by Jay Lara

Created on: May 19, 2009

The United States of America is in the midst of an ever growing crisis. While the economy continues to struggle, prices for commodities such as gasoline rise, and the price of the dollar falls ever lower; meanwhile, the U.S. faces more intense international competition as the rise of globalization and the international marketplace takes hold. Currently, the U.S. faces a national debt of over 10.2 trillion dollars, a figure which increases at an average of 3.84 billion dollars per day (U.S. National Debt Clock). Where is all of this money being spent? According to the national budget in 2007, the U.S. spent nearly $700 billion on Health and human services, and another $610 billion on Social Security.

Illegal immigration in the United States accounts for an estimated $25 billion annually through their use of public services. This number is estimated to triple if amnesty for the approximated 12+ million illegal immigrants is allowed, due to the fact that these immigrants will still remain in the lowest section of the tax bracket and have access to even more services. It should be noted that this estimate is significantly lower than the actual costs that are incurred, due to the difficulty in estimating precisely how many illegal migrants actually reside in the U.S. (Federation for American Immigration Reform).

It is estimated that over 4 million illegal immigrants enter the country annually, over 50% of those being from Mexico, and around 90% of those entries occur at the Southwestern border of the U.S. Not only does this present a fiscal concern, but also that of national security. In a post-9/11 world, it is imperative that the United States offers adequate protection for its extensive borders. (CS Monitor).

So what can the United States Government do to combat the growing expense of Illegal Immigration? Stop hiring them for one. A 2006 audit by the Social Security Inspector General produced a report that The U.S. government was responsible for hiring thousands of illegal immigrants who produced "non-working social security numbers." Many of these employees even had warrants for deportation against them. The Social Security Administration delivers an updated list of social security numbers to the Department of Homeland Security every year. All that is required to ensure the validity of a S.S. number is a simple check with the data base. (youtube MSNBC).

There are already strict penalties in place

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