Legal And Illegal Immigrant Children example essay topic

More than a million immigrants come to the United States in the past few years. All immigrants are forced by the economic situation in their own country to leave. Forced to leave behind their love ones and help provide for them. In the following argument I will argue and try to explain that illegal immigrants are not harming America. How myths that immigrants come and take American jobs are not true. Also that they are not an economic burden.

Preserving America is where many have drawn the line behind which they stand. Americans who are fearful and angry, with unintended irony call themselves natives. As I see it the only people who were actual natives in America would be the Native Americans (Indians). America is an immigrant nation a nation of strangers.

The United States after the English Settlers came became a world of immigration. People who where looking to start a new and better life. Now in present days anyone who does that is labeled as an illegal alien who comes only to milk the American system. Which is of course not true.

Immigrants do not come here because they want to but because they have to. The need to survive and give a better life to their families is the only reason they are here. It is said that illegal immigrants take jobs away from American citizens. It is also said that they place a drain on the educational system and medical resources. Especially here in California where thousands of Mexicans cross the U.S., Mexican borders every year.

Immigrants do not take jobs from American citizens. They are here to work the jobs that the American citizen does not want. Jobs that are poorly paid, degrading and may I add backbreaking. Jobs that no American citizen with endless opportunities would ever take. I have seen first hand how hard these people work up to twelve hour shifts with two ten minute breaks and a half an hour lunch. And only to be paid a merely minimum wage.

Not only do they work during the week but also on Saturdays and Sundays when those days should be spent with family. Many undocumented workers work under these conditions and they can not fight back because they need that job. Their families back home depend on that minimum to survive and live a better life. So it is no true that immigrants come over to put a drain in the system. Only Medicaid and limited food benefits are available to illegal immigrants and most do not even apply for these because they fear deportation by the Immigration and Naturalization Service. According to Urban Institute a nonpartisan research organization the local, state and federal Government spends about eleven point eight billion a year educating legal and illegal immigrant children.

That's about two hundred-sixteen billion less spent to educate all children. Illegal and legal immigrants pay more in taxes each year than they get in benefits. With all of this we want them to leave the U.S. California for example is one of the states that has a big number of immigration per year. The state passed an anti-immigrant measure proposition that would supposedly save our state by denying public education, non-emergency health care and welfare to illegal immigrants.

So you see illegals can not be draining the system because it is made so they can not benefit from them. Illegals are hard workers who use few government services. I believe that illegal immigration is given such a big importance because it is what gets politicians elected. Like proposition 187 the proposition that was supposed to help the state from such and economic burden by denying assistance was a promise made to get votes because before 187 illegal aliens were not even allowed government aid the immigration issue is exaggerated by tem.

Television and magazines are also responsible for it as well. They draw so much attention to the issue and exaggerate its number that it is the reason immigration has become a national concern. "Eight of 11 new comers to the United States each year enter legally. Those residing in the States illegally represent 1.25 percent of the population. In California where the debate is especially heated the undocumented immigrants comprise 4 percent of the state population" (Sharry 84). I have met people who have just emigrated from their country to the United States.

I have asked them what was the reason that they came to the United States in the first place. They answered that the economical situation at home forced them to find a better job and since the U.S. is a nation of opportunities they have come to be able to provide for their families. Of course not all immigrants come here to seek a job. Some come here seeking political protection. In their cases they are forced to leave because their lives are in danger. Another reason why Immigration is on the spotlight is because of race issues.

America is so afraid to lose its identity that it will do what it has takes to try and regain it. People of America are afraid that the U.S. is being over runner by immigrants and that is not true. The Urban Institute says that 250,000 to 300,000 immigrants are coming in and staying each year. That is a small percentage if looked as the total population of the U.S. "Illegal immigrants are not here for a handout they come here and work hard" (Sharry 87). Many of the immigrants that come to the U.S. are over 16 years of age".

86 percent of Mexican men are in the labor force, compared with only 75 percent of non- Hispanic whites" (Sharry 87). Maria and Pedro Vargas are two immigrants who came from Mexico two years ago. Maria works in a factory that packs and glues together books. Pedro works in a meat factory.

They also have two children who were not born in the United States. Maria and Pedro sometimes have to pull longer shifts than the normal 8-hour shifts in these factories. Their children go to school but are out way before their parents are home. The Vargas pay an enormous rent for their one bedroom apartment. The rent is so high because landlords know they will not complain. Being illegal aliens the Vargas do not qualify for any of the money assisting programs that the government offers.

Even though Maria and Pedro pay State and Federal taxes from their pay checks they have no health insurance or government help that they can qualify for. So it is unfair that we say that illegal immigrants are an economic burden. It is true that their children get and qualify for educational and meal programs but it is only a small percentage because most of the immigrants who come to the united Stated are adults. The adults who do come and have children here I believe that their children are entitled to these programs because they are citizens. Another part of this issue is the illegal immigrants that do get health care are abusing it. That is not true because they are actually being excluded from them.

Many immigrants are not aware of the programs that there is and most do not even apply for them because they fear deportation. "Latinos represent 3.2 million of California's approximately 6.4 million uninsured, it can be assumed that the number of undocumented workers who are denied access to health care in this country is much greater" (Velasco 102). It is not fair that these workers can not get insurance because most of them work in the agricultural businesses and are exposed to a lot of different types of pesticides. They face greater health risks than anyone else. Like I said before no American with their opportunities would ever come and work on these fields. I believe that America is built on the back of these undocumented workers and yet we accuse them of coming and taking our jobs and calling them an economic burden.

I think it is a small price to pay for their hard intensive work. Illegal aliens are employed chiefly in low wage markets. The job searches of especially Mexican illegals benefit from their reputation as hard, reliable workers. Their reputation is known in a wide variety of low and middle wage employers.

Even though with all this people show sympathy for illegal immigrants, but they still impose that they learn English, get documented and work". Only 20 percent say immigrants take jobs away from citizens and 69 percent say the do work that citizens don't necessarily want and that needs to be done" (Rayner 73). States receive the taxes paid by immigrants from the federal government. "It is estimated that about two-thirds of the fax dollar paid by immigrants legal and undocumented go to the federal treasury, while most of the health, education and social service costs that are incurred are paid for by state and local governments" (Rayner 89).