| Alien workers have played a very important part of | | | | 2007). |
| the U.S. economy and throughout its history. The topic | | | | Lewis, on the other hand, believes that not everyone |
| of illegal immigration often irritates a lot of emotion and | | | | benefits from immigration; there are both winners and |
| has recently geared a lot of attention in the press. | | | | losers (Lewis, 2007). Immigration's benefits derive from |
| Immigrants are having more of an impact on the | | | | reducing wages in the less-skilled jobs that immigrants |
| economy than ever before because of their large | | | | take. Lewis concludes that average Americans will not |
| quantities in people. To many people, immigration issues | | | | be harmed by this; relatively few Americans work in |
| revolve around economic arguments, such as the fact | | | | low skilled jobs may be affected by this in which |
| that immigrants will take work away from native | | | | immigration may reduce the earnings of some |
| workers at a much lower wage. With the foremost | | | | low-skilled Americans (Lewis, 2007). |
| presence of illegal immigrant workers in the U.S., | | | | Can the U.S. address and solve these problems with |
| economists agree that there are many burdens and | | | | illegal immigration? |
| blessings that come with immigration, but they have all | | | | To address the problems of illegal immigrants entering |
| strained different conclusions in addressing the | | | | the U.S., there are two realistic options: do nothing, or |
| following questions with regards to illegal immigration: | | | | establish a legal mechanism for migration. The U.S. |
| 1. How do illegal immigrants benefit the U.S. economy? | | | | government orders strict border patrol and various |
| 2. How do illegal immigrants damage the U.S. | | | | immigration enforcement actions every year. However |
| economy? | | | | economists believe that no matter what the total |
| 3. Can the U.S. address and solve these problems with | | | | amount spent on immigration, without inclusive reforms, |
| illegal immigration? | | | | these problems will only grow worse. As Emerson |
| 4. Can illegal immigrants eventually become full citizens | | | | reported in his article, "closing the border, and no |
| in the U.S.? | | | | significant guest worker program could result in |
| This review of the literature on illegal immigration and | | | | increased wage rates under the assumption of |
| its impact on the U.S. economy focuses on these four | | | | immobile capital and no changes in production" |
| questions. | | | | (Emerson, 2007). However, there is considerable doubt |
| How do Illegal Immigrants Benefit the U.S. Economy? | | | | raised in the effectiveness of efforts to reduce the |
| In a perspective article, Davila (2006) insists that | | | | flow of illegal workers across the border (Hanson, |
| immigration can indeed be good for businesses. The | | | | Robertson, & Spilimbergo, 2002). When illegal |
| reason why it is good for businesses because | | | | immigrants are willing to do anything and everything to |
| immigration supplies labor at a relatively lowcost, | | | | get an opportunity to enter the U.S., it is questionable |
| though the real concern is how often that immigrants | | | | that the use of fencing and other approaches will |
| are paid substandard wages (Davila, 2006). Although | | | | achieve an end to this because the economic |
| immigration can be good for businesses, major | | | | pressures of illegal immigrants to enter the U.S. from |
| businesses "are, of course, concerned with hiring | | | | neighboring countries are just too great. |
| illegals, especially given the senate proposals, which | | | | On the other hand, doing nothing is always an option, |
| would place more emphasis on employers verifying | | | | but the approach goes against U.S. policy of having |
| that employees are legal immigrants" (Davila, 2006). | | | | laws. Organizing legal mechanisms for migration solves |
| However, many illegal immigrants bring hard work ethic | | | | this process by removing workers with unknown |
| to the U.S, which businesses are often taking into | | | | identification and employers from a mere guessing |
| consideration to their open positions. Davila believes | | | | game about the status of their employees. In any |
| that immigration should be perceived as a way to | | | | case, research has shown that workers switching |
| improve our economy and use all possible resources | | | | from an illegal status to a legal status will command a |
| at our will. This improvement of our economy brings | | | | higher wage, but this cannot be argued because |
| the hard work ethic of illegal immigrants that should be | | | | employers are already risking a lot of money in taking |
| highly rewarded (Davila, 2006). In retrospect, the | | | | the risk of hiring employees with an illegal work status. |
| conclusion of Davila is that it is important to continue to | | | | Illegal immigration is persistent because it has a strong |
| encourage those who want to come to the U.S. to do | | | | economic rationale. This is because low-skilled workers |
