Illegal Immigrants: Your Country Needs Them The words “illegal immigration” often bring a lot of negative connotation when heard, spoken, written, or seen. People have been coming to America illegally and working for hundreds of years and the thoughts and feelings associated with these people are almost always the same—they steal our jobs, they hurt our economy, and they are criminals. What is often overlooked are the important parts of illegal labor and how the lives of Americans would be negatively changed without their impacts. The everyday lives of Americans are affected by the millions of people working illegally in the country and needless to say, illegal immigrant workers are essential to the functioning of the U.S. economy.
When it …show more content…
Based off of information from The Current Population Survey (CPS), Abraham Mosisa found that between the years 2005 and 2007, the unemployment rate for native-born Americans was in fact higher than that of illegal migrant workers, but those numbers became equal again in the years 2008-2012. Although illegals may have had a higher employment rate in those years, it is also important to look at the earnings that specific groups made yearly. Both native and foreign born white workers were still earning more than both their native and foreign born Hispanic counterparts but those numbers still do not take away from the fact that there are millions of people working under-the-rug in America and taking up jobs that could be worked by those natively-born (Mosisa). Take the state of Alabama, for example. In the year 2011, a law under the name of HB 56 was enacted to, essentially, try to forbid illegal immigrants from entering the state. It required legal documentation to work, attend school, receive health care benefits and perform other things such as renew a driver’s license, apply for a business permit, or file a state income tax. Those who violated this law could face up to 10 years in prison—the main goal of this was to make it very difficult for illegal immigrants to live and thus flee the state, creating jobs for those who “deserved it” (Infobase …show more content…
The impact that illegals have on the country is so great that out of the 11 million immigrants in the United States, about “98 percent [have] come without visas, and if the law against employing them were enforced efficiently, agriculture in North Carolina and certain other parts of the country would shut down” (Shipler 114). America needs agricultural laborers. Without illegal immigrants working agricultural jobs, there would be no way for the U.S to provide the same volume of produce that we do now. With a growing population these jobs have a growing demand and will continue to grow (Katel). “Getting rid” of illegal immigrants would just produce a negative domino effect on the lives of all Americans who eat produce grown in the U.S, which is an immense portion of the population. “When talking about immigrants and the economy, Giovanni Peri, an economics professor at the University of California-Davis says, ‘if we don 't have people picking vegetables and fruit in California, for example, we 'll end up importing [those products]’ (Wanlund).” If products were to be imported from other countries, the costs of these goods would be raised and would cost much more than what they do when grown nationally. People are quick to complain about the voluminous number of illegals living and working
When it …show more content…
Based off of information from The Current Population Survey (CPS), Abraham Mosisa found that between the years 2005 and 2007, the unemployment rate for native-born Americans was in fact higher than that of illegal migrant workers, but those numbers became equal again in the years 2008-2012. Although illegals may have had a higher employment rate in those years, it is also important to look at the earnings that specific groups made yearly. Both native and foreign born white workers were still earning more than both their native and foreign born Hispanic counterparts but those numbers still do not take away from the fact that there are millions of people working under-the-rug in America and taking up jobs that could be worked by those natively-born (Mosisa). Take the state of Alabama, for example. In the year 2011, a law under the name of HB 56 was enacted to, essentially, try to forbid illegal immigrants from entering the state. It required legal documentation to work, attend school, receive health care benefits and perform other things such as renew a driver’s license, apply for a business permit, or file a state income tax. Those who violated this law could face up to 10 years in prison—the main goal of this was to make it very difficult for illegal immigrants to live and thus flee the state, creating jobs for those who “deserved it” (Infobase …show more content…
The impact that illegals have on the country is so great that out of the 11 million immigrants in the United States, about “98 percent [have] come without visas, and if the law against employing them were enforced efficiently, agriculture in North Carolina and certain other parts of the country would shut down” (Shipler 114). America needs agricultural laborers. Without illegal immigrants working agricultural jobs, there would be no way for the U.S to provide the same volume of produce that we do now. With a growing population these jobs have a growing demand and will continue to grow (Katel). “Getting rid” of illegal immigrants would just produce a negative domino effect on the lives of all Americans who eat produce grown in the U.S, which is an immense portion of the population. “When talking about immigrants and the economy, Giovanni Peri, an economics professor at the University of California-Davis says, ‘if we don 't have people picking vegetables and fruit in California, for example, we 'll end up importing [those products]’ (Wanlund).” If products were to be imported from other countries, the costs of these goods would be raised and would cost much more than what they do when grown nationally. People are quick to complain about the voluminous number of illegals living and working