A major problem in this country is a lack of Immigration reform. We as Americans have benefited from immigration from the inception of this country. We need to continue to use immigration for the benefit of American Citizens. Yes, there is a way that we as Americans can benefit without the fear of losing jobs.
Jobs are available but we as Americans cannot obtain them because of one reason or another but not because of the illegal immigrants. Most of the time, young Americans cannot find a job because of their criminal record. Many young people cannot get a job because of the stringent requirements that U.S. Corporations are demanding on new recruits and the inability of young people to clear their records after they have paid the price to society.
Until we understand that Immigration will benefit us as Americans our U.S. economy will continue to be affected. Since Immigration officials began deporting Mexican illegal immigrants, our economy has gone down and will continue to go down. Immigration should have been Obama’s first move and then plenty of tax money would be available to further help the Medical Insurance Reform.
Comments
I agree we all do benefit from immigration.
I agree too!
I agree too.
America is underpopulated - I can drive for hours without seeing another car. We have millions of employers needing workers because we have no unemployment. Our schools are nearly empty and we have a surplus of teachers so we can absorb millions of new immigrant children. We have excess petroleum and water and need new consumers. We can solve all our problems simply by importing tens of millions of new poor immigrants each year.
P.S. Want to buy a bridge?
Excellent article!
January 2010 will be the two year aniversary of the E-verify Law, the I.C.E. Program, the U.S. Recession, Followed by the Global Recession!
These good Hispanic families made up of both non-documented's &
Legal citizens, were here long before our E-conomic down turn, infact their HARD LABOR was and is one of oure-conomy's greatest assets!
I have worked with these good people all of my life and I have never seen a single Hspanic person panhandle! They are proud people that only want to work hard & be a part of us and part of America! The Greatest Country on Earth!
An 1840's French Hstorian said:
"America is great because it is good, when it ceases to be good it ceases to be great."
We are Good, and we are Great, it is time we show it!
"Let he who is with out sin cast the first stone." J. C.
Sincerely:
David Nichols
Gilbert Az.
Good article. Whats the situation of immigration reform for those who came here on work visas and are stuck here because of long permanent residency lines ? Take a look at "U.S. needs to streamline immigration for top talent" at the web link blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2009/09/letters-us-needs-to-streamline-immigration-for-top-talent.html
Someone needs to get their head out from under a blanket and look around at the real world, where American teen unemployment is at 25% because lawbreaking illegal aliens are working at the entry level jobs young people have traditionally started in. There is 18% of all American children(that's 13 million American kids) living in poverty. Another 15 million American workers are actively looking for jobs to feed and shelter their families and yet another 15 million American workers are underemployed, trying to make ends meet with part time jobs. Now 8 million lawbreaking illegal aliens are holding American jobs in an unholy alliance with greedy criminal employers. Every last lawbreaking illegal alien needs to be deported as we are not able to take care of the economic suffering of our own citizens. We are exporting good American jobs overseas and importing cheap slave labor to benefit greedy corporations to the detriment of American workers. There are NO jobs Americans won't do!
Paul Samuelson, the renowned economist, as well as most other econmists, have pointed out that low skilled immigrants pull more out of the ecnomony than they put in. High skilled immigrants put in more than they pull out. Therefore, in order not to bankrupt our country, we must admit legal immigrants with the highest level of education, like all other first world countries do, then we can have a few low skilled immigrants come in.
That comment that American kids cannot find jobs because they are criminals is total nonsense and an insult to all Americans. American kids cannot find jobs because foreigners in this country illegally, are taking the jobs, under the table, at below market wages, using document fraud ( a felony ) and id theft ( a felony ) to do so.
Our economy tanked because of Wall Street greed... they creating investment paper based on loans to unqualified low income people, many of whom where in this country illegally. Compare a map of where the foreclosures are to a map of sanctuary cities/the neighborhoods where illegal aliens are living. It is one and the same. One estimate had it as high as 40% of the foreclosures are properties that were bought by illegal aliens.
We need immigrants... only legal ones need apply.
Foreigners who come here illegally should be deported.
Why should lawbreaking illegal aliens be given preferential immigration treatment over law abiding immigrants?
In Ameria, no one is above the law, not even illegal aliens, no matter how much they think they are.
