by Amanda Demers

Created on: June 20, 2008   Last Updated: January 17, 2012

Government benefits in the US should only be received by natural-born or naturalized, legal citizens. Giving benefits to illegal immigrants strains the economy, causes higher taxes, hinders many people from receiving needed support, and causes an anti-immigration and even nativist sentiment in this country.

Illegal immigrants who receive benefits cause a drain on an already troubled economy. As unemployment and other related problems increase, more people will need to receive unemployment benefits, welfare if they have children, and other assistance such as food stamps. When people receive benefits only because they have children born in this country who are automatically citizens, fewer resources are available. Faith-based and other charitable organizations cannot pick up the slack because their resources are far more limited.

Since government benefits are paid out of our tax dollars, illegal immigrants who receive benefits cause higher taxes to cover these programs. Many illegal immigrants are paid "under the table" and don't contribute to payroll taxes. In an ideal situation, benefits paid for by tax dollars should only be available to those who pay taxes.

Many people in need are unable to receive help that's needed, most likely due to the volume of US residents receiving benefits. If government benefits were restricted so that only legal citizens could receive them, these programs would benefit more people in need. Guests worker programs that allow foreign workers and their children to reside in the country, while waiving the right to benefits, have been suggested.  Some have even proposed laws that would require a child born in the US to have one parent who's a legal citizen to be considered citizens themselves, which may be controversial and raise a variety of legal issues. Others have also suggested not providing increased benefits for more than two children, regardless of the family's legal status.

The very worst part about giving illegal immigrants benefits is that it contributes to an anti-immigration, nativist mindset among many Americans. This country was built by and has been blessed by the existence of hard-working, law-abiding immigrants. When some immigrants abuse the system, this makes many Americans angry about the presence of immigrants in general.
If illegal immigration isn't stopped, this is likely to lead to severe racial conflicts.

Legal immigration should be allowed by all means, but immigrants should not be able to receive any benefits until they've become full citizens. This will hopefully encourage more hard-working, reliable immigrants and discourage those who are simply out to get as many benefits as possible.

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