Immigration: My Solution

Essay by oxide85High School, 11th gradeA, August 2008

download word file, 4 pages 5.0

If the immigration policies in this nation go unchanged for the remainder of the twenty-first century, there will be over one billion people living in the United States of America by the year 2100, according to estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau. What would the U.S. be like if there were over a billion people living here? Where would we all live? How would we produce enough food to feed a billion mouths? How would the economy be affected by such significant population increase? Is immigration, legal or illegal, to blame, or is this population boom inevitable? Illegal immigration will have other major implications. However, the plight of illegal immigration in America will never be resolved while Americans' racial discrimination is the main cause for focus on this issue. The main argument against illegal immigration is that Americans have to pay more taxes to pay for added public services needed for the increase in population brought about by immigration.

However, there is much controversy regarding this claim. Others say that the immigrant labor force supports and powers the economy. The cheap labor provided by illegal migrants drives down consumer costs and increase the productivity of the economy. Therefore, the lower costs brought about by immigrant laborers could actually save Americans money. Another argument supporting the opinion that immigration hurts the economy is that illegal immigrants don't pay taxes. This is only true if the laborers are paid in cash and with no record of the transaction. Otherwise, illegal immigrants have to pay income taxes just like rest of us. Also, thousands of Americans use illegal means to pay fewer taxes. However, the United States National Research Council has found that taxes are increased as a result of illegal immigration.

When taken into perspective, it must be acknowledged is not an...