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Each year hundreds of thousands of immigrants cross the borders illegally. Now, who can blame them for wishing to come to the United States, wanting to provide a better life for their families and having the ability to earn a better income? Do not blame them for their desires; however their actions should be questioned. For someone who wants the American Dream, crossing the border illegally is not the path to make that happen. The U. S. Government has had various bills they have been attempting to pass that would grant amnesty to the illegal immigrants in the country, and their families still on the other side of the fence.
Nevertheless, the costs involved in the amnesty of these illegal immigrants would be passed along to taxpayers. Although amnesty for illegal immigrants whom are already in the U. S. is proposed, amnesty should not be granted because it rewards those breaking the law, and it is bad for the economy. Amnesty is proposed but is not the answer to illegal immigration. This bill is proposed, but goes against everything that defines being an American Citizen. Many people have migrated from other countries. These people went through the proper protocol, and eventually became citizens the legal way.
Their commitment and determination to provide a better life for their families is applauded. There have been numerous bills that our government has attempted to pass that have included the amnesty bill. This has not yet passed, and hopefully it will not as the government continues their attempts. Amnesty has been attached to many other bills like a Christmas tree ornament, almost as if the government was attempting to sneak it by the U. S. Citizens. “The measure, called the Emergency Agriculture Relief Act, was added to the War Supplemental bill in a 17-12 vote last Thursday. (Anderson, 2008). Rewarding those that break the law personifies what amnesty is all about. Becoming a U. S. Citizen is a reachable goal through proper channels. This should be done by applying for a green card and abiding by all the laws regarding immigration to the United States. Keller (2006) stated “Common sense, and history, tells you that rewarding illegal behavior will only encourage more of it. ” The photo below shows the capture 5 illegal immigrants by a US Border Patrol Officer. Forged paperwork by illegal immigrants is a commonplace occurrence these days.
This is not something that should be accepted. “From agricultural field hands to construction workers and others, the ones doing the work are increasingly immigrants, many undocumented but with forged paperwork that employers are not required to probe. ” (McAuliffe and Munoz, 2005). As a U. S. Citizen, is something that is valued by everyone. Being a citizen must mean something, not only to people born in American, but those that emigrate from other countries with the dream of one day becoming a citizen. Learning, understanding and abiding by the laws of this country are essential to being a U.
S. Citizen. Making an effort to learn the English language is something that those seeking citizenship should desire automatically. They should embrace our culture and language. That does not mean giving up their heritage, but it is wrong to simply to dismiss the language and culture of a society that one desires to become a part of. In various parts of the country it is not uncommon to see that are bordered by Mexico, such as Texas and California that these immigrants tend to flaunt their heritage but yet stomp on everything they wish to gain if they were granted amnesty.
This picture of an upside down American flag flying below the Mexican is all too common on the U. S. side of the border. This mocks what being an American Citizen stands for and is not something anyone would realistically anticipate seeing regular from people which claim to want to offer their families what American has. Amnesty is detrimental to our economy. “Even with the Bingaman amendment, the bill would allow an estimated 66 million people to immigrate legally to the United States in the next 20 years. ” (Rector, 2006).
Although these figures span the next 20 years, they also break down various forms of amnesty that most tax payers have not truly thought about. These categories that are often overlooked are Spouses and Children of Amnesty Recipients, Spouses and Children of guest Workers, Parents of New naturalized Citizens. These three categories encompass almost 14. 5 million by themselves, and do not include any actual immigrants qualified for amnesty or guest workers at all. Amnesty clearly affects many people, and as it is researched more, the numbers increase substantially.
All these people who qualify for amnesty would be eligible for various types of benefits, such as Social Security, Earned Income Tax Credit, union wages, and even cheaper college rates than natural born citizens. Amnesty recipients should not be entitled to benefits that citizens do not receive, especially when these people did not come into the United States legally. One can barely comprehend the astronomical financial burden that amnesty will impose on taxpayers. “The illegal immigrants granted amnesty under S. 1348 are likely to impose a net cost of at least $2. 6 trillion on U. S. axpayers during their retirement years. ” (Rector, 2007) All types of expenses would be increased as a result. These expenses include but are not limited to healthcare, education and law enforcement. These additional expenses are passed along to the tax payers to pay for. So in essence, the U. S. Citizens are paying for the illegal immigrants to live in our country. This defies every value that we as Americans are taught and take pride in. We work hard to provide for our families. There is no logical reason that we should be forced to pay the bills for immigrants that are not willing to become citizens in a legal manner.
If they cannot respect our laws, why should Americans pay for them to live in our country? If illegal immigrants were granted amnesty, the National Deficit would increase by approximately 29 billion; the more common increases (9. 6 billion) are shown in the chart below. The National Debt is continuously increasing, and with the thought of amnesty, it will skyrocket out of control. Credit arrangements will need to be worked out with foreign countries. “…uncountable billions will be added to the national debt–currently over $8. trillion–as a result of the cost of the illegals and the increase in interest payments on the national debt. ” (Williamson, 2006). These figures will continue to spiral out of control if amnesty is granted. Can we realistically ask foreign countries for more credit than we have already been extended at this time? What would be the effect on our economy as a result? The constantly increasing costs of gasoline and food, among other products. And the housing market that has seen more foreclosures than anyone cares to admit to. This is not a legacy we want to leave for future generations of Americans.
Even the war in the Middle East is being financed right now. The U. S. government has basically charged this war on a credit card as far as the American population is concerned. Do we question whether that card has a credit limit, and if so, how close to reaching that limit are we at this point? This concept should be easy enough for all Americans to understand because at one time or another we have all used credit cards, and most of us have come close or exceeded our credit limit. But when we are discussing adding to this financial burden to allow amnesty, this is something that must be rethought.
The economic structure currently being faced is bad enough, and compounded with U. S. Citizens being forced to foot the billing for the amnesty of illegal immigrants makes things worse. The increase in costs that American tax payers will have as a result is more than our government should ask. Immigrants that are willing to struggle to provide a chance for a better life for their loved ones should be commended, and even encouraged, but only if they are willing to abide by the law. Otherwise, they should be shown the door; it is time to evict those that are here in the U. S. llegally. References Anderson, E. (2008). HumanEvents. com. Sneaky Amnesty Tricks In Iraq Supplemental Bill. Retrieved June 18, 2008, from http://www. humanevents. com/article. php? id=26605 Keller, R. (2006, May 11). House of Representatives. Washington, D. C. US Congressman Ric Keller 8th District Of Florida. Retrieved June 5, 2008, from http://keller. house. gov/News/DocumentQuery. aspx? Year=2006 McAuliffe, M. and Munoz, (2005, September 7). N. The Republican. Illegal Aliens Fuel Economy. Retrieved June 18, 2008, from http://www. masslive. com/news/republican/index. ssf? news/immigrants/090705immigrants. html Rector, R. (2007, June 6). The Heritage Foundation. Amnesty Will Cost U. S. Taxpayers at Least $2. 6 Trillion (WebMemo #1490). Retrieved June 5, 2008, from http://www. heritage. org/research/Immigration/wm1490. cfm Rector, R. (2006, May 19). HumanEvents. com. Senate Bill Adds 66 Million Immigrants. Retrieved June 18, 2008, from http://www. humanevents. com/article. php? id=14998 Williamson, K. (2006, May 26). BNet Business Network. Counting the Costs of Amnesty: With Many of our Nation’s Politicians Pushing to Give Permanent Residency and Amnesty to