Introduction
Immigration has always been a part of human culture and for millenniums, people have moved from one geographical region to the other often in search of better opportunities or to run away from adverse conditions in their indigenous land. By definition, immigration is the movement of people from their native land to a new land with the intention of permanently living in the host country.
Immigration has gained significant attention in the 21st century due to the frequency with which this phenomenon occurs and its impacts on host country. In an attempt to control immigration, many countries have come up with restrictive immigration policies aimed at discouraging people from moving into the country.
This has led to the growth in illegal immigration, a phenomenon characterized by moving into a foreign country without the consent of the authorities of the destination country. The US has experienced the largest influx of illegal immigrants over the past decade with the figure projected to be at 11.7 Million (CBS par.2).
These immigrants are often from low-income countries and their main motivation for immigrating Immigration is to look for better employment opportunities. The issue of illegal immigration has elicited different reactions from Americans.
Opponents of Illegal immigrants assert that this group has caused many negative outcomes to the country while proponents state that the illegal immigrants provide valuable services to the country.
This paper will argue that illegal immigration is harmful to the country and measures that are more stringent should be taken to deter it. The paper will show how illegal immigrants reduce the earning power of Americans, cause a strain on the country’s resources, and cause insecurity in the country.
Arguments against Illegal Immigration
Illegal immigrants have led to a reduction in the earning power of citizens in the unskilled labor market. Most immigrants work in areas that do not require high levels of specialization. These include the construction industry, agricultural sector, the service industry and fast food sector.
The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) declares that while illegal immigrants mostly take up low-skilled jobs, which are not competitive, there are still US citizens who work in those job sectors (par.4). Illegal immigrants are willing to provide their labor cheaply and the quality of their work is sometimes higher than that of the local population.
On the other hand, the local population is only willing to provide services in this secondary labor market for a reasonable wages, which is higher than the amount that illegal immigrants work for.
Many employers are therefore likely to pick the illegal immigrant since his/her payment is lower than that of the native-born citizen. According to estimates by FAIR, illegal immigrants lead to depression of wages by up to 30% and accept poor working conditions therefore placing the native workers at a disadvantage (par.5).
Illegal immigrants cause an additional strain on the country’s social facilities. The government offers some social amenities for the benefit of its citizens. These include medical care services, public education and welfare services for the poor. This government provided social services are funded though taxation. Duvell reveals that unregulated migration can result in a severe strain on the available public funds (25).
When people immigrate illegally into a country, they still expect to receive some social services from the host country. These immigrants make use of the education system and the health care system of the host country just like the legal immigrants and native population.
This leads to the unsustainable use of the public’s resources. Philosophy Professor Cafaro Philip and the Wildlife biologist Winthrop Staples declare that the environmental and economic sustainability of the country cannot be guaranteed if immigration is allowed to continue (Cafaro and Staples 8). They argue that measures must be taken to limit immigration in order to ensure the creation of a sustainable society.
In addition to this, the illegal immigrants increase the burden on the county’s welfare system. The welfare system is a social safety net that is supposed to provide a range of free services including medical aid or free food for the people who need it such as the extremely poor or the elderly in society. Many illegal immigrants find that they are unable to obtain gainful employment in the country.
The high cost of living also causes many immigrants to live in poverty. Research indicates that 50% of Mexican immigrants in the US live in poverty while 33% of them have no form of health insurance (Lacy 15). Due to these realities, some immigrants are forced to depend on the government for their healthcare or food since they cannot provide for themselves.
A study conducted using US Census Bureau data from 2010 and 2011 found that 36% of immigrant families benefited from one welfare program compared to approximately 20% of families headed by native-born Americans (May par. 2).
Illegal immigrants have contributed to the rising insecurity in some parts of the country. As previously noted, most illegal immigrants do not have any formal skills. They therefore engage in low-income occupations and there is no job security in their places of work. This makes immigrants susceptible to engaging in criminal activities to make money.
A study by the Manhattan criminal law scholar, Heather MacDonald reveals that in Los Angeles, there is an overrepresentation of illegal immigrants in the list of most wanted criminals (Jimenez 599). Illegal immigrants have also contributed to insecurity by promoting illegal drug trade in the country.
Research indicates that there is an overrepresentation of illegal immigrants in drug trafficking cases in the US. A large number of immigrants, especially from Mexico, have been charged with drug dealing (Jimenez 609). In addition to the negative economic and health effects that illicit drugs cause on the country, these drugs lead to an increase in the cases of drug-related violence.
Support for Illegal Immigration
A significant argument made in support of illegal immigrants is that they contribute to the growth of the country’s economy. As has been noted, most illegal immigrants are motivated to move into the US in search of job opportunities. They therefore find jobs and contribute to the growth of the county’s economy by using their income in the country.
In spite of their illegal status, immigrants still have to live and eat while in the country. Most of the money earned is spent in the country for paying rent or buying consumer goods necessary for everyday living. This consumption is good for the economy since it fuels growth by stimulating the economy. The increased consumption also increases the tax revenue though the value added tax placed on consumer goods.
Illegal immigrants also benefit the US economy by providing a pool of low-cost labor. Most of these immigrants are unskilled laborers who take up jobs that do not require any special skills. In the US, the availability of illegal immigrants has bolstered the economy since they provide cheap and efficient labor to the country.
In most cases, the jobs taken by the illegal immigrants are minimum wage jobs that the country’s citizens are unwilling to engage in. Employers are able to utilize this labor therefore enabling them to produce goods at a competitive price since the cost of production is low.
As such, the economy has benefited from the enhanced productivity brought about by the presence of illegal immigrants who provide cheap and efficient labor. Researchers agree that the number of illegal immigrants is closely tied to the strength of the country’s economy with higher immigrants indicating a strengthening economy (CBS par. 7).
Conclusion
This paper set out to argue that illegal immigrants are detrimental to the country since they lower the earning power of workers in the informal industry and impose a financial burden on the country. The paper began by defining illegal immigrants and highlighting how the US has a significant number of these people within its borders.
It then detailed how illegal immigrants put a strain on the nation’s economy and welfare system. The paper also highlighted some of the economic benefits attributed to illegal immigrants. However, these benefits are insufficient when compared to the negative effects.
From the evidence provided in this paper, it is clear that illegal immigrants have a significant negative social and economic impact on the host country. It would therefore be beneficial for the government to increase its efforts to reduce or prevent illegal immigration into their country.
Works Cited
Cafaro, Philip and Staples Winthrop. “The Environmental Argument for Reducing Immigration into the United States.” Environmental Ethics 31.1(2009): 5-30. Print.
Duvell, Franck. “Globalization of Migration Control: A Tug-of-War? Between Restrictionists and Human Agency?” Crossing Over: Comparing Recent Migration in the United States and Europe. Ed. Holger Henke. London: Lexington Books, 2005. 23-46. Print.
Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). Illegal Aliens Taking U.S. Jobs. 2013. Web.
Jimenez, Tomas. “Weighing the Costs and Benefits of Mexican Immigration: The Mexican- American Perspective.” Social Science Quarterly 88.3(2007): 599-618. Web.
Lacy, Elaine. Mexican immigrants in South Carolina: a Profile. 2007. Web.
May, Caroline. Study: Census data show high immigrant participation on US welfare rolls. 2012. Web.