| so legally and continue to contribute to our economy. | | | | are increasingly scarce in the U.S. while they are still |
| Although it may to true that many illegal immigrants are | | | | very abundant in Mexico and Central America. |
| motivated to bring its hard work ethic to the U.S., it is | | | | Impeding illegal immigration without creating other |
| however, uncertain that their authentic motivation is to | | | | opportunities for legal entry would conflict with market |
| tap into freely available resources. Enciro Marcelli | | | | forces that push labor from low-wage countries to the |
| believes that it is generally recognized that most illegal | | | | high-wage U.S. labor market. |
| immigrants are more motivated to enter the U.S. to | | | | Can illegal immigrants eventually become full citizens in |
| "build a better life for themselves and their families by | | | | the U.S.? |
| securing a higher paying job" (Marcelli, 2005). There | | | | With the trouble and cost of money trying to secure |
| exist many common claims by the U.S. legislation on | | | | the border between Mexico and the United States, the |
| illegal immigration. Those includes: immigrations migrate | | | | case for amnesty has emerged onto the minds of |
| to the U.S. to use its welfare program and public | | | | many as an alternative way to solve the problem of |
| services and unauthorized immigrants take jobs away | | | | immigrants securing their place inside the U.S. But what |
| and depress the wages of, lower-skilled, minority | | | | are some alternatives to letting illegal immigrants stay? |
| workers. | | | | Deporting millions? Creating punishments? In an article |
| In a study undertaken in the late 1980's by a team of | | | | reported by Thornburgh, he believes that whether |
| University of Texas researchers using 1980 U.S. | | | | fining illegal aliens or putting them into schools, at the |
| Census data, they reported that although "legal | | | | end of the day, illegal immigrants would be allowed to |
| immigrants had a small negative effect on the wages | | | | stay and become full citizens under the Senate |
| of U.S.-born white workers in the U.S. Southwest, | | | | compromise bill of Amnesty obstructed by Senator |
| undocumented Mexican immigrants actually had a | | | | John McCain (Thornburgh). McCain proposes that this |
| small positive effect" (Marcelli, 2005). During the same | | | | bill will be an amnesty but by "impose fines, fees and |
| time of the research done by the University of Texas | | | | other requirements as punishment" (Thornburgh). This |
| scholars, another group of researchers from the | | | | bill will be good for America because the estimated |
| University of Toledo in the early 1990s used the same | | | | twelve million illegal immigrants prove to be |
| data. However, they investigated the impact of | | | | non-deportable. In the history of the previous amnesty |
| undocumented immigrants on the unemployment of | | | | of 1986, offered a path to citizenship for three million |
| U.S.-born minority workers rather than the impact of | | | | illegal immigrants. |
| undocumented immigrants on the employment of | | | | This amnesty ignited the larger wave of illegal |
| U.S.-born minority workers. They found an incredible | | | | immigration that followed soon afterwards. The '86 |
| inverse relationship. This is because illegal immigrants | | | | amnesty showed soon-to-be immigrants from around |
| as they concluded enjoy clustering in states where | | | | the world that the U.S. was weak-willed and would |
| unemployment rates were lower. The researchers | | | | eventually give citizenship to illegal immigrants. Soon |
| interpreted this finding as "suggestive of labor market | | | | after, Mexicans and other illegal immigrants hurricanes |
| complimentarily rather than substitution" (Marcelli, 2005). | | | | through the U.S. borders with no limitations. Studies |
| In rebuke, the conclusion of Marcelli suggests that illegal | | | | show that this peak in migration depended less on |
| immigrants fill undesirable jobs only after more | | | | changes in its policy and more on economic conditions |
| collectively groups of workers drift into higher paying | | | | between the U.S. and Mexico. Thornburgh suggests |
| occupations (Marcelli, 2005). This means there is no | | | | that to solve down illegal immigration, "you could induce |
| loss in jobs as immigrants do not take jobs away from | | | | a recession in the U.S." (Thornburgh). He also proposes |
| currently employed citizens. | | | | that a better idea is to help Mexico to create more |
| In contrary to Marcelli with the issue related to the | | | | jobs that pay a better rate (Thornburgh). |
| extent to which illegal workers utilize more public | | | | A recent Council on Foreign Relations study found that |
| services than their tax contributions, Moretti and Perloff | | | | when Mexican wages drop ten percent in comparison |
| (2000) "found that the participation in welfare programs | | | | to U.S. wages, there is a six percent increase in the |
| by illegal immigrant worker families was 8% in contrast | | | | attempts of illegal immigrants to cross the border |
