The struggle of whether or not to grant illegal immigrants citizenship and voting rights seems to be never-ending.
As the number of illegal immigrants attending college increases, their presence becomes more beneficial to the economy.
‘ Unfortunately, many overlook the positive side of having illegal immigrants living in this country.
One of the most positive effects of illegal immigration is the fact that they are a cheap source of labor. The jobs they take on are often extremely physical and low-paying.’
The thought of working without benefits and for low wages can easily scare anyone, but immigrants’ desire to succeed makes them survive these types of jobs.
Some illegal immigrants, after years of living in the U.S., open their own businesses. This is a benefit, since they hire both undocumented and U.S. citizens.
With the current recession, these ‘illegal business owners’ help by hiring thousands of people who would otherwise be filing for unemployment.
Still, many argue that illegal immigrants receive many benefits without paying taxes. This common belief is completely false, since most benefits are not available to immigrants. Furthermore, illegal immigrants have in some cases been reported to pay taxes.
Illegal immigrants who use false Social Security numbers receive company checks in which taxes are deducted from their earnings.’
These taxes are collected for Medicaid, Medicare and other purposes that benefit the real owner of the Social Security number, not the immigrant.
‘ Every year, when the time comes to pay taxes to Uncle Sam, illegal immigrants report their income for the year with no hope of ever receiving a Social Security check.’
The money received from illegal immigrant workers in the U.S. is free money for the government, since it does not have to refund any money to them.
Not only do illegal immigrants provide cheap labor and pay their taxes, but their presence has also been felt in thousands of schools nationwide.’
The Association for the Advancement of Mexican Americans has campuses in Houston and San Antonio, which provide academic plans to help Latino students graduate high school.
These campuses also have night classes for adults who want to learn how to speak and write English.
The determination of the students is impressive, and every year more illegal immigrants are enrolling in college.
Even though students who graduate from college often cannot be hired due to their illegal status, the number of students is still dramatically increasing due to programs such as the Academic Achiever Program, sponsored by the Center for Mexican American Studies at UH.
Providing cheap labor, paying taxes and becoming an educated minority seems to have a positive effect on the U.S. economy; after all, an educated society is always healthy for the economy.’
Their determination and desire to achieve the American dream should be admired, the same way we admire all those who have gone from rags to riches.
Illegal immigrants are not the deadly virus they are portrayed to be; instead, they are the new blood that pumps through the veins of the U.S., relieving some of the problems caused by the recession.