Mr. Guevara says "Most of the time, young Americans cannot find a job because of their criminal record." So of course that means that companies are willing to hire only people who are actually breaking the law to work - Illegal Immigrants. Give me a break!
More of the 'Jobs Americans Won't Do' propaganda? Well here is the truth. A Pew study "estimated that illegal immigrants fill a quarter of all agricultural jobs, 17 percent of office and house cleaning positions, 14 percent of construction jobs and 12 percent in food preparation." That means that 75 percent of all agricultural jobs, 83 percent of office and house cleaning positions, 86 percent of construction jobs and 88 percent of the food preparation jobs are done by U.S. Citizens and Legal Residents. Someday maybe you will learn that there is no job American's won't do BECAUSE THEY ARE ALREADY DOING THEM!
Did you bother to look in the history books as to what really happened during the great waves of immigration that came between the Civil War and World War 1? Unemployment reached 32% in the unskilled labor economy by 1910 thanks to uncontrolled immigration. Worse than the Great Depression, when unemployment barely reached 25%! And unemployment of 30% in California resulted in the Chinese Exclusion Act. And Ellis Island was opened against a backdrop of unemployment so bad that it exceeded 50% in the states of Maine, Kansas, and Michigan. Since that time we learned that controlling immigration significantly lessens the possibility of massive, excessive immigration driven unemployment. But for the last twenty years we ignored Illegal Immigration and now we have unemployment worse than any of the last three recessions. To not include Illegal Immigration as a cause is to ignore history and the economic reality of the law of supply and demand.
All this "immigration reform" granting citizenship to illegal aliens is based upton the one great thing that Washington depends on - "Vote bank politics". Its not aboy law, its about votes
it will be difficult to have a real debate on immigration until "Lewd" Dobbs stops spreading lies and stops using scare tactics to fuel anti-immigrant sentiments.
I support immigration reform and I hope to see it become reality very soon. GO ABAMA!!
The only immigration reform needed is to make E-Verify mandatory for every employer, build the double wall fence, make stealing across our border a felony and increase interior enforcement a hundredfold. Also stop the misinterpretation of the 14th Amendment. No more 'anchor babies' for lawbreaking illegal aliens.
Perhaps our teens sometimes turn to crime because they can't find a job due to the illegals taking them. Been to McDonald's or a hand car wash lately? All Mexicans who can't speak English. These were traditioally the jobs that teenagers would get. The Liberals need to realize that illegal immigration IS a drain on our economy. Our schools are overcrowded, we need English as a second language classes (a joke in itself), taxpayers paying for illegals to drop their little anchors, 1/3 of prisons filled with illegals, increased gangs of illegals terrorizing our streets, etc. Other than helping greedy business owners, I don't see much benefit that illegals provide. We need to vote out the politicians who care more about entitlements for illegals than they care about employement for legal citizens. Enforce the immigration laws and deport those who entered illegally and do not belong in this country.
Overpopulation, congestion, urban sprawl, crumbling infrastructure, diminished resources, vanishing farm land and green space, an overstressed energy sector, lack of affordable housing, overcrowded schools and hospitals, crime, pollution, depressed wages, increased tax burdens, the balkanization of our communities, the marginalization of American citizens, taxpayers and voters, the overall decline in quality of life, are all the result of unconstrained immigration. There is not problem confronting America's citizens that would not be measurably improved by securing our borders and ports, and enforcing our immigration laws. Too many people competing for the same limited resources is NOT sane, sustainable social, economic or environmental policy! Mexico, Britain, the European Union have all taken steps to limit immigration to only that which is prudent, demonstrably necessary, readily assimilated, and above all else, in the best interests of their native population. We must do likewise!
Wanda, underpopulated? Throughout the southwest we are in a state of perpetual drought. There are increasing worries over the safety of food following dozens of poisonings. Our energy sector is overburdened, and the Obama green energy initiative would be laughable if it weren't so dangerously misguided. All of the 'green energy' production touted by this administration, requires vast amounts of land and water if it's to be viable and affordable. Solar, wind, geo-thermal, bio-fuels, all require vast amounts of land and water. Land and water that is increasingly in short supply. Land and water that is needed for food production. Stabilizing the out-of-control population growth that we experience as the result of unconstrained immigration, would address many of the problems confronting our economy, our environment, and our social and cultural interests. Underpopulated indeed!
