[quote name='bigdaddybruce44']Initially, there would probably be an economical hiccup, but eventually, everything will work itself.
The "jobs nobody wants" (biggest bunch of bullshit I've ever heard, because you know, no actual US citizen washes a dish in the United States) will have more actual citizens in them, which means people are gonna have to pay them more. So there may be less dishwashers, fruit pickers, etc., but more of that money will work its way back into the market. Many illegal aliens send a portion of their earnings back home and/or use it to pay off the scumbags that help smuggle people in this country.
We will also be collecting taxes from all these people, unlike the many illegals who pay no taxes and add nothing to the pot.
You'll also won't have illegals wandering into emergency rooms, using them as their general practitioners, and then disappearing into the night.
At the end of the day, illegal immigration is a drain on an economy, any economy. There is a reason most countries strictly enforce their immigration laws. They don't do it for shits and giggles. They do it because they don't want an influx of another country's uneducated, unskilled labor, especially in this day and age. We all have our own economical issues. We definitely don't need anyone else's problems.
The real cost of deporting EVERYONE that is here illegally will be the man hours put in by the federal authorities. That could cost millions. Of course, if we issue amnesty to these people, that's gonna cost millions, as well, as we have to process all of that paperwork. I wouldn't totally be against amnesty, if the federal government would stop dragging its feet when it comes to border security. Until we have an actual effective method to keep out illegals, though, I will not support amnesty, because then all we will be doing is giving the next round of illegals more of a reason to stop on by.[/QUOTE]
Illegal immigrants do pay taxes. They pay sales tax, property tax (indirectly through their landlord if they rent), and some pay income, social security, and Medicare taxes. They can't receive SS or Medicare benefits, however, so every dollar they pay into SS or Medicare is a net benefit for citizens.
I have no idea how much of a drain illegal immigrants are on our economy. I've seen statistics in the past, but they seemed to focus only on the costs and ignored any contributions.
I agree that our government needs to find better ways to control the border (punishing employers that knowing hire and exploit undocumented workers would be a good start). However, I would like to see our government grant amnesty and a reasonable path to citizenship for those that have been living here for years.
