 17 million undocumented immigrants were receiving food stamps, 26.6 were receiving WIC, 56.3 percent on Medicaid, 10 percent were receiving cash assistance, and 6.0 percent were living in public housing sponsored or subsidized by the federal government. So yes, they are actively using all of this benefits programs just like legal residents, but in the same context we have to acknowledge that they’re also giving back to the economy.
If Illegal immigrants were not contributing to our economy, the government would have already put into place harder requirements to qualify as a means to exclude this select group of people from collecting this benefits. To some people it may seem odd that undocumented immigrant’s households who are comprised of at least one working person have to depend to religiously on benefits to pretty much make ends meet, however, this programs were designed by our government with the sole purpose of assisting those struggling families than make really low wages and that would definitely need those benefits to feed their families and purchase the basic things they need.
Although undocumented immigrants greatly help in keeping our economy running, the worries of many people (particularly those with granted legal status or native) that they are draining our resources or that their contribution is not enough is not necessarily baseless. The National Research Council (NRC) estimated in 1996 that undocumented immigrant’s households create a net fiscal burden on all levels of government of between $11.4 billion and $20.2 billion annually. This is due in part to the fact that the amount of basic benefits that they get, usually on a monthly basis, is greater than the amount of taxes they pay back. But something really interested was also found on this report, NRC also found that this economic burden of immigration is heavily dependent on the level of education of the immigrant or immigrants in question.
As of …show more content…
the latest census in 2014, it was estimated that the overall Hispanic population, excluding illegal immigrants was of 55 million, while the illegal immigrant’s population was that of 11.4 million people, according to DHS’ Office of Immigration Statistics (OIS). Statistics do not lie, Hispanic population, whether under legal or illegal circumstances account for xx percent of the overall United States’ population, the largest minority group in the country.
But more than statistics, Hispanics immigrants play a bigger role not only in the economy, but in the country as a whole. Aside from arguments of political nature such as civil rights, public safety, and the gentrification of areas who were once populated exclusively by people other than minority groups, illegal immigrants often times if not most of the time because of their lack of proper documentation are forced to take on jobs that are usually not seen as favorable as those lawful citizens are able to obtain. Illegal immigrants tend to lean on the agriculture industry as a means of employment. A, it is more feasible option for them to do this kind of work as the main requirements is usually time availability and not much documentation is needed on their side; and B, because this minority group tend to establish themselves close to each other, it gives them a sense of security as well as a piece of mine to be able to at the very least, work with people who speak their same language and whom also happen to be sharing their same situation so they can relate to each other.
According to the Pew Research center, only four percent of illegal immigrants work in agriculture. However, about half the crop workers in the United States are illegal immigrants, therefore, making a less than average hourly wage than their authorized coworkers, something that is quite visible given that they make about $5,600 less per year in their overall income. This however, does not seem to be truly detrimental to them since their lower wage actually puts them at an advantage when it comes to work opportunity. Because employers pay them minimum wage if not less, they can afford to give illegal immigrants more work hours than their legal counterparts, therefore, saving money on salary payments while also increasing the workforce coverage.
The agricultural industry has never been very thrilled with legalization of illegal immigrants and for many reasons.
As said earlier, legal workers do not usually go for this sort of physical work, which defers greatly with their illegal counterparts who tends to go after these jobs. Legalization of immigrants would not play to their advantage, since it would mean that they would have to pay them the wage they’re entitled to. Also the work demand will increase since Americans are not necessarily willing to do this type of work. And then there are even bigger repercussions, such as higher prices for necessary food items as well as a decrease in the productions of these goods since there wouldn’t be enough manpower to carry out the main …show more content…
work.
Aside from agricultural work, illegal Hispanics work a wide array of different jobs, most notably: restaurant work such as bus person, food preparation, cooks and dish washing; also, cleaning, gardening and landscaping, garbage collection, construction and laborer. All of this workforce help our American economy in many different ways, one of them is by increasing the workforce which in turn helps business generate revenue of which a percentage would go to federal and state taxes. The higher the income, the higher the taxes business are required to pay back to the federal government.
Illegal immigrants are helping reshape the entire US economy. They provide employers with the flexibility they require in order for them to meet their goal. Their flexibility stems from their lack of options in the job market. They are usually always available for work, when employers need them and exactly where they need them. This sort of flexibility is not likely in other groups, and employers know how to take advantage of this situation to generate additional income and keep their production booming.
