Yesterday, here in Burlington, a new coalition called Immigrants Rights Vermont organized a protest against federal immigration legislation. Comments made by protesters include “no one is illegal,” and “We are deeply committed to ending the exploitation and abuse of immigrant workers who are working hard, paying taxes and contributing to our community,”
The immigration debate centers on House bill HR 4437, introduced in December by Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., that would make a person without proper legal immigration documents a criminal. The bill also proposes the construction of a fencing system along the U.S.-Mexico border.
It’s been my experience that people that want to deport illegal immigrants don’t like immigration period. They usually are based on the following fears:
- Loss of jobs
- Government benefits abuse.
Loss of jobs
I do not believe this to be a valid concern. First, any person here is creating more demand for products and services as they live here. Second, immigrants usually do jobs that many native born Americans are not willing to do. Many immigrants come here looking for the American Dream, they are hard-working, want to work, and often don’t have the entitlement and victim mentality that many native born American’s now have. They tend to be grateful for any opportunity afforded them. Because of their hard-work ethic, many immigrants are entrepreneurial and start their own businesses, thus creating more jobs. Immigrants such as Rupert Murdock, Pierre Omidyar, and Andrew Carnegie have been very successful with their businesses and have contributed greatly to our economy. Also, immigrants that are willing to work for lower wages help our existing businesses remain competitive with other businesses in other states and other countries. We should embrace and encourage immigration as a country to get more hard-working, productive people producing in our economy. Immigration is directly responsible for the success of the United States and any future should include an open border policy to facilitate free trade of products and services.
Government Benefits Abuse
Contrary to popular belief, there is little to no evidence that immigrants come to this country specifically for welfare. Actually, most studies show that immigrants use welfare less than native-born Americans. For example, a study of welfare recipients in New York City found that only 7.7% of immigrants were receiving welfare compared to 13.3% for the population as a whole. Likewise, a nationwide study by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that 12.8% of immigrants were receiving welfare benefits, compared to 13.9% of the general population. Some recent studies indicate that the rate of welfare usage may now be equalizing between immigrants and native-born Americans, but, clearly, most immigrants are not on welfare.
I’ve also heard that people believe that immigrants are unfairly getting jobs due to government giving unfair advantages to minorities and immigrants. This is government problem, not a immigrant problem. The immigrants and minorities shouldn’t be blamed for this… the government laws and departments behind such policies. It’s unfortunate that many of the laws and policies the government has enacted to help minorities and immigrants be productive in society have worked very much against them by intalling hatred towards them for “taking jobs” without merit as well as downplaying their abilities to compete.
And specifically for illegal immigrants, I don’t see how it’s possible for them to get more government benefits than they pay for. Any person living here is going to pay property taxes through rent they pay and sales tax when they buy stuff, but an illegal immigrant is not likely to seek help from a local welfare office or any other government benefit program as they would face deportation.
Regardless, people are still concerned with immigrants receiving welfare benefits and privileges. Simply allow immigrants to prove they are not here for the welfare benefits. Many have no desire for them as most government welfare programs are destructive to the recipients anyways.
Edward Crane, President of the Cato Institute, stated the best solution would be as follows:
“Suppose we increased the level of immigration, but the rule would be that immigrants and their descendants would have no access to government social services, including welfare, Social Security, health care, business subsidies, and the public schools. I would argue, first, that there would be no lack of takers for that proposition. Second, within a generation, we would see those immigrants’ children going to better and cheaper schools than the average citizen; there would be less poverty, a better work ethic, and proportionately more entrepreneurs than in the rest of U.S. society; and virtually everyone in that group would have inexpensive high-deductible catastrophic health insurance, while the ‘truly needy’ would be cared for by an immigrant culture that gave proportionately more to charity.”
For more information:
– National LP Position on Immigration
http://www.lp.org/issues/immigration.shtml
– BFP: Burlington Joins Immigration Rally http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060411/NEWS01/604110316/1009/RSS01
– CATO Institute: Jobs, Immigration and Outsourcing
http://www.cato.org/current/outsourcing/index.html
Please feel free to post your comments.
