Illegal Immigration

In the past 40-50 years literally tens of millions of illegal immigrants have flooded America. The vast majority are from Mexico and South America. It is estimated that a staggering 14-46 million foreign-born people (estimates vary) currently reside in America. That is over 13% of the US total population.

Why have a string of US Presidents (both Republican and Democrat) and numerous Congresses allowed this untenable situation to fester and grow with no end in sight? Our US-Mexican border is highly porous, despite the brave work of our border patrol officers.

I believe we have come to this sad state because of the greed of US businesses. They wanted cheap foreign labor that they could pay pennies on the dollar to harvest their crops. It is also because we as a nation have failed miserably to secure our border with Mexico.

The vast majority of illegal immigrants are poor and unskilled, without even a high school education. Many are criminals. They are a huge strain on social services such as subsidized housing such as Section 8, Medicaid, Medicare, cash assistance through welfare, food stamps, and other benefits. They place a huge burden on our public schools, hospitals and make housing for legal citizens more expensive since they drive up demand. Based on estimates derived from FAIR’s most recent cost study, illegal immigration is likely imposing a net fiscal burden of at least $131.9 billion annually on U.S. taxpayers. And that doesn’t include the associated costs for the legal children of illegal immigrants. We should not allow the children born here by illegal mothers to be US citizens. It provides a huge incentive for illegals to come here and have their children. These so-called anchor babies are used to bring entire families into America!

The Biden administration has signaled it is inclusive and welcoming of illegal immigration so expect more of the same, only a lot more. According to this recent report, an enormous number of illegal immigrants are expected to soon cross into America. Numbers are likely to exceed 170,000 people if COVID restrictions are lifted!

Increasing numbers of illegal aliens can be attributed to a number of factors, including:

• Unsecured borders.
   
• An explosion in sanctuary jurisdictions throughout the United States, where local law enforcement authorities refuse to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
   
• The availability of jobs. Illegal aliens know they will find work because America has yet to put in place mandatory E-Verify for all employers.
   
• The increasing number of social welfare programs, and other benefits, given to illegal aliens by states and local governments – including in-state college tuition and driver’s licenses.
   
• Easily exploited asylum laws, flawed detention policies and a growing immigration court backlog that, for years, have allowed illegal aliens to obtain release from ICE custody and disappear into the interior of the United States.
   
• The on-going promise of amnesty by members of Congress and powerful special interests.

Unless the federal government takes meaningful action to eliminate the incentives that fuel illegal immigration, the total number of illegal aliens residing in the United States could surge to over 21 million by 2025, at a cost of nearly $200 billion, annually.

The Democrat party is in favor of illegal immigration because the majority of Hispanics vote Democrat!

Mexico is in many ways a failed state controlled largely by narco-terrorists financed by the cartels. We should not have to pay for Mexico’s problems! Gunrunning, drug smuggling, human trafficking, and other crimes are happening due to an unsecured border.

I am not against immigration. My ancestors were legal immigrants! I am 100% in favor of legal immigration. We must deport all illegal immigrants in America and set up a guest-worker program once we have secured the US-Mexico border! The US is a sovereign country and has a right to secure and defends its borders.