Also, what impact does illegal immigration have on the US economy?  And lastly, what should be done about the problem of illegal immigration?  \nI'm conducting a survey for Political Science, I need 4 people to please answer the three questions above.
127405
yes, as well as those we never thought of doing. theyre very inventive. they cant work jobs we do like as they have no credentials/id. all employers are responsible for their output whether production or service. with preasures of being certified & unions & such, they really cant hire immigrants. besides, its easier to hire employees you can talk to.\nimpact. well, they come here to live. all the money they make here is spent here through rent, bills, gas, food...all the things we have to pay for. those who come to prey on the wealth of the states are a drag but we need to be allowed to police ourselves to solve that. the government cant be our mommy & fails miseable every time reguardless of power or money. health care, nearly all are too scared of deportation to go to the hospital which is a 'foreign' idea anyway. shouldnt have socialsism in the 1st place. thats why we left england. as we've seen with katrina, the private sector is more giving than any gov. imagine what we could do without the strain of taxes, which the immigrnts pay into through commerce. they are actually less of a drain on any of our systems by desire to stay under the radar.\nwhat should be done... open the borders, legalize comin to america. seems a contradiction in terms to close america. what kind of decent person should deny any other their ameriCAN dream? the borders are there to keep out other governments, not other people.\ni grew up all over los angeles. moved away at 13 & have lived all over the country.ended up in texas at 16 & have lived here for most of the last 20 years. also, im cherokee, blackfoot & hopie. so, who has birth rights around here? it burns deep when i see & hear all the hate based on ownership of this country which...used to be mexico.  remember the song 'this land is our land'?
155370
So, the immigrants that started the United States were legal, eh?  Guess again.  The British government declared many of their actions illegal.  Since they were British citizens. this makes them illegal as well.  Also, if we deport all of the illegal immigrants, how do you think our economy will fare?  Do you really think that citizens will take the jobs that the illegal aliens have?  There is no way.  Also, almost all, if not all of the people participating in the petitions were naturalized citizens.
44666
*Noddling for this is an interesting question* I can sum my thoughts up simply using one word from the topic.\n\nILLEGAL!!! Says it all dun ya think?\n\nNow for the more expanded version...\n\n1st I wanna say I have no prob with immigrants, after all most of the people we concider American's ancestors (and some of mine) were immigrants who came here by legal means. There is no problem there.\n\nBut, I do have a problem with the huge amount of money being shelled out by us tax payers to pay for welfare, education, medical ect to someone here illegally.\n\nNot only that, it is evident here in states on the borders that businesses are using low wage/under the table pay Illigals as their workers. And we are not just talking picking fruit in fields. All sectors are now affected by it, from construction, to manufacturing, to high tech trade jobs. It is wrong that Americans who wish to work cannot find work at a reasonable wage and must resort to accepting near minimum for positions that took years of educational expenses and experience to be able to do or to go on unemployment as they cannot find the work that pays a reasonable wage to meet living expenses or to move to areas not as affected by the situation...\n\nIt is past time our government here in the US starts representing the US people and stop accepting big business money to ignore the problem.\n\nJust my 2 cents...
178210
Discover problem: illegal immigration cross over US boarders.\n\nSolution: Hire 6000 patrol officers to guard a 1500-mile border. Build a 500-mile chain link fence.\n\nProblem not solved. Charities now helping illegal immigrants cross over.\n\nNew solution: Increase to 14000 patrol officers. Offer 4-star holding-cells with welcome party to immigrants that make it over. Raise budget for war in Iraq. Hold party for other laws piggy-backing the immigration laws.\n\nProblem still not solved.\n\nNew solution: Legalize red-neck hunting of illegal immigrants.\n\nProblem solved.
87628
There is no question that as a whole it is beneficial to the economy of California (and the whole U.S.)  Immigrants, including esp. illegal immigrants are among the most productive workers in the U.S., and whole industries such as agriculture rely on illegal immigrants as a work force.\n\nNow, while beneficial to the economy as a whole, illegal immigration does expand the labor market, thus helpful manufactures, agribusiness, etc., and consumers but doing so to the detriment of US labor (organized and otherwise.) Wages are depressed by the influx of workers.
638187
It is OUT of the USA revenue FOREVER!! That is one way the illegal immigrants and anyone else who sends OUR revenue OUT of this country are destroying our economy!!\n\nangela R - up yours  t(-_-t) ,you ignoramus.
546577
Depends on the person...I'm a liberal and I am not to fond of illegal immigration.  I think it drives down wages and sucks up social services for the citizens who pay into them.
319825
immigration isnt the problem it is illegal immigration that has become the problem.\n\nGood Luck and God Bless!!
260013
NO! Because we cannot afford a huge flood of immigrants into this country, our social structure cant bear it.  Plus, then you are allowing everyone in- I dont know about you, but Id prefer Mexico keep their child molestors and murderers, we have enough up here already.  Are the schools in your area empty?  Are they complaining about having too much money?  I know mine are filled to the max, so an uncontrolled flood of illegals filling the place up faster than we can build new schools would not be a good thing.  Are the jails empty and your cops having nothing to do in your area?  Not the case where I live.  Are the roads empty where you live?  Not where I live, I dont know if they can bear thousands of new cars on the road, as you flood us with illegals.  Are your health care costs Low?  Is it easy to find a Dr. in your area?  By adding millions of uninsured illegals to our system, do you think your costs would go down or up (duh-up of course!)? Etc Etc.  Legal immigration allows for non-criminal, educated people, who actually want to be come productive citizens to come to the US in a controlled manner.  Legal immigration is great.  Illegal immigration is horrible for the US and for all the legal citizens (both immigrants and natural born).  Learn the facts of this problem before spouting off about how our government is "being mean".
