Outline

In the introductory paragraphs, the statistics of the Illegal immigrants in the USA are discussed. Further the nature of illegal immigrants is also elaborated. in the later paragraphs, under the heading 'discussion', the issue of illegal immigrants' impact on the economy has been discussed. Various factors have been highlighted while discussing the issue. There have been presented some recommendations as well in the concluding paragraphs.

Illegal Immigration

Introduction

Illegal immigrants living in the United States, according to demographer Jeffrey Passel, amount u to 12 to 13 million which is more than twice the number 21 years back (Passel, 2006). According to his estimates, the magnitude of the illegal immigrants is increasing by about 500,000 a year. About 40% to 50% of illegal immigrants came on the basis of temporary visas which were legal and continued living there even after the expiry of the visa whereas the rest crossed the border illegally. Almost every third of the overseas born individual, by 2005, was unauthorized immigrants due to this soaring degree of illegal immigration (McLoyd, Pp. 28).

Discussion

Some pro-immigration groups claim that undocumented workers help the economy by doing jobs that most Americans wouldn't for very little pay. The truth is cheap labor cannot make up for the drain illegal aliens are putting on the economy. The American labor market can separated into two different sectors. The primary sector can be described as jobs that an American would take and be able to comfortable support a family with. Whereas, the secondary sector consists of jobs that a “normal” American would turn down or “think beneath them”. A majority of illegal immigrants fall into the secondary sector, for the most part making a living by providing cheap labor (Fuligni, Pp. 83).

Many pro-immigration groups claim that, even though studies show illegal aliens do impose a large cost on the American taxpayers, the “boost” they provide the economy more than makes up for it. The common argument here is that by providing a source of cheap labor, undocumented workers are allowing products and services to be offered for less, indirectly causing a boost in the economy. While this true, the lower prices cannot by any means make up for the $311 billion in uncollected taxes alone. Additionally, many illegal aliens do not provide as big a boost to the economy as many would think. According to Western Union, about $40 billion in remitted wages is sent to home countries annually (Miller). Essentially, the American economy is paying workers to boost someone else's. Not only are undocumented workers imposing a large cost on the American economy by sending money back to their home countries, they are commanding a massive cost on taxpayers just by going to school.

The more illegal immigrants that put their children through school in the U.S., the more of an overwhelming debt is being created to educate them. For example, take a look at the Los Angeles School District, the second largest district in the country with around 700,000 students. Of that number almost three-quarters are Hispanic, ...