April 13, 2006 @ 12:00 am
Jeremy,
Respectfully, I must argue against your “jobs American’s won’t do” point. Americans will not pick lettuce, or landscape yards, or clean hotels for $2 and hour, why, because it is illegal. There is a Federal minimum wage, employers hire illegals because they are willing to work below min. wage. Yes this keeps product prices down, but it is exploitation of the illegal worker as well. I support a guest worker program (with proper controls), allowing up to 10 million regulated, low-skilled workers to fill these position that “Americans won’t do”, but border security must prevail here. Open borders is fine, as far as legal entry is monitored, walking across at any time, any place is absurd. I know people are against “the war”, but we are at war, and to leave our borders so blatantly open is suicide. The studies you refer to in the Gov. benefits abuse only cover immigrants here legally. The abuse people talk of (who are educated on the issue) are the drain on health care, education, and the fraudulent access to social services. An Arizona Sherrif wrote a short news article some years ago about the welfare abuse in his state. He said on the first business day of any month,you could sit in the US Post Office parking lot, and see hordes of cars with Sonoran license plates come in, collect their welfare checks (all you need is a mailing address to receive benefits), cash the checks at local banks, only ID needed to cash a check since it is from the State, and then drive back across the border. Other than paying sales tax, how many of the approx. 15 million illegals in the US pay income taxes? If they are, it is because they have fraudulent SS#’s, so not only are they breaking the law for being here, but they violate Federal law by using fake ID’s as well. Americans have to stand up to this invasion, peoples sensabilities can not be worried about. However, we do need to treat people fairly. Illegals are exploited, yes, but if they weren’t here illegally, they wouldn’t be. US policy needs to improve NAFTA, and pressure the Mexican Government to fight corruption. The question here needs to be; why do people want to leave Mexico? The Mexican Gov. loves the illegals because they send their paychecks back to Mexico, to the proported tune on billions a year, that is good for the Mexican economy, not ours. The solution is increased border security and enforcement; automatic detention and deportation; no extension of amnesty or “fast-track” citizenship; preservation of tax-subsidized medical, educational, and social services for American citizens and documented immigrants only; strong penalties against employers who hire illegal aliens; the Americanization of new legal immigrants; legislation against “birthright citizenship” for illegal aliens; and a regulated guest-worker program for low-skilled laborers.
April 13, 2006 @ 12:00 am
Americans won’t do the jobs because they make $25,000+ a year off welfare, medicaid, and other programs. Add an extra $10k per year for each kid they have in government schools.
I know Vermonters who have never worked a day in their life, yet they buy their kids snowmobiles and motorcycles for Christmas or birthdays.
The federal minimum wage law only applies to companies employing more than 25 people.
Jeremy’s post answered Jim’s concern about illegals taking welfare. Stop giving out welfare as the CATO guy said. Fix the problem, don’t waste more of our tax dollars trying to fix a system that you can’t fix.
Let’s give any illegal workers permits to work so they can be legal and let them work. If some American wants the job then they better improve their work ethic and be willing to offer their services at the going rates.
April 17, 2006 @ 12:00 am
Jeremy,
I agree that the biggest single problem with granting citizenship to illegal aliens, or any immigrants, is allowing them access to social services. Problem is, they are considered an entitlement, or a right, and everyone is supposed to get them…good luck taking that off the table.
As for Jim’s idea of removing citzenship for babies born in the United States to illegal parents, that’s really scary. We’ve allowed natural born people to be automatic citizens since we started the US. It’s a short step from there to deciding that you don’t get citizenship if your parents are convicted drug or sex offenders, or if you don’t get a social security number or immunization in time.
Trouble with all this is, that we’ve already decided that rights do not apply to aliens, as only citizens have them in many cases. However, the 14th amendment guarentees that the government shall not, “deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
Kevin Ryan
April 19, 2006 @ 12:00 am
I agree with Kevin.