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Illegal Immigration

Immigration law refers to the rules established by the federal government for determining who is allowed to enter the country, and for how long. It also governs the naturalization process for those who desire to become U.S. citizens. Although there is a process in which illegal immigrants, or people who come from all over the world but do not have United States citizenship, can become a citizen, many choose to ignore it or not take the time to go through that process. Illegal immigration was a problem many years ago and still is today, but there are ways in which it is positive and there are ways in which it is negative. Many immigrants will work for whoever they can and will work as efficiently as they can so to stay in the U.S. but this also costs taxpayers more money than it should to keep them employed here and pay for their products. The United States also has many rules and regulations governing how to prevent and deal with illegal immigrants.

Types of illegal immigration

There are several ways a person may become an illegal immigrant. One of the most common ways is by entering the United States illegally. Entering the country without proper documentation and permission is referred to as a "Border Crossing Violator". The most frequent form of this is crossing along the Mexican-American border where immigrants often hire professionals to assist smuggling them across. This occurs in remote areas, away from border crossing stations. A large portion of the border does not have a barrier restricting human traffic, thus immigrants travel there and into the United States. These journeys are often very long and require walking long distances through the desert. Another form of illegal immigration is overstaying your visa. A person is most commonly granted a visa for school, tourism, or business. They are given a time frame in which they are allowed to stay in the country, and once expired, they are considered illegal and their status changes to "visa overstay".

Positive aspects

Despite the overwhelming hatred on illegal immigrants you see on television, there are in fact benefits. According to the article Benefits of Immigration Outweigh the Costs, "Immigration fuels the economy". Immigrants are very productive, whether illegal or legal. They increase the productive capacity and the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in the U.S from 0.2 to 0.4 percent, resulting in billions of dollars. They are also most often less picky with their careers. Despite being limited to the line of work they can accomplish due to not having proper documentation, illegal immigrants fill many areas Americans don't. Many jobs experiencing shortages in workers are filled by immigrants and not only benefits them, but also the economy. The article Benefits of Immigration Outweigh the Costs states that, “In addition to the immigration surplus, immigrants grease the wheels of the labor market by flowing into industries and areas where there is a relative need for workers — where bottlenecks or shortages might otherwise damp growth.” Another upside to illegal immigration is since most are not documented and able to legally work, they work in secrecy from the U.S government. This gives employers the opportunity to pay these workers below the minimum wage set by the government and increase profit.

Negative aspects

Although immigration in general increases GDP for the economy as a whole, it does not benefit everyone under the same roof. Immigrant workers have a clear advantage competing for jobs on the market. The majority are able and are willing to work for less than the average U.S citizen. According to article Benefits of Immigration Outweigh the Costs, "...immigration lowers the wages of competing workers, while raising the return to capital and the wages of complementary workers". This unevenly distributes the surplus profits to the business owners and investors. A side effect of this can result in a higher demand for lower paying positions. Although this can sometimes result in lower product cost for consumers, it most often leans toward higher profits for the business as they try to keep the prices the same.

Federal costs on illegal immigrants

Regarding taxes, illegal immigration costs U.S taxpayers approximately $133 billion annually. The most common cause of this is illegal immigrants giving birth to their children on United States soil. Due to the United States immigration policies, any person born on U.S soil is automatically a citizen. The costs rise from the medical care, education, and the lack of taxpayers. The birth from illegal immigrants costs taxpayers mostly from often being covered by Medicaid and the Child Health Insurance Program. These programs cover most of the expenses regarding the medical care for the children. Along with medical care, the cost of educating these children is extensive. Another aspect of taxes is almost all the illegal immigrants do not pay any. Due to not being able to legally be employed by United States companies and employers, almost none of all illegal immigrants pay income tax.

Protection from illegal immigration

The Unites States implements numerous laws protecting itself and its people from illegal immigration. Immigrants who are found to be overstaying their visas are often investigated and tracked down through their documentation and ultimately imprisoned or deported. Those who choose to pass through the border are often apprehended by the United States Customs and Border Protection Agency. Immigrants who work illegally in the United States are subject to workplace audits which searches for employees with discrepancies in their documentation. Immigrants are also subject to frequent checks by the government after they are married for citizenship to assure they are not abusing the marriage just to be allowed into the country.