The E-verify Law combined with the I.C.E Program are 100% responsible for causing millions of Immigrants homes or apartments to go into forclosure!
They were legally alowed to purchase homes and rent apartments, however when you are all of the sudden not able to work it makes it a little hard to pay the mortgage or the rent!
(They did'nt buy homes they couldn't afford! WAKE UP PEOPLE!)
Their homes/apartments went into forclosure virtually over night, triggering the crash of the American banking system!
Thousands of Americans then dumped their homes into forclosure whether they could afford them or not, as the homes value plummeted from the sudden overlaod of vacated properties!
To make things worse the U.S. Census Bureau counted these (12) million immigrants as citizens all along, and used their count to base the size of our Government services on! Aprox: (1) million Police,Fire, Teachers, City, County workers, Ect.
We are still paying them to do nothing! IT MUST STOP
legalize them!
I think the writer of this story is smoking or drinking something bad. Illegal aliens are destroying this Country and that can be seen by the economy, high unemployment, health crisis with all the FREE healthcare these illegal aliens get, our over crowned schools because of all the illegal alien children being born here and the list goes on. How about the stolen identities?...the crime?...human smuggling?...deportations? Should I continue? When we get rid of the illegal aliens, we get rid of all the problems that go with them! THAT IS A FACT!
the writer is absolutely right. The US economy will not recover when the hard working people are deported. I get mad if I see the bunch of lazzy young americans in the streets while immigrants are at work.
Mr. Guevara,
I agree with Delaware Bob, what Kool-Aid have you been drinking?
This statement is so far off track it is laughable. It is also insulting to hundreds of millions of responsible American youths and their parents:
“Most of the time, young Americans cannot find a job because of their criminal record.”
Oh well another day another discussion over immigration at least this time somebody really talked about our crack head worthless teen agers
Our Government, past & present, Republican & Democrat, have allowed the invasion of 20 to 30 million criminals and uneducated peons which is the largest invasion of any Nation, at any time, by any means & in direct violation of Article IV, Section IV of our Constitution.
This refusal to abide by our Constitution or enforce our Immigration Laws should be classified as Treason of the most foul kind, & as grounds for impeachment & trials for Treason!
Not only have they allowed the invasion, they force American tax payers to pay Billions on Billions of dollars to provide Welfare, Prison cells, Educate the invaders numerous children, and free medical care, at the same time the invading horde break numerous laws and massive document fraud, & are destroying our schools, hospitals, communities, culture and standard of living while Robbing, Raping, Killing & Assaulting American Citizens WAKE UP PEOPLE!
Steve, Delaware Bob, Ed. Why are you'll against ALMIGHTY GODS CHILDREN from having a better life for their families?
What gives you the right to think that YOU are ABOVE any other Human in ALMIGHTY GODS VISION??
ALL HUMANS ARE CREATED EQUAL BY ALMIGHTY GOD,
ALMIGHTY GOD MADE NO I REPEAT NO BORDERS, ONE EARTH, ONE RAE CALLED THE HUMAN RACE. GET IT?? I PRAY FOR YOU'LL AND ASK ALMIGHTY GOD TO FORGIVE YOUR IGNORANCE AND HATE.
THE MOMENT THE REPUBLICANS KILLED IMMIGRATION REFORM IN 2007 THE NATION WENT INTO TURMOIL. ITS THE GREEDY PEOPLE AND THEIR GREEDY BANKERS THAT GOT THE NATION INTO THIS MESS, NOT THE POOR FOOD PICKER.
GET A LIFE YOU POOR MINDED IGNORANT PEOPLE.NO ONE CAN STOP ALMIGHTY GOD OR PROGRESS. IN THE END YOU WILL TURN TO DUST. ITS THAT PLAIN AND SIMPLE, SO BETTER HAVE GREAT ANSWER WHEN YOU WILL PASS AWAY AND BE ASKED BY ALMIGHTY GOD, WHY DID YOU HATE MY OTHER CHILDREN??????
MAY GOD GIVE YOU'LL WISDOM AND PEACE IN YOUR LIFE'S.
ONE RACE
The Immigration Policy Center (IPC) has released a wide-ranging review of academic and government data that shows what legalizing undocumented immigrants would mean for the U.S. economy today. Legalizing undocumented workers would improve wages and working conditions for all workers, and increase tax revenues for cash-strapped federal, state, and local governments. (April 13, 2009)
Washington, D.C. – The dollars and cents of immigration reform make a lot of sense for the beleaguered U.S. economy. The net economic gain would be $66 billion in new state and federal revenue, according to a new report.
The review, from the nonpartisan Immigration Policy Center, notes that Florida is one of the states with the most to gain if undocumented workers were provided a pathway to legal status. About 500,000 immigrant workers would be affected.
Economist David Kallick with the Fiscal Policy Institute contributed to the study. Right now, he explains, those billions of dollars are lining the
DMI refutes the myth that our economy is a closed, zero-sum system. When immigrants are working in the U.S., many assume they simply take jobs away from Americans. The fact is that immigrants contribute to the growth of the economy as workers, taxpayers, and consumers. The middle class relies on the goods and services produced by immigrants, and benefits from the generalized economic growth immigrants stimulate. Immigrants spend money, thereby creating demand and jobs. Immigrants pay taxes, helping to shore up Social Security and other programs middle class workers depend upon.
Enforcement-only policies only undermine the contributions that immigrants make. Rather, immigration reform should harness the positive contributions of immigrants, thus improving the lives of middle class Americans.
Strengthening Rights in the Workplace
Under the current system, undocumented workers are vulnerable and exploitable, living at the mercy of their employers—to the detriment of both the immigr
* Immigrants contribute as entrepreneurs: Immigrant-owned businesses employ American workers and raise capital from abroad to invest in the U.S. economy.
o More than one in ten self-employed businesspeople in the U.S. is an immigrant.[8]
o Engineering and technology companies headed by immigrants created 450,000 U.S. jobs between 1995 and 2005.[9]
o Latin American immigrants in South Florida have helped to make the area a leader in attracting foreign direct investment, particularly international banking.[10]
* Immigrants contribute as taxpayers: Policies that strengthen and expand the American middle class are funded by the taxes immigrants’ pay.
o Immigrants pay sales, property, and income taxes. The Social Security Administration also estimates that three quarters of undocumented immigrants pay payroll taxes.[11]
o The average immigrant pays $1,800 more in taxes than she receives in public benefits, according to a landmark
Fact Sheet: Immigrants’ Economic Contributions
Principles for an Immigration Policy to Strengthen and Expand the American Middle Class: 2009 Edition
The American middle class and low-income workers striving to earn a middle-class standard of living rely on the economic contributions of immigrants, both authorized and undocumented.
* Overall U.S. natives gain an estimated $37 billion a year from immigrants’ participation in the U.S. economy, according to the President’s Council of Economic Advisors.[1]
* Immigrants contribute as workers: Americans rely on the goods and services immigrants’ produce.
o One in every four doctors in the U.S. is foreign born, as well as one in three computer software engineers and more than 42 percent of medical scientists.[2]
o Immigrants helped to invent a quarter of the U.S. patent applicants in 2006.[3]
o Undocumented immigrants contribute significantly to the U.S. workforce construction, agriculture, ma
The myth that immigration is bad for U.S. workers has sullied the immigration debate for far too long. A new report by the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy (DMI), “Principles for an Immigration Policy to Strengthen and Expand the American Middle Class: 2009 Edition,” sets the record straight. In the midst of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, and in anticipation of a new round of legislative debates on comprehensive immigration reform, DMI’s report makes a rational, concise argument for why comprehensive immigration reform is needed to improve the conditions for middle class Americans.
DMI states that “good immigration policy should be good for every American,” and designs a two-part litmus test to evaluate immigration policies: 1) Immigration policy should bolster—not undermine—the critical contributions immigrants make to our economy as workers, entrepreneurs, taxpayers, and consumers; and 2) Immigration policy must strengthen the rights of immigrants in
Undocumented immigrants contribute significantly to the U.S. workforce construction, agriculture, maintenance and hospitality – they pick and process our food and build and clean our homes and offices.[4]
"The cost of the underground economy to taxpayers is pretty substantial. The idea is, bringing undocumented immigrants into the 'above-ground' economy and making sure that they pay taxes just like everyone else."
Critics of reform accuse undocumented workers of "stealing" American jobs; some want to deport everyone who is in the U.S. illegally. Kallick argues that immigrants do not steal good-paying jobs, and more legal workers in the labor pool will help grow the entire economy.
That's also the view of Esther Lopez, director of civil rights and community action for the United Food and Commercial Workers Union International. She says labor groups see that legalization is good for all workers, and she considers it an important step in rebuilding the middle class.
"We need an immigration system that is part of our national economic recovery program. We need immigration reform that punishes employers who 'game' the system to drive down wages and working conditions."
DELAWARE BOB , STEVE, ESTOBAN, DEPORT EM , ED, YOU'LL DON'T SHOW ANY FACTS JUST IGNORANCE & HATE, GET OVER IT< YOUR OPINIONS WONT CHANGE THE FACTS . WHAT FACTS DO YOU'LL HAVE ?
I Believe we are all Gods children!
I believe the E-verify Law & the I.C.E. Program were
E-vil, given the circumstances of how long these immigrants had been allowed here, allowed to own homes,& their familys being both citizen & not!
HOWEVER I DISAGREE THAT YOUNG AMERICANS ARE LAZY, OR THAT MANY HAVE CRIMINAL RECORDS!
I BELIEVE WE ARE ALL GODS CHILDREN!
Sincerely:
David NIchols
Gilbert Az.
"Most of the time, young Americans cannot find a job because of their criminal record. Many young people cannot get a job because of the stringent requirements that U.S. Corporations are demanding on new recruits and the inability of young people to clear their records after they have paid the price to society."
Facts and figures please, Mr. Guevara! At the very least, young Americans that commit crimes pay the price. Since all illegal aliens are lawbreaking criminals, they need to pay the price too. That would be a fine, jail time and deportation per our laws just for overstaying a visa or stealing across our borders. Add even more severe crimes like using forged and/or stolen identification documents and the price for doing the crime gets higher. Such criminals offer America nothing of value. They only drain our resources and cause real suffering to Americans. The 1986 amnesty was a heinous failure! Never again!
Truth - You are obviously referring to the fatally flawed Rob Paral & Associates study. Read it and you see the study hopes to hide any real effect on unemployment by Illegal Immigration in the statistics of Legal Immigrants. They then hope people are ignorant enough to not notice.
Legal Immigration is controlled so those who enter into the USA are the most law abiding, most occupationally needed people who have the least possible effect on unemployment in the USA. Illegal Immigrants barely make up 22% of the USA Immigrant Population per a recent Pew Center estimate and per USA Census Data. This seems large and yet statically any visible effect Illegal Immigrants have is statistically washed out by the 78% of all Immigrants who came here legally.
This obscures the true effect of Illegal Immigration by hiding their statistics in those of Legal Immigrants so the claim can be made that Illegal Immigrants have no effect on jobs available for Citizens. This is a statistical fraud.
How many Undocumented Immigrant worked for, the BANKS AND ON WALL STREET, IN INVESTMENT FIRMS, IBM, FORD, GM, WHIRLPOOL, KRAFT,ETC NONE THE PROBLEM WITH OUR NATION IS FROM GREEDY AGAIN THE WORD IS GREEDY HUMANS AND WALL STREET BANKERS WHO MANIPULATED THE FINANCIAL SYSTEM. GET YOU HEAD OUT OF THE SILLY CLOUD AND BLAME THOSE WHO ACTUALLY DID THE WRONG TO OUR NATION, NOT POOR FOOD PICKING DISH WASHING LAWN MOWING ROOFERS.
FIX THE IMMIGRATION SYSTEM, SO THEY WONT RUN ACROSS THE BORDERS.
THE UNDOCUMENTED PAY TAXES MORE THAN YOU THINK.
THEIR TAXES ARE DEDUCTED DIRECTLY FROM THEIR PAYCHECKS. THEY ALSO PAY THE EXACT SAME AMOUNT OF SALES TAX, GAS TAX, CIGARETTE TAX, TOLLS, AND CITY TAXES AS YOU BECAUSE THEIR LANDLORD PAYS TAXES FROM THE RENT HE COLLECTS FROM THEM.
STOP YOUR IGNORANCE AND HATE TOWARDS ALMIGHTY GODS CHILDREN.
