Pros and Cons of Immigrants on the Economy Essay Example

a drain on government spending. Nearly 26 million legal and illegal immigrants settling in the United States since 1970 cost taxpayers a net $69 billion in 1997 alone, in excess of taxes those immigrants paid. This represents a cost of $260 in additional taxes paid by each U.S. resident or $1,030 in additional taxes paid by each family of four.

This cost is a substantial increase over the net immigration costs of $65 billion in 1996, $51 billion in 1994, $44 billion in 1993, and $43 billion in 1992. During 1996, approximately 2. 3 million predominantly low-skill American workers were displaced from their jobs due to the continued heavy influx of immigrant workers since 1970. Taxpayers paid more than $15. 2 billion in public ssistance for those displaced workers in 1996, including Medicaid, Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), unemployment compensation, and food stamps. As politicians and activists raise the pitch of their arguments to stop illegal immigration at the border, scant attention has been paid to the legal loopholes that make it easy for employers to hire undocumented immigrants, creating an irresistible economic pull that undermines border enforcement.

The loophole has given rise to a thriving black market in counterfeit and occasionally stolen or borrowed immigration papers, Social Security cards, state driver's licenses, state ID cards and other documents, which are sold by word of mouth, at swap meets and even on street corners in some U. S. cities.

Citations

1. Davidson, Adam."Q&A: Illegal Immigrants and the U. S. Economy. " 30 Mar 2006.
2. National Public Radio. 18 Oct 2008 ;http://www.npr. org/templates/story/story. php? storyId=5312900;.
3. Isidore, Chris. Illegal workers: good for U. S. economy. " 01 May 2006.
   

CNNMoney.com. 18 Oct 2008 <http://money. cnn. com/2006/05/01/news/economy/immigration_economy/index. htm>. "Mass Immigration Cost American Taxpayers $69 Billion Net and 2 Million Jobs in 1997."