Illegal Immigration is Harmful on Many Levels

Illegal immigration is a huge problem for America, as well as for the immigrants themselves. They may be bringing the very same problems to the U.S. that they are fleeing from at home. They are also abandoning their home country, leaving it to decay. Illegal immigration is a lose-lose situation.

Illegal immigration is harmful on the following levels:

• it leads to anarchy and corruption
  


• it promotes a "two class" system in America
  


• it keeps a downward pressure on wages
  


• it puts a strain on limited US services
  


• it gives criminals from foreign countries a safe haven in the US
  


• it allows disease to go unchecked
  


• it dilutes and changes American language and culture
  

Crossing the border illegally is the immigrants first crime. Often, the next crime is forging fraudulent documents, such as social security cards and drivers licenses. I know that if I was caught committing those crimes, I would be charged with perjury and most likely sentenced to serious time in prison. For the most part, illegal aliens get a pass on that. Many of them drive on fraudulent licenses, or licenses that were obtained with fraudulent I.D. Many drive without the benefit of even a phony license. