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Introduction
The issue of immigration evokes a lot of emotions in the U.S. Currently, it is estimated that there are over 11 million illegal immigrants. In the U.S., there are industries that have benefited from the presence of illegal immigrants. This has led to the argument that immigrants benefit the country. However, there are negative socio-economic issues that have been attributed to the presence of immigrants in the country, such as increased government spending and unemployment rates. My perspective is that immigrants are a burden to the socio-economic system of the U.S., and there is a need for urgent measures to solve the issue.
Increased Tax Burden on Taxpayers
Illegal immigrants have a negative impact on the economic progress of the U.S. According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform, they have overburdened the taxpayers both on the local, state, and federal levels (par. 1). It is estimated that illegal immigrants cost the country over $113 billion annually. Such an amount of money could be diverted to other sectors of the economy to create employment and social support systems. Some of the money is spent on education for the immigrants’ children at the state and local government levels. In addition to education, there are indirect costs which the governments incur in supporting health and other social services. For example, increased incidences of incarceration of immigrants contribute to the indirect cost. Despite the huge amount of citizen’s taxes going to cater to the illegal immigrants’ services, they do not pay income tax. This is because they have no documentation to support their payment. Also, some of the undocumented workers who pay the income tax get refunds after filing income tax (Federation for American Immigration Reform par. 1). Therefore, illegal immigrants remain to be a huge burden on the economy of the U.S.
Alteration of Labor Markets
Illegal immigrants have taken over Jobs that could be occupied by U.S. citizens and other documented workers. Most of the illegal immigrants are semi-skilled or not skilled. Due to a lack of employment documents, they are normally hired by small companies that pay them low wages. This is unlike other Americans who will not accept the low wages. The result is that the undocumented workers have led to unfair competition that has resulted in increased unemployment (Borjas and Hanson 258). The people who have been greatly affected by the immigrants’ job competition are the less educated Americans (Gianmarco and Peri 159). Also, a study by Christopher shows that some jobs that could be done as part-time work by teenagers are currently occupied by immigrants (59); hence, the immigrants have reduced the chances of securing the jobs.
Increased Pressure on Social Services
Immigrants have negatively affected the social system of the U.S. For instance, they have contributed to increased homelessness and drug abuse in the U.S. The Criminal Justice System pointed out that homelessness and substance abuse are linked to increased incidences of crime. As a result, Camarota and Zeigler pointed out that there is a rise in the number of illegal immigrants who are incarcerated; this burdens the corrective system and increases the burden on the taxpayers (2). Despite the claims, there are contra-arguments to the issue of illegal immigrants.
The Other Perspective
Illegal Immigrants have Contributed to the Expansion of the U.S. Economy
Against the claim of being a burden to taxpayers is that undocumented workers have contributed to the expansion of the U.S. economy (Goodman par. 3). Such an argument is supported by data that shows that over 8.4 million undocumented immigrants are employed in the U.S., which is a representation of 5.2% of the total labor force. For example, a report on the contribution of uncommented workers to the economy of Texas done by the state’s comptroller indicated that reforms in immigration would reduce the workforce by 6.3% and lead to an overall reduction of gross state product by 2.1%. Such a scenario can be found in other states.
Labor Force in Some Key Sectors of the Economy
It has been claimed that some sectors of the U.S economy, such as agriculture are supported by the undocumented workers. This implies that deporting the workers will negatively affect these key sectors of economy where other Americans have not shown interest in occupying the jobs. For example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that immigration reforms could lead to the decline of the fruit and vegetable industry (Camarota and Zeigler 12). Also, it has been cited that the prices of key agricultural products such as milk and fruits could increase considerably if there are immigration reforms.
Undue Pressure on the Social Services
Pro-immigrants have pointed out that the presence of undocumented workers and their families does not overburden the social system. In fact, their benefits outweigh the disadvantages. This is based on the fact that a substantial number of the immigrants work in the sectors that require that do not required skilled workforce. Hence, they have disposable income that can be spent on various activities which is good for the economy. Also, they are able to pay school fees for their children instead of being fully dependent on the government. In relation to criminal tendencies, statistics show that the crime rate has been on the decrease in the U.S.
Rebuttal
Socio-Economic Benefits of Immigrants are Very Small
Despite the argument about undocumented workers contributing positively to the economy, their cumulative impact compared to the government’s expenditure on services such as education and health care is much smaller (Federation for American Immigration Reform par. 3). Also, there are many U.S. citizens who can still replace the immigrants in case of reforms.
In the U.S., there has been the increased use of technology and mechanization of agricultural processes. Despite the sector depending largely on undocumented immigrants, there are viable and more cost-effective strategies that could ensure that the industry stays overboard even after their exit. Also, there are many Americans who are willing to take up the jobs.
Concerning the implications for the social systems, the lack of legal documents limits immigrants from lawfully accessing social services provided by the local, state, and federal governments. This puts them at a disadvantage, and hence the likelihood to engage in criminals activities. Also, the low income limits them from accessing good housing which in turn increases the cases of homelessness, mental health issues due to depression, and criminal tendencies.
Final Conclusion
From the analysis of the economic and social impacts of immigrants on the U.S., it is evident that their disadvantages outweigh the benefits. As a result, there is the need for reforms in the immigration laws in order to provide clear terms of engaging immigrants and protect Americans from the negative effects they are currently facing. The reforms do not necessarily imply deportation; instead, they can include amnesty to allow them attain the U.S. citizenship. This will ensure that immigrants have the right documents and can be integrated into the socio-economic systems of the country. Thus, they will pay taxes and will not accept low wages which in turn will reduce the tension that they always create in the job market.
Works Cited
Borjas, George, and Gordon Hanson, “Immigration and the Economic Status of African-American Men”, Economica, vol. 77, no. 306, 2010, pp. 255-282.
Camarota, Steven, and Karen Zeigler. The Impact of Large-Scale Immigration on American Workers. Center for Immigration Studies, 2016.
Christopher, Smith. The Impact of Low-Skilled Immigration on the Youth Labor Market. Federal Service, 2012.
Federation for American Immigration Reform. The Fiscal Burden of Illegal Immigration on United States Taxpayers. FAIR, 2013.
Gianmarco, Ottaviano, and Giovanni Peri, “Rethinking the Effect of Immigration on Wages.” Journal of the European Economic Association, vol. 10, no. 1, 2012, pp. 152-197.
Goodman, HA. Illegal Immigrants Benefit the U.S. Economy. The Hill, 2016.
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