The Cost of Amnesty for Undocumented Immigrants in United States (Essay Sample)

AMNESTY FOR UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS
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Amnesty for undocumented immigrants
Millions of illegal immigrants have crashed the borders of the United States of America. Although giving amnesty to illegal immigrants is often argued not to have a negative impact, recent social trends and studies suggest illegal immigration has impacted negatively on the economy through the observation of the cases of employment, population, cost on taxpayers, and national security. Studies have demonstrated that the costs of illegal immigration outweigh the possible positive effect.
In 1986, the United State Congress passed an Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) which was aimed at, among others, give an amnesty for all undocumented immigrants already in residing or working in the United States who made certain provisions. 2.3 million Mexicans and other and other undocumented immigrants which totaled about 3 million were granted legal permanent resident status under the IRCA Act. It is estimated that currently there are 12 million illegal immigrants in the US and it is estimated that about one million is expected each year. However, more at issue is the long-term negative effect of this amnesty on the U.S. nation.[BIBLIOGRAPHY \l 1033 1986, Section 101 of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of. n.d. "Immigration and Nationality Act, Section 274A."]
Unemployment is currently a deep issue in the United States, and it will further widen tremendously due to the amnesty to the illegal immigrants. In filing for new jobs, statistics show that the immigrants outnumber the whites and the black citizens combined. "The working-age population between the year 2000 and 2002 expanded by 8 million people, half being the immigrants." Therefore, the amnesty to the illegal immigrants has increased the unemployment rate in the United States. Also, the average illegal immigrant is unskilled and works in the construction, agriculture, and manufacturing sectors. This has affected the wages of the unskilled native American workers by causing a reduction in wages by 8% between 1980 and 2008.[Becker, Cynthia S. 2005. Immigration and Illegal Aliens 2005: Burden or Blessing? Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale.]
Giving amnesty to the illegal immigrants may have encouraged an increase in illegal immigration. The program has provided a faster way for mostly Mexicans to get the ‘green card’ status. Amnesty has offered the only means for persons who are not eligible to obtain the green card. Persons who have entered the US without proper documentation and not under the eligibility for green-card status (refugee, employment-based or family) intend to use the Amnesty Act to get the ‘green card’ status.
The amnesty has also impacted heavily on the fiscal spending of the government which would, in turn, burden the taxpayers. Currently, the illegal immigrants have imposed costs os hospitals, schools, police and other social services. Putting the immigrants on a path to acquiring full citizenship implies that thy will be getting full panoply from the government services and programs: Medicare, social security, about 80 means-tested welfare services, and Obamacare. In the long run, the approximate fiscal cost for each illegal migrant will be about $600,000. Based on the recent statistic by Census Bureau, illegal immigrants paid about $16 billion in taxes to the federal government but in the end, they utilized federally subsidized services and programs about over $26 billion. This begs the question of who should shoulder the burden?[DiMint, Jim. 2013. "Amnesty for illegal immigrants will cost America." Wasington Post. May 6. Accessed March 4, 2016. /opinions/amnesty-for-illegal-immigrants-will-cost-america/2013/05/06/e5d19afc-b661-11e2-b94c-b684dda07add_story.html. BIBLIOGRAPHY \l 1033] [Kaushal, N. (2006) "Amnesty Programs and the Labor Market Outcomes of Undocumented Immigrants." Journal of Human Resources 41 (3): 631–47.]
The amnesty is also unfairly treating those who come to the US lawfully. Statistics show that about 3.9 million people are still waiting to come to the US lawfully, on the contrary, the amnesty tolerates and rewards those who broke the law.
On another economic effect, many illegal immigrants send a fraction of their pay ...