It is not the fact that illegal immigrants are more likely to take on this sort of work, or that they don’t have any choice, it’s the fact that ironically, these not so much sought after jobs happen to be the type of jobs that keep our country and our economy running. Take for instance agriculture and farming where thousands of businesses depend on their work. The worked performed by this illegal immigrants help our economy because their agricultural and farming skills help us not only in the exportation of this goods, but also in making sure business such as restaurants, hotels, supermarkets, meat shops, markets, and any other business than depend of this type of work have everything they need. Same thing occurs with the construction industry, everyday more and more contracts both private and federal are available, making it easy for illegal immigrants to find work and somehow contribute to our economy.
Yet, in spite of this, illegal immigrants continue to be frowned upon.
There are many claims, whether they contribute or not to our economy, or whether they pay income taxes, or are they taking benefit money from struggling lawful citizens. The truth is, they definitely contribute to our economy, not only through work, but also through taxes. Illegal immigrants just like the rest of the United States population pay sales taxes on anything that’s either consumables, like food, as well as clothing and for services such as gas, repairing and utilities. These taxes vary by state, but they apply pretty much to anything you purchase. There is no way to track the legal status through a purchase, neither is it necessary nor required. Additionally, almost two thirds of undocumented immigrants pay taxes by using an individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN). This number issued by the IRS does not discriminate or asks for legal status as both undocumented and legal residents are able to apply as long as they qualify. This number reports their overall wages to the IRS and it’s used as a means to track both, their earnings and their contributions, which are measured through tax withholdings on their
paychecks.
To better understand undocumented immigrant’s contribution to our economy, an immigration reform must be put into place in order to gauge their contribution through federal and state taxes’ withholdings from paychecks. An ITIN basically acts as a social security card in giving this people the opportunity not just to work, but also to give something to our economy in the form of taxes. Granted, it’s not the same as having a social security card where they are able to obtain bank accounts, credit/debit cards as well as loans, which are the sort of things that keep our economy flowing. This reform, however, will require all immigrants to be granted legal status to the United States of America. There is no real way however, to track their exact contribution to our economy; we cannot track their spending through purchases of goods, they usually avoid surveys and sometimes find jobs which pays them under the table.
Regardless of this, illegal immigrants do contribute to our economy, and in a major way. It is estimated than in between state/local and federal taxes they pay $11.64 million dollars in average a year. Contributions differ from state to state as some of them have a higher percentage of sales taxes and property taxes than other states, but when combined nationwide, it provides us with a huge number. On average, illegal immigrants pay more in taxes than legal folks do, according to The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), unlawful immigrants pay 8 percent of their overall earnings in taxes, as opposed to the 1% of the American population, whom happen to control most of the wealth of the United States; They only pay about 5.4 percent of their overall earnings in taxes. Rightfully, undocumented immigrants’ illegal status puts them at a disadvantage, since they’re not only paying more than other groups, but also they do not get to receive a yearly refund due to their inability to file for a tax return, which is perhaps one of the only ways to sort of track their overall contributions.
But people argue whether their contribution is outweighed by the amount of resources undocumented immigrants received. In a 2012 report by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), it shows that undocumented immigrants make extensive use of our country’s welfare system, oftentimes at a very much higher rate. It should not be hard to understand why this occurs, after all, they are making less than ideal wages and they pay their fair share of taxes, so the net income they get to bring home is much smaller than it should be; Therefore, utilizing this services for basic needs such as food, housing and medical care.
In the same report, it showed that just four years ago, 30.5 percent or nearly 17 million undocumented immigrants were receiving food stamps, 26.6 were receiving WIC, 56.3 percent on Medicaid, 10 percent were receiving cash assistance, and 6.0 percent were living in public housing sponsored or subsidized by the federal government. So yes, they are actively using all of this benefits programs just like legal residents, but in the same context we have to acknowledge that they’re also giving back to the economy.
If Illegal immigrants were not contributing to our economy, the government would have already put into place harder requirements to qualify as a means to exclude this select group of people from collecting this benefits. To some people it may seem odd that undocumented immigrant’s households who are comprised of at least one working person have to depend to religiously on benefits to pretty much make ends meet, however, this programs were designed by our government with the sole purpose of assisting those struggling families than make really low wages and that would definitely need those benefits to feed their families and purchase the basic things they need.
Although undocumented immigrants greatly help in keeping our economy running, the worries of many people (particularly those with granted legal status or native) that they are draining our resources or that their contribution is not enough is not necessarily baseless. The National Research Council (NRC) estimated in 1996 that undocumented immigrant’s households create a net fiscal burden on all levels of government of between $11.4 billion and $20.2 billion annually. This is due in part to the fact that the amount of basic benefits that they get, usually on a monthly basis, is greater than the amount of taxes they pay back. But something really interested was also found on this report, NRC also found that this economic burden of immigration is heavily dependent on the level of education of the immigrant or immigrants in question.