Statistics and Effects of Illegal Immigration on USA Economy

Statistics:

There are currently in the range of 7 million up to 20 million illegal immigrants living and working, in the United States. An exact figure is nearly impossible to state, as illegal immigrants typically avoid responding to US census and maintain a rather low profile for fear of deportation.  The majority, an estimated 40% of illegal immigrants currently are inside of California, (about 25% of the nation’s illegal immigration population), predictably due to the fact that the Mexican border is situated mainly in southern California.  However, Illinois, New Jersey, Arizona, Florida, Texas, and even New York have small populations of illegal immigrants.

Effects:

The effects of illegal immigrants flourishing in USA are immeasurable and uncertain. Under the 14th Amendment, every child born on U.S. soil is an automatic U.S. citizen even if the child is born to illegal alien parents, which makes them eligible for state benefits for financial support and medical care. At present, statistics prove that one in every ten Americans is foreign-born.

As citizens of the United States, we are assessed taxes, annually. Our tax dollars are partly used to support these unauthorized people, through the means of social services (that is, State Welfare assistance programs, state medical insurance, public school systems, and prison systems etc.).

Illegal aliens earn one tenth the wages of Americans. Employers within USA are eager to hire heap workers. Enforcing and policing illegal immigration within these workplaces, is not an easy task, as there is currently no system devised for monitoring these employed illegal aliens. Each year the USA Border Patrol in southern California and surrounding states makes upwards of one million apprehensions or more of persons illegally crossing U.S. borders to work as well as to receive public assistance, frequently with the use of fake and  fraudulent documents. This type of entry into USA is illegal and charged as a misdemeanor, and if they make any future attempts of illegal border crossing it will become a punishable felony crime.

Prevention:

Illegal immigration is an on-going problem for the INS and related government agencies. It is not easily controlled because illegal immigrants are afraid to respond. Fear of being forced to leave the US, deportation, and losing the security for their childrens’ education and health, are a few possible reasons of failure to report with the Census Bureau.

With the annual explosion of illegal immigration into the US, the US government has enacted a bill which will provide a physical fence put in place between the US and Mexico border. This may prove to become an effective tool in the prevention of illegal immigration. Nevertheless, some leaders are skeptical, as there still remain illegal aliens from other countries. Statistics show that three of the highjackers of 9/11 were in the US illegally, from the Middle East. Although a physical fence will deter Mexicans from entering into USA by way of borders, the only realistic means of prevention will be strict enforcement. Laws need to be made in order to curb illegal immigration, before it is too late.