Truth – A recent Cato Study claimed the same thing as the Pural Study. This study was also fatally flawed. It adjusted the analysis to yield the desired conclusion. The formulas in the study assumed Illegal Immigrants become more productive upon legalization and while at the same time Citizens become less productive. They also assumed if the oversupply of Labor represented by Illegal Immigration dries up companies would have to hire more Lawyers, Accountants, and other Professionals to keep from getting sued. They assumed every Citizen Worker displaced by an Illegal Immigrant can find a job as a supervisor or find a job in a high level professional position. It linked the supply of Capital to the number of workers when the supply of Capital is really more a function of wages the workers earn. The study replicates the bogus assumption Illegal Immigrants are doing jobs Americans won't do & ignores any impact on the cost of unemployment and welfare paid to unemployed Citizen Workers.
"And the preponderance of evidence indicates that the flood of illegal immigrants has hurt those on the bottom of the economic ladder most, blacks in particular and probably even American-born Hispanics." From 'Immigration and Race' By Steve Bailey, The Boston Globe, February 8, 2008
Who is the real racist? The defender of American Citizen Poor or the Defender of those who break the law?
Truth - I see you are still into the rationalizations. You cannot just cherry-pick a few things from the Bible and ignore that which does not fit your preconceived notion and then claim to be achieving Grace. Jesus drove the Moneychangers from the Temple. Was that an act of compassion and forgiveness? And what of the Women and the lamps? Was locking them out an exercise in compassion and forgiveness? For every exhortation in the Bible to love they neighbor there are ten exhortations to live a law abiding, respect for your neighbors, live up to responsibilities life. Meanwhile, it is the road to Hades is the one paved with good intentions and rationalizations.
I was reading about Imigration en North of America and I don't agree with the treatment of the illegal immigrants in the United States of America. The illegal immigrant does not need to be punished as a criminal because most of them come to work. Many immigrants come from Mexico, South America and Central America because of the economic situation in their countries. They want only want to feed their families. In Europe, it is true that immigration is controlled like it is here in the U.S. but Europe does not classify them as criminals when they arrive in boats from Africa. They are treated as human beings!
You can not simply calL or classify these immigrant families
As "illegal"! They are mixed family units of both citizens and un-documented hard working humans!
We are all brothers! ACT ACCORDINGLY!
America was built on principles of GOOD!
For these immigrants HARD LABOR I say thank you!
YOU ARE A STRONG PART OF AMERICAS PROSPERITY!
Sincerely:
David NIchols
Gilbert Az.
@ Truth
Romans 13: 1-7
Every nation has the authority to make laws, set borders and defend its people. Open border fanatics are anarchists that pick and choose which laws they deign to obey and which they willfully choose to ignore. Such people twist the truth ad nauseum.
Durendal,
I fully agree with your opinion that "Truth" is using part of a religious text totally out of context. If his "love everybody" philosophy is extended, then there is no need for police, courts, jails etc. - the idea is simply forgive everybody :-)
Although there are a few people who fit the illustration of poor, destitute people looking for a better life who illegally immigrate to the USA one wonders how they afford to pay thousands of dollars to smugglers to get here. The answer is most Illegal Immigrants are really just great Capitalists. About 78%+ of Illegal Immigrants come from countries with controlled economies. Take Mexico for example. According to their own Economic Data wages average about $5.00/hr. and the economy is controlled to that level of wages. Make $15/hr. in the USA and the Illegal Immigrant’s family lives an above average lifestyle back home while the person working in the USA lives better as well. Meanwhile American Citizens who used to hold the jobs waste away on unemployment or welfare. The only difference between this and being a Robber Baron is a matter of scale. So why do Illegal Immigrant supporters hate poor American Citizens so much they let businesses hiring Illegal Immigrants walk all over them?
WRONG! Legal American citizens cannot find jobs because of low wage uneducated illegal immigrants. That's the real truth. Businesses should be fined for hiring illegals and the illegals should be deported. Don't tell me it's American's fault they cannot get jobs. We would have descent wages if we deported these illegal low wage immigrants that are sucking the taxes and life out our country. Illegal immigratation was and is the root of the problem. People here that are illegalneed to go home and come to this country according to our legal immigration laws. It's that simple.
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