Immigration debate ignores possible benefits

By Eric Gibble
October 8, 2009

Shannon Keough

We’ve heard it all before; illegal immigrants are the scum of the earth, undermining our society as they suck the soul out of our country.

They’re accused of hoarding our resources and relying on our tax dollars to support them, living in luxury as the legal citizens of America work overtime to support their lives.

Conservatives would like us to believe the apocalypse is imminent as a direct result of illegal immigration.

Fortunately, the forecast of fire and brimstone is unjustifiable and there is no need for a mass exodus to your local church quite yet.

With rumblings in the media and in Washington regarding illegal immigration becoming louder and louder, it is likely this issue will soon take the center stage in the political arena as soon as the health care debate is resolved.

There doesn’t seem to be much logic behind the familiar accusation made that illegal immigrants are absorbing the benefits of living here without actually paying taxes.

According to economist William Ford of Middle Tennessee State, illegal immigrants pay $9 billion per year in taxes towards social security.

Because they use fake social security numbers they won’t file for a return and will also never see themselves receiving any social security or Medicare.

“These workers and their families use fewer government services than similarly situated documented immigrants or U.S. citizens. As a result, undocumented immigrants provide a fiscal windfall and may be the most fiscally beneficial of all immigrants,” Francin Lipman, professor of Law at Chapman University School of Law, said in a Harvard Latin Law Review article.

Perhaps this is why certain politicians have cried wolf but have failed to pursue an action against illegal immigrants.

Republicans have been using the issue simply as a rallying call to garner more votes in desperate times in an uphill battle to defend their remaining seats in the government.

Unfortunately the negative connotation that has been surrounding illegal immigrants has blinded what really should be of concern to Americans.

Human trafficking is the fastest-growing criminal industry in the world and will continue no matter how high we build our walls.

Up to 17,000 people, mostly women and children, are trafficked to the United States alone anually. Worldwide that number rises to nearly two million people. They become sex slaves and aresubjected to a reality that our secure suburban minds are unable to comprehend.

The legal process for entering the United States can take up to 10 years for many immigrants to enter legally into our country. For those in desperate measures, whether it is due to economic reasons or political asylum, 10 years is 10 too long.

That’s why they pay up to $5,000 to those who are able to sneak them across the border.

Unfortunately, these people will then end up putting a price on their bodies. Subjected to sexual and physical violence, these illegal aliens are unable to seek help via traditional legal means due to their undocumented status. Justice is an idea that doesn’t exist in their minds.

We have allowed our minds to become polluted with the thought of losing money and jobs in the face of a wave of illegal immigration.

Tougher legislation is needed to make sure that immigrants can make it to our country not only legally, but safely as well.

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Eric Gibble

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