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I know--it's the new year and I should be charitable, right?
I haven't talked about illegal immigration in awhile. Although some politicians have steered away from this topic, it is still a huge and expensive proposition for this country to tackle. I would say, don't vote for anyone who does not want to fix this criminal behavior, who does not want to protect our borders and actually do something to change it now.
The Palm Beach Post had an article, top front page and center, about illegals paying taxes by using false social security and green cards to the tune of $72.8 billion a year. This amounts to 7.7 million illegal workers in our country working under false pretenses, not to mention the rest of the millions who are paid cash and therefore untracked. It is estimated that we have nearly 24 million illegal people in this country. Over the last 15 years, our country has spent nearly $398 BILLION dollars in social services to illegal immigrants since 1996.
The jest of the article was that all these illegals are working, paying taxes, but will not get a benefit such as Social Security and Medicare. Hello? Entering our country illegally, obtaining a job with illegal documents, living off the welfare of this nation and they aren't going to benefit?
Immigrationcounters.com says, "Our government has demonstrated a complete lack of urgency to control illegal immigration both on the borders and within the interior. Because of this failure, that which traditionally had been the American way of welcoming immigration is now dividing the country because of one word, illegal. Opposing illegal immigration and wanting the laws enforced is not un-American. It is time to set the record straight on what is un-American, illegal."
It furthers states, "America must have immigration enforcement that reflects the nation's call to respect our laws, in balance with the human side of illegal immigration. This must override the narrow interests of the business lobby, expanding government agencies, government officials who envision their dependent class and those who see it as a source of new votes."
And that's what it's all about, folks.
Lynn,
ReplyDeleteAs you know I disagree with you and Allen West about how to handle immigration issues, although I think we can agree that Congress has failed to address this important national problem.
I think you have a problem with the number you cited as the cost of illegal immigration. $398 trillion is far more dollars than there are in the world, even times fifteen. See
http://money.howstuffworks.com/how-much-money-is-in-the-world.htm
Fox news pegged the cost annually at $113 Billion:
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/07/02/immigration-costs-fair-amnesty-educations-costs-reform/
I hope you are having a happy new year.
Sam Goodstein
Thanks, Sam. I corrected the trillion to billion. A heck of a lot of money nevertheless for people here illegally. The amounts get up so high that I can't read all those zeros but we can see it in our national debt that continues to escalate.
ReplyDeleteThe cost to the U.S. of undocumented immigration? It's a wash.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.migrationpolicy.org/lmi/
LEGAL and ILLEGAL is not a wash. One is criminal.
ReplyDeleteWhat about jobs?
"Illegal immigration's overall impact on the US economy is negligible, despite clear benefits for employers and unauthorized immigrants and slightly depressed wages for low-skilled native workers, according to this report by University of California, San Diego Professor of Economics Gordon Hanson for MPI's Labor Markets Initiative."
ReplyDeleteYou can see the whole report on the website whose URL I posted above.
Steve, I gather that you do not believe that undocumented people who have crossed our borders, living and working here, are ILLEGAL? Is that about it? They are costing the US around $113 billion a year at the Federal, State and local level.
ReplyDeleteClearly, it is a violation of law for non-citizens to enter the U.S. without going through customs or to overstay their visas. Not everything that is illegal is a problem, or even "wrong." I'd say wreckless driving is a greater problem here in FL than immigration violations.
ReplyDeleteAs far as cost, the studies show it is a wash.