by The Unknown Writer

Created on: December 28, 2009   Last Updated: December 29, 2009

In order to determine the appropriate fate of illegal aliens, I must first define the seriousness of the problem.

In the late 1980’s, the Reagan administration offered a one-time amnesty to approximately three million illegal aliens - mostly from Mexico - that allowed them a path to U.S. citizenship. This amnesty came with a promise to the American people that it would never happen again, and that border security would be beefed up to protect the U.S. from future waves of illegal immigration. Unfortunately, the second part of that promise was not kept.

Since Reagan’s one-time amnesty, illegals have been streaming across the border in the hope of a second amnesty. Current estimates place the number of illegal aliens in this country at around fifteen million, with twelve million coming from Mexico alone.

The present population of Mexico is around 111 million, (CIA World Fact Book “Mexico”) so more than ten percent of their entire population has illegally moved to America, and more are coming every day.

To say that the impact of these illegals on the American economy is benign, or even beneficial, is ridiculous. Here are just a few consequences of unchecked illegal immigration. I will concentrate on the impact of illegals from Mexico since they make up the vast bulk of the illegal population.

* Most of the illegals from Mexico are poorly educated by American standards. Because of this, they compete for jobs with those Americans who are least able to fend for themselves.

* Because they frequently work under the table and are paid in cash, few pay income taxes, and the businesses that hire them pay no employment taxes. This gives businesses that hire illegals an unfair competitive advantage over those businesses that obey the law.

* Those who do get a regular job, do so with fraudulent identification. This can have dire consequences for those who have their identities stolen. It also provides a path for illegals to get government services they are not entitled to.

* Much of the money earned by illegals is shipped back to their home countries, thus it is not recycled into the U.S. economy where its use would provide jobs for other Americans.

* Even though these illegals send much of their money home, they consume food, shelter, and other amenities in America. Basic economic theory states that when aggregate demand rises in relation to aggregate supply, prices rise.

* Because they dilute the labor pool - again, based on economic theory

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