377083
The US looses $5 Billion each year to Illegal Immigrants sending money back to Mexico... And thats JUST in Texas... In Southern California its $25 Billion...  It's destroying the US economy
656484
Sure.  On what topic?\n\nNet fiscal effects of unskilled immigration: http://www.heritage.org/Research/Immigration/bg1936.cfm\n\nCosts of illegal aliens:\nhttp://www1.pressdemocrat.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060604/NEWS/60604001/1033/NEWS01\n\nSome impacts of the Senate Bill:\nhttp://washingtontimes.com/commentary/20060527-111535-8806r.htm\n\nMay 2005 order for Border Patrol to 'stand down' where Minutemen were so Minutemen wouldn't look effective: \nhttp://www.washtimes.com/national/20050513-122032-5055r.htm\n\nTrends in immigrant make up:\nhttp://www.cis.org/articles/2005/back1405.html\n\nMultiple links on government studies: \nhttp://usinfo.state.gov/eap/east_asia_pacific/chinese_human_smuggling/smuggling_in_the_press/impact_on_governments.html\n\nMore costs and impacts of illegal aliens:\nhttp://www.thevillagenews.com/story.asp?story_ID=6035\n\nDid you have any particular topic in mind?
464043
its affecting the u.s. because the illegal aliens are taking jobs that the poor can do like manual labor and leaving the poor to die. so they basically are steeling money from the U.S. and taking it to there home country. there for we are losing a lot of money and U.S. citizens aren't getting jobs.
324532
During his testimony during the Senate hearing last week, economist Professor Richard B. Freeman, Program Director of Labor Studies at the National Bureau of Economic Research noted that in no job category do immigrants constitute a majority. I believe he said 30% was the highest concentration. So literally there is no job that Americans don't do. Not theory, but fact.\n\nHowever if shortages of labor do occur the normal economic responses would apply. Raising compensation to attract workers or increasing the efficiency of workers through mechanization or other methods is what's usually done. There may be certain jobs that don't make economic sense. The existence of a huge pool of willing workers of has encouraged the use of labor where it would not have occurred had our immigration laws been enforced. It's not like the economy won't adapt. That's what markets do. \n\nYou also have to realize that just as illegal immigrants don't take jobs from legal residents in a zero sum calculation, their absence will also mean that fewer jobs will need to be done. Illegal immigrants, like everyone else, aren't just workers. They are also consumers of goods and services and when they leave that role, a certain number of jobs that are related to that consumption will also not be needed. \n\nMy hope the increased demand for labor will allow teenagers  once again to enter the world of work. And even more important for our society, the disturbing level of unemployment among black males and the social problems that creates could be reduced. I would also like to see prisoners work. There is no rehabilitation without work. Work is what responsible members of a society do.
277598
JD - At first, I didn't agree with you entirely on here, but over time, your views make more and more sense. You seem so dedicated to this cause, and so I hope you are doing more than just posting on this website. You have got the facts and figures and the reasoning. I hope you are managing to get this info into the government where it can make a difference. Thank you for persisting in your stance on this topic. Your dedication gives me hope that the rest of the USA will wake up and smell the coffee regarding illegal immigration, before it's too late.
304409
I think you hit the nail on the head. Some contribute to the economy; some don't. You can say the same for legal immigrants. Ditto for American citizens. More often than not, illegals contribute in some ways (by doing hard work cheaply and paying sales taxes on goods purchsed in the U.S.) and are a drain on the economy in other ways (given that their children sometimes require additional assistance in school if they're not fully bilingual). Most of them work harder than the average American does and do NOT expect or request welfare. (They are afraid of leaving a "paper trail" and hence many do not want to apply for such benefits.) But whatever the case, we should remember that our forefathers were all immigrants, legal or illegal, at one point in time.\n\nWe definitely need immigration reform, and I don't think anyone who has entered the country illegally should get automatic amnesty. On the other hand, labeling those who entered the country illegally but who have become a vital part of our society as "criminals" is pointless. We could label anyone who's ever gone over the speed limit as a "criminal", too, but that doesn't help you get a grip on excess speeding. All the jerks that run around acting superior and accusing law-abiding hard-working people who entered the country illegal of being criminals are simply ignorant, selfish, xenophobic bigots.
513689
I'll agree with that....and say the REAL crime is not enforcing on employers that encourage people to move to the US illegally to begin with by not observing US labor laws.\n\nWe need: \nemployer enforcement\nborder enforcement\nfrank and honest dialogue with the public on the issue.\nIf those 3 things happen, we'll see a lot less illegal immigration.
141090
Dude, this is where people get the message mixed up. it's not just for Mexicans but other ethnicities that immigrate to this country, Filipinos, Inidans, Armenians, Russian, Africans, Bolivians, Peruvians, etc. get the point? It is a way to show that illegal immigrants do cause an impact on the U.S. economy. It is a demonstartion.