Illegal immigration is an issue that has been around for years, but never has it had such an impact on American society. In recent years, record numbers of illegal immigrants, most specifically those from Mexico, have entered the United States and stayed here for good. These undocumented immigrants have their reasons for settling in states such as California and Texas, but do those reasons outweigh the impact they have on our economy, education system, and healthcare? These three areas are already an issue within our institution of legal citizens, nonetheless the 8-12 million illegal immigrants President George W. Bush estimated were in the United States in December 2003 (Current Numbers)
Going further, being that California and Texas harbor the vast majority of illegal immigrants, the people in these states take huge issue with the situation. Poor people, for example, fear that the refugees pouring in by the millions the past couple years will take jobs, increase demands on cheap housing, and decrease welfare that they themselves are currently receiving (Eitzen 61). Along those same lines, education and other public agencies do not have the financial stability to keep up with all of these people. Keep in mind we are dealing with people who technically aren’t supposed to be in America and speak minimal English. The communication barrier with illegal immigrants is often a problem, whether they are Mexican or Asian.
Of the many states that have a high population of Mexicans, no state has a bigger issue than one of Mexico’s neighbors, California. Well over half of the Illegal Mexican population originates in California. The Sunshine state holds nearly half of the U.S. Latino population. By 2025, the population of Latinos is expected to surpass that of Whites, a fact that Whites would have trouble dealing with (Eitzen 207). Whites have always been a majority, especially in California, and have always held power in America. With these expectations, an increasing diversity can bring rise to conflict between the two groups. Race will no longer be a Black-and-White issue and further in the future we can expect that Whites will be considered a minority. This change in demographics would inevitably affect the political and social structure of America, while schools and the workplace will also be affected.
Going back to the immediate impact today, American citizens criticize the immigration of undocumented Mexicans for many legitimate reasons. Employment and the workplace is the first place to start in this issue. One of the main reasons illegal immigration exists today is because those crossing borders want a better job and opportunity, two things that Mexico doesn’t offer its citizens. The pay is better in here as well as the opportunity to find a job. Many immigrants make money here, then send some of it back home to their families. Two issues arise; Mexicans are willing to work for lower paying jobs, and illegal immigrants take jobs that could be available to U.S. citizens. 20 percent of all low-wage workers are immigrants (Eitzen 209). This task force of immigrants tends to be uneducated, unskilled, and simply eager to find work. They have very little training as well as experience when they come to America. They know very little about America, and along those same lines our capitalist system. Employers in America thrive off the notion that they can hire workers who are not demanding more money; they are willingly being exploited as cheap labor. In a capitalist society, there are the owners, who own the means of production, and there are the workers. Capitalism seeks profit, which is increased when there exists a cheap work force.
This argument isn’t to say that all immigrants are exploited. Although the public, especially the poor, see the illegal immigrant work force as a problem in regards to unemployment and low pay, many illegal immigrants fill niches in America. In other words, immigrants are willing and able to find jobs in markets that Americans are not known to participate in. For example, agriculture in America is a growing problem. This is one area that employers in America seek immigrants because there is such a shortage of people in this job market. The construction industry is also an area that employs many Mexican immigrants. Money sent back home is crucial for millions of Mexican families and a critical source of foreign exchange for their government. The $23 billion that maids, cooks and gardeners sent home last year was more than the amount of money multinationals invested in Mexico (Warner).
In Tucson, Arizona illegal immigrants have no problem finding jobs in the $2 billion-a-year home-building industry. In this market, there is still a vast shortage of workers, and legal American citizens are not taking up these jobs. Employers need immigrants because they are willing to do these jobs and as a low labor force. Daniel Griswold, director of the Center for Trade Policy Studies at the Cato Institute said, "The Arizona economy, the Tucson economy, and the national economy continues to create hundreds of thousands of new jobs each year for low-skilled workers in construction, landscaping, food preparation and cleaning at a time when there just aren't enough Americans around to fill all the jobs” (Immigration News Daily). Griswold’s statement reflects a key point reflected by employers in the United States.
Beyond the workplace, illegal immigration brings rise to other issues in the eyes of the general public. Since immigrant families tend to be larger in size and relatively low or working class, they require more resources from the state. This is in regards to education and the economy. Since a large majority of immigrants make less money than non-immigrants, they pay less in taxes each year. They also have many children going to school, which the legal populace must pay for. States that have the highest populace of immigrants are California, New York, Texas, and Florida. Each of these states, especially Texas and California, harbors a majority of the illegal immigrants living in America today. These states have the added burden of providing education and healthcare to far more people than other states. This is illustrated in New York City, where officials says Mexicans are the poorest, least educated, and least likely to speak English (Keller 115). Each state individually is responsible for providing services to these under educated, low skilled people. The question is what can we do, and where do we go looking into the future?
"Current Numbers." Center for Immigration Studies. The Center. 26 May 2007
<http://www.cis.org/topics/currentnumbers.html>.
Eitzen, Stanley D., and Maxine B. Zinn. In Conflict and Order. 11th ed. Boston: Pearson Education, 2007. 61-210.
"Illegal Immigrants Find Plentiful Jobs in Tucson." Immigration News Daily. 14
June 2006. 23 May 2007 <http://idexer.com/2006/06/14/illegal- immigrants-find-plentiful-jobs-in-tucson.html>.
Keller, Bill. Class Matters. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2005. 111-133.
Warner, Todd H. "Falling Home Construction Market in USA Hurts Mexico?"
Blogger News Network. 8 May 2007. 24 May 2007 <http://www.bloggernews.net/16613>.
Assigned Jobs:
- Editor: Babak (mrzofoo14@comcast.net)
- Design: Kristin (linkinblink78@hotmail.com)
- Tech: Stephanie (sweetrevelations@gmail.com)
- Statistics: Annalysa (annalysa@charter.net)
- Content Editor: Megan (mbucknum@pdx.edu)
Expectations:
- Everyone has expressed that there is time to meet after the mentor sessions on Monday and Wednesday, starting at 2 pm. Therefore, if there is a need for a group meeting, the group would prefer that each member is available to stay.
- Everyone is expected to finish their assigned articles on time, since there is a decided deadline listed below. The due date is clear.
o If the article is not finished when it is expected by the group, your grade in the group shall suffer. J
o If you do not complete your job in the group, your overall grade shall suffer J
Sidenote: “Not finished” or “complete” is to be decided by the majority of the group. There is no sole decider in this group of ours. J
Due Dates:
- Wednesday, May 23rd:
o Each member is expected to have their assigned article due
o Each member is expected to give their assigned article to Babak for editing.
- Wednesday, May 23rd:
o Resolution progress is expected to begin.
o Resolution is to be finished by May 30th.
Stakeholders:
Families of Immigrants
Annalysa
Mexican Government and Border Patrol
Kristin
United States Government
Stephanie
US Citizens and Employers
Babak
Mexican Immigrants
Megan