Is Illegal Immigration Beneficial to the Economy?

IS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION BENEFICIAL TO THE ECONOMY?

One of the biggest issues facing America today is the alarming number of illegal immigrants living in the United States of America. America, “the land of opportunity,” the phrase became the national ethos for the opportunity for prosperity and success for this country. America, settled by immigrants who moved to America, worked in America, built their homes in America and became American citizens. As time moved forward laws were established because immigrants from all over the world wanted the same opportunity; these rules and regulations had to be followed. To be an American was an honorable status, to live like Americans under the provisions of the Constitution of the United States, citizenship had to be earned in order to be granted. The Naturalization Act of 1790 and The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 were established; these acts were the basic laws of United States citizenship and immigration.
In 2011, The Department of Homeland and Security reported, approximately 11.5 million illegal immigrants lived in the United States. The number of illegal immigrants in this country continues to be on the rise. With a depleted economy and a recession, today’s labor market has become especially challenging. The unemployment rate has risen and because it now takes longer to find a job, workers either have ceased looking for work or accepted part-time jobs instead of the full-time jobs they were accustomed to. What jobs are available, many Americans feel they are over qualified to work in these trades or job capacities. Has our society become a spoiled society in the job market? Are the days of the blue-collared worker a cliché in the past? Is the phrase, “blood, sweat and tears” meaningless? Regardless, somebody has to do get the job done. Employers seek employees who are willing and able to perform the jobs nobody wants. That is where the American dream of the illegal immigrant comes into play. The illegal immigrant at all costs will work for a minimal salary. The employer will hire the illegal immigrant for much less than what he would pay for with an American citizen; usually undocumented. So, with the economy at a low, do hiring illegal immigrants pose a threat to our economy? Is illegal immigration beneficial to our economy? Is America to blame for the alarming number of illegal immigrants residing and working in our country?
Some argue that illegal immigration has a positive impact on the United States’ economy; others feel these undocumented immigrants affect jobs, wages and social services such as health care, education and social security as well as the job market. Many jobs taken by illegal immigrants are in the employment field such as the construction business, restaurant industry, farm laborers, custodial workers, landscaping services, taxi drivers and child care services. Many Americans cannot compete with an illegal workforce in the country. Americans currently have to deal with unfair competition from undocumented foreign workers, who are willing to work for lower wages than documented workers. But who is to blame? American employers of this fine country allow the unjust displacement of legal citizen workers by illegal immigrants, who keep wages low and Americans unemployed. Or are illegal immigrants just merely trying to survive by taking jobs that no other Americans want? Now, I live in a border town which borders the United States in Texas and the border of Mexico. The only thing separating the two countries is the Rio Grande along with a newly built fence line which stretches east to Presidio, Texas and west somewhere into Arizona. I have become familiar with many stories about illegal immigrants crossing over from Mexico with hope of living the American dream. It is a fact that in my area of the United States, American employers are hiring illegal immigrants to do the jobs no Americans are willing to do. Even with stiff state and government penalties and fines, American employers continue to “roll the dice” by hiring illegal immigrants. So, one way to eliminate illegal immigrants working in America is simply not to hire them. Because of this first hand realism, I stand in the middle of whether illegal immigration is beneficial to the economy. The following is an example of how illegal immigrants can be beneficial to the economy: Juan Carlos Granados owns and operates two Mexican restaurants in town. His restaurants are packed with customers during business working hours. Mr. Granados serves some of the finest authentic Mexican food around town. The cleanliness of his restaurants along with the customer service is unmatched. The prices on his menu are far more favorable to the consumer than most in our area. Mr. Granados illegally crossed over the Rio Grande into America in search of a dream in the early 1980’s. Mr. Granados was transported into New Mexico where he paid for his passage by working in the Chile fields in the town of Hatch, New Mexico. He lived in illegal labor camps with friends and family members saving his low income wages; sometimes over 20 in a small one room house. In 1986, Congress was weighing an amnesty plan to legalize millions of undocumented workers. Unemployment was at 7 percent. Some lawmakers warned that a flood of newly legal workers would strain hospitals and schools and overwhelm the economy, driving wages down. The bill became law and almost 3 million illegal immigrants were granted amnesty including Mr. Granados. Mr. Granados moved to Texas where he worked as a dishwasher in a restaurant; eventually being promoted to restaurant cook. With his money saved, he was able to afford a small apartment and later began raising a family. He met his wife, Aurora while working at the restaurant; together they used their savings to purchase a used tortilla making machine. They opened their first “little hole in the wall” restaurant in 2000. Currently, as a United States citizen, two restaurants later and a third restaurant on the way, Mr. Granados has a legal documented working staff of over 75 employees. Many people like Mr. Granados who become legalized citizens pursue higher education degrees and purchase homes which benefit the economy. Another way illegal immigration is beneficial to the economy is if they are willing to work for lower wages, the cost to produce or manufacture products should be less expensive. If the cost to produce the items is less expensive, the prices to buy these items may be at a lower cost; the result is larger supply and demand. And the money earned by illegal immigrants is spent in the United States which is beneficial to the economy.
More than two decades of research show the 1986 law raised wages and helped lift the economy. According to a Department of Labor survey, by 1992 average hourly wages for the millions of formerly undocumented workers had risen 15.1 percent. A 2012 study by the Economic Policy Institute in Washington shows U.S. wages overall continued to rise, even as the nation entered into recession between July 1990 and March 1991.
On the contrary many law abiding American citizens are outraged by the millions of illegal immigrants “freelancing” in our beloved country. The business owners who do not succumb to hiring illegal immigrants for cheap labor and cheap manufacturing may not be as competitive in the business market. These business owners would be forced to lower production costs, all while paying their employees higher wages. Not only do the illegal immigrants harm the workforce, social services such as health care and education are used by illegal immigrants. This is because public schools are required to provide education to all students regardless of immigration status and are prohibited from requiring proof of status. Illegal immigrants require more educational services than native-born children because of their lack of proficiency in English, which costs more for school. According to a study by the Federation of American Immigration Reform, an estimated $3 billion costs are spent on illegal students annually for education. Uncompensated medical health care imposed $1.4 billion for illegal immigrants. Since illegal immigrants are undocumented residents and workers for the United States, the statistics regarding their national expenses will never be true data. The increase in illegal immigration also contributes to the criminal justice system in the United States. Many illegal immigrants not only violate United States immigration laws but violate United States drug laws with criminal activity.
So the debate continues; a country founded by immigrants has a serious illegal immigration problem at hand. It appears as if Congress wants to look the other way at this dilemma. Why not look the other way? As of July 2011 the estimated Hispanic population in the United States was 52 million, making the Hispanic origin the nation’s largest ethnic or minority race. Politicians need the Hispanic vote come election time. Depending on what side of the fence you are from, illegal immigration does in fact affect the economy of the United States of America. The question remains, is illegal immigration beneficial to the economy? Is America to blame for the alarming number of illegal immigrants living in the United States? You be the judge.