Who Illegal Immigration Really Hurts [View All]

[McHatin]

Illegal immigration, just the name of the subject invokes controversy. But names aside, does illegal immigration help or hurt the US?

The question is more complex than it seems, since illegal immigration helps and hurts the US. But who does it help and who does it hurt?

There have been many studies on the economic impact of illegal immigration, and what these studies have shown, much like NAFTA, is that illegal immigration is overall an economic boon to the US. Increased production from lower production costs (wages) and an expanding consumer base has actually contributed to economic growth, especially in areas where illegal immigrants settle heavily such as Houston or southern California. However, this comes at the expense of US workers working in similar jobs that illegal immigrants are going into, such as construction and landscaping. These US workers have seen drops in their real wages and standard of living and some are driven to unemployment. The plus side for those US workers is that some of the products they pay for may have some price reduction due to increased production from lower wages, but this does not offset their income losses.

It is no surprise that Bush and big business is for keeping the status quo via the border with Mexico, as it is the many that benefit (though only some benefit heavily) at the expense of the few when it comes to illegal immigration. Businesses see higher profit margins and US consumers lower prices while some US workers see their wages deflated and immigrant workers are exploited.

The question then becomes why Democrats would support lax immigration laws when it seems to be hurting the Democrat's base as well as going against Democrat ideals through businesses that exploit illegal low wage labor, paying them below minimum wage and not following labor laws for the purpose of a higher profit. This is why I am all for government actually seriously going after businesses that employ illegal immigrants while also creating a border that is more stable and less favorable to human labor violations.

I want to be totally honest though. If government did this, it would overall hurt the economy of the US a bit, maybe more so in certain areas, but it would be the humane and fair thing to do. I would rather have a less booming economy in exchange for a more level economy and livable wages for all. I think this is a Democrat ideal.

*Just an aside, I know no human is illegal, just the way they got here can be*

*Another aside, those who cry racism against those who oppose illegal immigration have no real grasp of the issue and certainly no understanding of what racism is*