The Impact of Illegal Mexican Immigrants on the U.S. Economy

Essay by rmichelegUniversity, Bachelor'sA, May 2004

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The United States economy is currently faced with many obstacles. Our country has been struck by terrorism, our stock market has been tumbling for many months, and we are over run with illegal immigrants from other countries. As indicated by the chart below, Mexicans make up more than fifty percent of the total number of immigrants to the United States in 2000. By the year 2050, the Hispanic population will be the second largest in America. (Census 2000)

Proponents for immigration suggest that Mexican immigrants are learning new skills, taking the positions that other U.S. citizens do not want, and are relieving a labor shortage in certain industries. Most illegal immigrants are single men. Only one third of the illegal immigrants are female. One of the reason for the mass immigration is the wage discrepancy between Mexico and the United States. The difference is 8 to 1 with the U.S.

versus Mexico. In 1983, over one million people were arrested trying to enter the United States illegally. Since 1982, there has been a 2.9 million dollar increase (1/3 of the population) in the school age population of Mexican children in public schools. (Warren, 3) Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) claims the numbers of illegal immigrants are difficult, if not impossible to track but consider them somewhere between 500,000 and 3 million. The INS is overburdened with the numerous tracking of illegals for reasons such as drug trafficking or terrorist activities and do not have the resources to find and deport the typical illegal immigrant. Residents of the U.S. will suffer as illegality is promoted by the failure by the government to enforce immigration laws.

With several million people crossing the border every year, the United States is experiences a second economy. Aliens are willing to accept lower wages, which depress...