Illegal Immigrants Should Be Allowed Into America

Essay, Research Paper

Illegal immigrants should be allowed into America. An illegal immigrant is any person who enters the United States illegally, or any person who enters legally and stays past the time legally allowed. There are many arguments that support allowing illegal immigrants into America. Illegal immigrants are essential to the American economy, they contribute more to the government than they receive in benefits, and current immigration policies are discriminatory.

Illegal immigrants have a positive effect on the American economy. History has shown that prosperity follows immigration. Economists point out that the economic boom of the 1950s and 60s was driven by immigration, and the depression of the 1930s began after the restrictive Immigration Act of 1924 was implemented (Example) (Lee 108). Illegal workers provide a flexible, low cost labor pool for United States companies, thus allowing local companies to compete with inexpensive imports from cheap labor companies. Without illegal immigrants, many United States factories would go offshore (Expert Opinion) (Lee 39). Illegal immigrants usually work in low paying positions that most Americans refuse to do. For decades, whenever there was a shortage of farm workers, the INS border patrol pretended that they didn t see the Mexican workers crossing the border (Fact) (Stewart 10).

Illegal immigrants contribute much more money to the government than they receive in benefits, and therefore are not a social burden. Illegal immigrants pay millions of dollars into Social Security that they will never collect. They also pay state income, sales, and property taxes for which they receive few benefits (Example) (Szumski 14). The Orange County Task Force found that illegal immigrants pay $83 million taxes each year and they receive medical services costing only $2.7 million per year (Fact) (Szumski 14). Most immigrants are drawn by the hope of better jobs, not by United States benefits programs. When job prospects dim, many return home. Far from ripping off the system, illegal aliens are more likely to be paying for it, says Douglas Massey of Princeton s office of Population Research (Expert Opinion) (Szumski 14).

Restrictive immigration policies are intrinsically discriminatory. Any immigration policy, except a completely open-door policy, is inherently discriminatory. Our current system discriminates heavily in favor of relatives of United States citizens and legal residents (Expert Opinion) (Andryszewski 92). Many Americans fear open border policies because of the rampant illegal immigrant stereotypes. Nothing is more bizarre than the stereotype of the lazy Mexican. The energy of the Mexican immigrant has become essential to this country. While illegal Mexicans work in the fields, wash dishes, and labor in sweatshops, millions of Americans would rather sit on stoops and wait for welfare checks (Example) (Dudley 169). Approximately 700,000 immigrants are legally accepted to the United States each year. All others are turned away or cross illegally (Fact) (Lee 8).

In conclusion, illegal immigrants should be allowed into America. These hard working immigrants are a vital part of the American economy, they contribute more money to the government than they receive in benefits, and current immigration policies are discriminatory. It is America s responsibility to insure that all people seeking freedom and a better life can have a chance to fulfill their dreams.