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Commentator: Illegal immigration hurts the economy
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection bike patrol agent assists Mexicans being returned to Mexico after they were apprehended for entering the United States illegally in Nogales, Ariz. San Diego resident Nancy Parker says the costs of undocumented immigration outweigh the benefits.
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Tess Vigeland: This week as part of our election coverage, The Real Economy, we're hearing from people across the country about the issues that matter most to them.
Today, San Diego resident Nancy Parker argues illegal immigration hurts the economy -- more than helps it.
Nancy Parker: It's time we did something about illegal immigration in the United States.
I always hear talk about the economic benefits of illegal immigration -- cheap labor and all -- but it also has economic costs nobody seems to mention.
Many who work here illegally don't keep the money they earn in this country. Instead, they send it off to relatives in their home countries. It's a drain of resources that doesn't do anything for economic growth here.
A lot of the work they do is off the books, so many aren't even paying taxes. Yet they're still using free health care, food stamps and other services meant for low-income and senior citizens.
I am not anti-immigrant. I understand why people would risk their lives to come to this country. But we need to have compassion for our own people who are being denied services that are going to illegals.
And it's not just services, it's jobs also. I'm always hearing illegal immigrants are doing work nobody else wants to do. Try telling that to someone who's been out of work for three years. I know a lot of Americans who'd be just fine working in the construction industry.
Lately, we're hearing a lot about the income gap. Well, maybe one of the reasons poor Americans aren't making as much is because illegals in this country are willing to work for even less.
And what about the direct cost of illegal immigration: all the law enforcement, detention and deportation has to add up to something. Just think of where else we could be using that money.
At the end of the day, illegal immigration is just plain wrong. Make all the excuses you want, they've broken the law. If we went to their countries without immigrating through proper channels, we'd be tossed out on our ear immediately.
Vigeland: Nancy Parker is a retiree living in San Diego. Let us know what issues are most important to you this election year -- write to us.
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Don't bother trying to reach these people. They can't be persuaded because their anti-immigrant views aren't driven by logic or sound argument. They're very, very fearful, and only respond to the voice of authority--not the voice of reason.
The laws that were passed in Alabama are anti-ILLEGAL immigration laws. Farmers in Alabama can get all of the foreign workers they need via the federal government's H-2A Visa program. Very few, if any, illegal aliens come here because their families are starving. They come here simply because they can earn substantially more money here than they can in their home countries. Every illegal alien who is employed in the United States has committed one or more of the following crimes: ID Theft, Document Fraud, Social Security Fraud, Employment (I-9 Form) Fraud, Federal Income Tax Evasion, and Conspiracy to Violate Immigration Laws.
Et tu Marketplace? First my local newspaper drops the national commentary so that "ordinary folks" can express their opinions on the op-ed page. That was bad enough but now this???? Why do you do this segment. Why should I care about the meandersings of some random person whose sole qualification seems to be that she has an opinion. Her opinions are completely uninformed, but honestly, that is not the point. Even if I happened to agree with them, I do not see the merit in wasting news time on the rantings of someone off the street. Bad enough that modern technology permits every idiot with internet access to subject the world to their blog. But I expect more of serious news shows like Marketplace. America's slide towards anti-intellectualism is accelerating rapidly. Please do not contribute to it by giving a platform to random opinions. I LOVE MARKETPLACE, which is why I am so disappointed
In 1986 the Federal Government granted amnesty to over 3 million illegal aliens and this was sold to the public as needed to not break up families. Laws were passed making it a crime to hire an illegal alien and fines were set. Promises were made by the Federal Government to secure the border so that no more illegal aliens can enter. Now we have over 11 million illegal aliens in the United States. This is proof that the Federal Government has failed to do its job and enforce the law. The children of these illegal aliens are allowed to attend public schools at taxpayer expense. Causing overcrowding of public schools and expensive bilingual classes. Its time for the Federal Government to start doing the job we are paying them for. Deport all illegal aliens, secure the border and fine anyone who hires an illegal alien. That is the law.
Fact check: Illegal immigrants are not eligible for the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) formerly referred to as 'food stamps." Certain QUALIFIED Aliens, including Legal Permanent Residents, persons granted asylum, refugees and others are INELIGIBLE to receive SNAP benefits or any other Federal means-tested benefit for 5 years.
Nancy Parker's statement that illegals can get food stamps is grossly incorrect.
Source: http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/immigration/restrictions-sum.shtml
Sorry, Ms. Parker, your facts are wrong. Undocumented workers DO NOT get food stamps, free medical services or any government services other than public education which is a tradional gateway for all immigrants to upward mobility. Many do pay taxes through "fake" social security numbers (which they will never collect),sales taxes and other daily hidden taxes .Just ask farmers in Alabama how many unemployed applied for field jobs after migrants left the state. Ms. Parker's rant is typical of older, uneducated white folk who feel entitled just because their white. As a Latina, whose family was in the Southwest before there was a border, am highly offened by her comentary which is aimed at an ethnic population.
No...YOUR opinions are wrong. Ms. Parker's opinions are backed by FACTS. Illegal aliens collect WIC, food stamps, welfare, Medicaid, school lunches, and a host of other programs, because those programs most often do not verify immigration status.
See these lovely videos which demonstrate this problem and see how you are 100% WRONG: (1) Illegal Aliens Collecting WIC Vouchers in Georgia [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z92plqoP3GE] (2) Florida Heroin Kingpin is Illegal Alien on Food Stamps [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mWs9p6bzo0].
Also, illegals collect 19 times as much in (undeserved) benefits as they contribute in taxes of all kinds. And the average illegal sends 63% of their annual income BACK to their home country, so they do not contribute to America's economy, but merely drain its resources.
BTW, 88 hospitals in CA alone have closed since 2005 SOLELY because of unpaid medcical bills left by illegal aliens - does that qualify as "free medical services" for you?
And please spare us the "I'm a Latina" nonsense. Who cares what ethnicity you are? Illegal is NOT a race, it is a crime!
NANCY THAT DOG WON'T HUNT!
I respect marketplace for running this gem -- and I truly respect Nancy for her honesty in the overly-PC, no-one-says-what-they-really-think-anymore society. However, I could not agree less with her viewpoint.
I am so wearied and disgusted by that segment of Americans who kvetch and moan and point their fingers at any convenient poor minority scapegoat target whenever economic hardship befalls them.
True to form, Nancy blames immigrants for her own privation: "...we need to have compassion for our own people who are being denied services that are going to illegals..." Oh? And what services are those?
This is typical "us vs. them" racist rhetoric. Now all we need is Rick Santorum to parachute in and tell us what snobs these "illegals" are.
Nancy (and I know *MANY* like her) feel that she is poorer because some minority group has "taken" something away from her. And she feels justified in thinking the way to improve her lot in life is to, in turn, deprive others of their necessities.
Nancy is where she is because she lacks imagination and creativity -- not because illegals have made off with all her goodies. And BTW most illegals don't work construction -- those are the plum jobs. No. They clean our toilets and vacuum our floors (--censored--)!
Just once I'd like to hear someone say "Economically, I'm not where I'd like to be. But you know what? I don't view it as a zero-sum game where someone has to lose in order for me to win. I believe we can all win. And instead of spewing resentment, I'm going to work hard at solutions where we all win."
Finally Nancy, while you're insulting and condemning aliens, don't forget the insult Andrew Grove, the founder of Intel, that $54B/year technology powerhouse. I think he may deprived you of something too -- determination and common sense!
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