There are an estimated 11.1 million illegal immigrants residing in the United Sates today (Lopez and Gonzalez-Barrera). The majority of these immigrants are of Hispanic national origin, and ninety-three percent of them express a desire to become U.S. citizens although most have not taken the opportunity to do so (Lopez and Gonzalez-Barrera). The issue of illegal immigration is especially controversial in the US. The two most extreme solutions to the issue of illegal immigration are to grant amnesty for all people who are here illegally, granting them full citizenship, or to deport them to their home countries. Which solution one supports typically depends on whether they see the impact that illegal immigrants have had on this country as being more positive or negative.
In 1986, President Ronald Reagan signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act (Rojas). The act allowed for almost 3 million illegal immigrants to be granted citizenship as well as making it illegal for employers to knowingly hire illegal immigrants (Rojas). Although it is almost thirty years later, and there are many more illegal immigrants in the country, there are still supporters for a similar solution today.
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Despite laws prohibiting the practice, illegal immigrants make up a large portion of today’s workforce. Although some say illegal immigrants “steal” jobs from hardworking Americans, others say the opposite. “The fact that foreigners are eager to pick crops, clean houses, bus tables and produce allows more of us to afford cheaper food and better services, affording us even more wealth to enjoy and invest. It’s not the immigrants, but the taxes, spending and entitlements (most of which immigrants don’t even receive) that have drained the economy dry” (Hoenig).
Additionally, they already pay many taxes such as income taxes and sales taxes so it is fair that they are eligible to receive the benefits from it. They would also be encouraged to pay more taxes if they did not fear being deported for doing so (Krayewski).
Deporting all or even a majority of the immigrants would prove impossible. There are simply too many of them. Granting amnesty to law-abiding, hard-working illegal immigrants would free up government resources for more important matters and strengthen the workforce and the country as a whole (Krayewski).
However, such sentiments are not aligned with mainstream American thought. The majority of Americans believe that most or all of the 11.1 million illegal immigrants residing in the US should be deported (Younglai). They believe that if somebody wants to immigrate to the US, they should do so through the legal channels with no exceptions made. Some say deportation is necessary due to the enormous amount of tax dollars they consume. The impetus for deportation comes down to the figures:
• “$113,000,000,000 – This year’s cost of US illegal immigration. Approximately 75% of that cost is absorbed by the states.
• $52,000,000,000 – The cost of educating the children of illegals. This is by far the single largest cost to the American taxpayer.
• 1,400,000- The number of illegal immigrant households that use at least one major welfare program.” (Illegal Immigration Statistics)
The disagreement between amnesty and deportation comes down to the numbers. Some see illegal immigrants as consuming more resources than they contribute while others see the reverse. In comparing and contrasting the two sides, there are clearly ways in which illegal immigrants consume US resources and other ways in which they contribute to the general welfare. The side that is greater is unclear and contributes to the continued controversy surrounding the issue.
- Hoenig, Jonathan. “Immigration Benefits America.” Capitalistpig. 28 Jan. 2013. Web. 21 July 2013.
- Illegal Immigration Statistics. Web.
- Krayewski, Ed. “5 Reasons to Grant Amnesty to Illegal Immigrants.” reason.com. 7 Feb. 2013. Web.
Lopez, Mark H., and Ana Gonzalez-Barrera. “If they could, how many unauthorized immigrants would become U.S. citizens?” Pew Research Center. 27 June 2013. Web. 21 July 2013. - Rojas, Ingrid. “What is the 1986 amnesty?” ABC News. 5 May 2013. Web. 21 July 2013.
- Younglai, Rachelle. “Majority of U.S. citizens say illegal immigrants should be deported.” Reuters. 20 Feb. 2013. Web. 21 July 2013.
