Why Are Illegal Immigrants Good For The Economy

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Works Cited "Deportation Increase in U.S., 350,000 Illegal Immigrants Sent Home in 2008 | Fox News." Fox News. FOX News Network, 30 Nov. 2008. Web. 31 Oct. 2012. <http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,459265,00.html>. Ewing, Walter, and Mark Krikorian. "Are Illegal Immigrants Good for the U.S. Economy?" The New York Times Upfront. The New York Times, n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2012. <http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/upfront/debate/index.asp?article=d090108>. Ferre, Ines, and Lydia Garlikov. "Thousands March for Immigrant Rights." CNN. Cable News Network, 1 May 2006. Web. 31 Oct. 2012. <http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/05/01/immigrant.day/index.html>. Gamboa, Suzanne. "Huge Increase In Illegal Immigrants." CBSNews.…show more content…
The government had no legal means of dealing with a huge influx of immigrants and therefore, according to the government, from roughly 2005 to 2009, there has been an increase of over a million illegal immigrants (CBS News). The problem arises due to that fact that these immigrants are low-skilled workers that demand far less in amends then legal residents. This malpractice drives down the cost of labor and confines those Americans who expect more pay to receive less. In 2006, the repercussions were confounded in the booming economy which had minimal unemployment due to a surplus of jobs. Therefore, Americans were content. However, by 2008, the United States economy tumbled into a recession which increased unemployment and caused a shortage of jobs. During financially hard times, it is simply logical to find the cheapest alternative, so all employers’ heads turned towards the illegal immigrants who were willing to work for less pay. For instance, during the 2000’s, agricultural jobs were one of the first to revert to cheaper labor. Southern California tomato pickers made up primarily of legally immigrated workers were replaced by an influx of Mexican aliens who were more than willing to do the work for 65 cents less per hour (Immigrants and the Economy). After legal Americans lost their job, they were unable to easily find another job post 2008 due to the…show more content…
Currently, in 2012, Obama strongly believes that illegal immigrants should stop being deported and that they are American in every way (NY Times). His course of action that retains and relieves about 800,000 illegal immigrants boldly marks a change in thinking. However, on the contrary, a report by the White House Council of Economic Advisors states that, “U.S natives benefit from immigration because immigrants tend to complement U.S natives and do not substitute for them in the workplace” (CEA). The White House Council of Economic Advisors states that they are not necessarily a threat to American’s because they do not substitute for them, however according to Obama they are Americans. This contradiction underscores the flaws within this argument. An illegal immigrant must be a threat to U.S. natives in the workplace because he or she is in every way an American performing the same tasks. Obama seeks another approach at solving the problem of illegal immigration and that is by allowing them to work legally. This, however, is not a solution because it would simply increase the unemployment rate as well as competition for jobs with other
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