9 Biggest Illegal Immigration Pros and Cons

The controversial issue of illegal immigrants in the United States has divided Americans for decades, and the problem is only becoming more and more prevalent. There are currently well over 10 million people in America who are living here undocumented, or illegal. While many systems and government aid programs are burdened by this influx of unregistered people, there are certainly benefits to their presence as well. By breaking down the true pros and cons of illegal immigration we can have a much better understanding and form an educated opinion on this hot button issue.

The Pros of Illegal Immigration

1. Helps To Boost The Economy
While these illegal immigrants may be here without the proper documentation, that doesn’t mean that they don’t contribute to the economy. Illegal immigrants still have to purchase goods in order to survive, and on all of these goods they are required to pay taxes. These taxes benefit the entire country.

2. Provides Inexpensive Labor
Because they often do not speak english, or do not speak english well, and cannot get a normal job due to the fact that they don’t have the proper forms of identification, illegal immigrants make up a large part of the manual labor job force in the country. Whether it be construction, landscaping, or other forms of housework, these people provide a labor force at much cheaper prices.

3. Add Cultural Influence
America has long been known as the melting pot, this is because they have a rich history of embracing immigrants from all over the world. Today is much different, a large portion of people are enraged at these people coming to our country. However, there is no denying the fact that they bring a tremendous amount of culture richness and diversity.

4. A Hope For A Better Future
The sole reason that people from other countries migrate here illegally is for the hope of a better life. The United States offers an incredible amount of opportunities to people of all backgrounds. The safety of many of these people’s home countries is very poor as well. Crime runs rampant, which is another huge driving force bringing them to come here illegally.

5. Doing It Legally Is Very Difficult
The process of becoming a legal citizen to the United States is not an easy one. There are tests that must be passed, fees to be paid, paperwork to be filed. However, the biggest hurdle of all is the simple fact of time. There are extensive waiting lists that people are placed on when applying for citizenship. It also puts you at risk for deportation at any time, which is the biggest fear for most illegal immigrants.

The Cons of Illegal Immigration

1. Abuse of Government Programs
If a child is born in America, even if the parents are both illegal immigrants, that child is granted citizenship to the country. Many women come across the border for the sole purpose of having children that can be placed onto federal aid programs. This greatly overburdens our welfare systems, and supports people who do not pay the same portion of taxes as other recipients.

2. Major Judicial Issues Are Emerging
While certainly not all, but a large percentage of illegal immigrants are much more likely to be criminals. This crime is brought into the country, and is very difficult to fix because the culprits are not registered or traceable in the country. Another problem that happens is instead of being tried and punished for their crimes, they will simply flee back to their own country.

3. Susceptible To Abuse And Poor Work Conditions
Illegal immigrants do very hard work, for very little money. They are exploited and taken advantage of because of the basic fact that they are illegal. The fear of being deported, or their family being deported is very real and an everyday struggle to them. Co workers, neighbors, and employers use this against them.

4. Overpopulation Is Very Real
It would be wonderful to take in every single person, from anywhere in the world, simply because they were in need, but this just cannot happen. The population of the United States is consistently and rapidly increasing. Schools, government systems, and many other public services are greatly over burdened as it is. The more people that enter our country, the worse the quality of these systems become.

Important Facts About Illegal Immigration

  • As of 2013 there are 12.5 million illegal immigrants in America.
  • The spending and taxes of these immigrants make up a whopping 162 billion dollars of tax revenue each and every year.
  • Over half of all undocumented people living in the country are Mexican.
  • 3.5 percent of the entire population is illegal immigrants.
  • Author Biography
    Keith Miller has over 25 years of experience as a CEO and serial entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, he has founded several multi-million dollar companies. As a writer, Keith's work has been mentioned in CIO Magazine, Workable, BizTech, and The Charlotte Observer. If you have any questions about the content of this blog post, then please send our content editing team a message here.

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