Illegal Immigration and US Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Illegal Immigration and US Policy - Essay Example Illegal immigration is one of these issues. Illegal immigration is a multifaceted problem for the United States, and therefore politicians are unwilling to develop a solution, at least not yet. It seems that our representatives in Washington are more concerned how their actions will affect their political base, and thus their ability to remain power rather than making honest evaluations of the impact 11 million illegal immigrants are having on the American economic engine. After all, if the politician isn't able to engender support and win voters by his or her policy decisions, why make a decision at all Why not pass the problem onto the next senator or congressman, and make them deal with the political hot button rather than risk taking a dive in the next popularity pole. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the current estimate on the number of illegal workers in America is over 12 million, with 400,000 arriving each year. 1 This number breaks down to 1100 illegal immigrants per day entering this country. For the Democratic Party, who typically builds large social support programs in order to influence voter support, this group represents an up and coming power base. For the Republicans who lean toward supporting business efforts in order to stoke the fires of our economic engine, this group represents huge amounts of inexpensive labor. However, for the people of our nation, these groups if immigrants represent the following problems rather than a potential voter block. For the labor unions, inexpensive labor represents a virtual coup which will undermine for their stranglehold on American labor force. For the American social services sector, these illegal immigrants represent a drain on the limited economic resources allocate to serve the poor and the needy of our country. For the educational system, the influx of non-English speaking students has created a significant strain on educational progress, and educational quality at a time during which the educational system is already lagging behind world standards. Affecting union and organized labor, education, medical and social services, and finally legal systems - this growing people group represents a threat to the very establishments which make our nation great, and set up apart from countries like Mexico, from which the majority of illegal are escaping. Illegal Immigration and Labor At the heart of the argument is the claim that illegal immigrants are only here to do work that Americans will no longer do. They work the fields, landscape, and take low wage jobs which Americans refuse to do. Vicente Fox, the Mexican president, has recently said that "Mexicans do jobs that even blacks won't do." 2 While this idea is distasteful to hear, the general concept is unfortunately accepted by many politicians. Therefore, according to those who support illegal immigration, they are a necessary part of the American economic landscape. To some level this claim is accurate. Our nation has always had a class of peoples which worked below the economic parity, and produced much for little pay. When our nation was settled, African slaves were imported in the South. Their work fueled the textile industry, and made it possible for America to move to the forefront in this industry. During the 1800's, and the nation's westward expansion, the Chinese immigrants,