| to 27%, 30%, and 42% for citizen, amnesty, and green | | | | illegally (Thornburgh). This is an astonishing result in |
| card worker families, respectively" (Moretti & | | | | which shows how complex or corrupt the Mexican |
| Perloff, 2000). Although this research is sustainable to | | | | economy may be. While Mexico stabilizes itself, there |
| the validity of welfare programs, it did not take into | | | | is both political and technological influences to make |
| consideration the tax contributions with service usage. | | | | enforcement a serious part of a new amnesty plan. |
| Their analysis was not based on tax contributions | | | | By enforcing National ID cards, employer verification, |
| because "since most pertinent tax payments are via | | | | high-tech border controls, these all could aid in making |
| payroll deductions or sales tax collections, the general | | | | sure that this would be the last amnesty of its |
| belief is that tax contributions vary little by legal status" | | | | generation. |
| (Moretti & Perloff, 2000). There analysis therefore, | | | | An angry outburst in immigration to the U.S. has raised |
| included all public services as well as public education. | | | | many concerns over what our immigration policy |
| With the conclusion of this analysis, it shows that illegal | | | | should be. While the pro-immigrant supporters say |
| immigrants are actually contributing to public services | | | | "immigrants do jobs natives won't do" is overly stated, |
| as well as social security because not only are they | | | | it is true that there are fewer Americans who work in |
| employees but they are also consumers who gives | | | | the same field as low-skilled immigrants such as in |
| back to the community as well. | | | | agriculture. As a consequence to this fact, most |
| How do illegal immigrants detriment the U.S. economy? | | | | Americans benefit from immigration because it |
| While there are some that supports immigration, there | | | | reduces the wages of some low-earning American |
| are also many firm believers that immigration poses | | | | workers who compete with immigrants for jobs. This is |
| problems to the U.S. economy. Zedillo believes that | | | | not a problem because U.S. labor markets are flexible |
| illegal immigration poses problems for the U.S. every | | | | to absorb immigrants without depressing low-skilled |
| year "the size of the population living illegally in this | | | | Americans' earnings. One reason for this is that |
| country grows by as much as half a million people" | | | | employers are able to adapt their production methods |
| (Zedillo, 2007). He argues that company employers | | | | to the available work force, which goes well with their |
| who hire these illegal workers are also violating | | | | ability to adapt to changes in immigration policy. As |
| immigration laws because employers who hire illegal | | | | congress again grapples with immigration acts and |
| workers also violate immigration laws when misled by | | | | amnesty, one would hope that it will pay off failures of |
| false documents (Zedillo, 2007). The reason why illegal | | | | the past by creating a foundation that allows active |
| workers are often employed is because it makes it | | | | participation of legal workers in the U.S. economy. |
| easier for the employer and employee to escape | | | | Otherwise, the U.S. is likely to find itself with even larger |
| paying taxes. Without paying taxes, Zedillo argues, | | | | illegal populations in the very near future. |
| illegal immigrants can become "a drain on social | | | | References |
| services and a public charge upon those states | | | | (2006). Immigration: Issues and Perspectives for |
| receiving the bulk of the inflow" (Zedillo, 2007). With the | | | | Businesses. 22, Retrieved July 3, 2007, from |
| free ride of not having to pay taxes, illegal immigrants | | | | Emerson, R. Agricultural Labor Markets and |
| are more prone to abuse and exploitation without the | | | | Immigration. 22, Retrieved July 4, 2007, from |
| aid of the government programs. Zedillo concludes that | | | | Ernesto, Z. Migranomics Instead of Walls. 179, |
| while working in these harsh conditions, many illegal | | | | Retrieved July 3, 2007, from |
| immigrants find it hard to economically and culturally live | | | | G, Dula (2006). |
| in the U.S. due to having the risk of become an | | | | How to partly bounce back the struggle against illegal |
| underclass and face a social conflict with U.S. citizens | | | | immigration to the source countries. Population |
| (Zedillo, 2007). By having social conflicts with others, | | | | Economics, 19, Retrieved July 4, 2007, from |
| illegal immigrants will hurt government services by not | | | | Hanson, G (April 10, 2007). |
| actively participates in contributing taxes however they | | | | Free Markets Need Free People. Retrieved June 20, |
| will benefit the overall economy in which "immigration is | | | | 2007, from |
| essential to the dynamism of the American economy | | | | Lewis, E. |
| and for sustaining its pace in job creation" (Zedillo, | | | | |