Reflecting on Illegal Immigration

Today, thousands of illegal immigrants and their allies across the country plan a show of force to illustrate how much immigrants matter in the U.S. economy.

So much has been written on this subject, I thought I would try to highlight some points that I have come across.

1. Deport 11.7 million people is not the solution. And, they have helped the economy.
From Chuck Colson:
“Look at the economy first: If you could find and deport every undocumented alien in America, you would go to the grocery store next week and find the shelves bare. Without immigrant workers, we could not harvest crops. Just as happened yesterday, service industries everywhere would be shut down. With unemployment at a five-year low of 4.7 percent and with 200,000 new jobs added to the economy last month, there is simply a shortage of workers in much of America. (http://www.breakpoint.org/listingarticle.asp?ID=2073)
2. But they have cost the taxpayers as well.
– Depending on what angle you are looking at, illegal immigration has created a burden on the welfare system, the education system, etc.
– Illegal alien households are estimated to use $2,700 a year more in services than they pay in taxes, creating a total fiscal burden of nearly $10.4 billion on the federal budget in 2002.
– Among the largest federal costs: Medicaid ($2.5 billion); treatment for the uninsured ($2.2 billion); food assistance programs ($1.9 billion); the federal prison and court systems ($1.6 billion); and federal aid to schools ($1.4 billion).
– If illegal aliens were legalized and began to pay taxes and use services like legal immigrants with the same education levels, the estimated annual fiscal deficit at the federal level would increase from $2,700 per household to nearly $7,700, for a total federal deficit of $29 billion.
– With nearly two-third of illegals lacking a high school diploma, the primary reason they create a fiscal deficit is their low education levels and resulting low incomes and tax payments — not their legal status or their unwillingness to work.
– Amnesty increases costs because illegals would still be largely unskilled, and thus their tax payments would continue to be very modest, but once legalized they would be able to access many more government services.
– The fact that legal immigrants with little schooling are a fiscal drain on federal coffers does not mean that legal immigrants overall are a drain. Many legal immigrants are highly skilled.
– Because many of the costs are due to their U.S.-born children, who are awarded U.S. citizenship at birth, barring illegals themselves from federal programs will not significantly reduce costs.
http://www.cis.org/articles/2004/fiscalrelease.html

3. The Principle of Law
Yet while we need immigrant workers to keep the economy going, we are tolerating them at the expense of the rule of law. Once you discover that you have 11 million illegal aliens in your midst, you cannot in fairness grant amnesty. If these new alien workers are going to be assimilated into American life, they have got to understand that we live according to the rule of law. By allowing them to continue to work as undocumented aliens, we are telling them that we really don’t care about the law; that we just want them here to use them as our slaves in our agricultural fields so we can eat cheaply.”
(http://www.breakpoint.org/listingarticle.asp?ID=2073)
“No previous group of immigrants has had such a large inflow or access to their home country that this latest group has today. That’s because no previous wave of immigrants could walk across our borders.
Earlier groups crossed oceans to come here and were assimilated into the culture in a gradual and measured way. This latest wave quite literally has only to walk right in, and they are doing so in a big way.
Most illegals do not conduct themselves like immigrants of the past. Okay, they work hard, but they are here against our laws and generally have little interest in learning English or the ways of our culture. Illegals generally come here merely to find a job, not necessarily to become citizens. And now they are protesting our generosity and good will.
These attitudes are offensive, and are the reason why most Americans want the border controlled. This is not about racism. It is about a distortion of the process that appalls African, Asian and other ethnic groups who are legally waiting in line to come here.”
http://www.intellectualconservative.com/2006/good-immigration-policy-starts-with-building-a-fence/

Something to consider:

“Let’s look at it from the low- or unskilled-laborer’s perspective: Typically these workers are economic refugees plagued by the corrupt and chaotic economic regimes and attendant policies of Mexico or other countries in Latin America. The problems in these countries are not America’s fault. Arguably, many of these workers would likely challenge their own governments if they didn’t have America as a viable outlet. Nevertheless, it is in our economic interest to allow them to enter our labor force if not but to help maintain our own economic vitality.”

http://www.tcsdaily.com/article.aspx?id=050106B

“We should not allow Mexico to export their poverty as a way to avoid economic and social reform. Ultimately, this problem will not go away until Mexico reforms its systemic government and societal corruption, and their people can live prosperously in their own country.”
http://www.intellectualconservative.com/2006/good-immigration-policy-starts-with-building-a-fence/

Border control is a must. “There is an old saying that good fences make for good neighbors. This truism has never been more applicable than with our Southern neighbor. Good fences make good immigration policy too.
We have a proud history of accepting the world’s poor in a system designed to provide gradual assimilation of new citizens into our language and culture. We need to control our border and allow that process to happen properly.”
http://www.intellectualconservative.com/2006/good-immigration-policy-starts-with-building-a-fence/

Concerning those that are already here:
I need to hear more. I do believe that those who stay should be required to pay taxes (back taxes included) whether they are granted citizenship or some other arrangement. The tcsdaily article makes a point in granting working privileges but not necessarily citizenship. I need to think a little more about that.

Since I am a part of the first generation of my family born in this country, I have a lot of sympathy for this subject. At the same time, my parents immigrated here legally. I cannot imagine the frustration of the millions of people awaiting visas knowing that millions of people have cut in line in front of them. I understand that many illegals are here to support their families and are hard-working people burationale rationalle can be used to justify stealing as well. As a society we must be committed to justice as well as truth and liberty (sorry to sound so Constitutional, but it actually is a fantastic document. It’s effectiveness is why we have people dying to get here).

As far as the Church is concerned:
My opinion is that we need to be wise and helpful. We ought to welcome the stranger without betraying the authority of our government. May God give us wisdom.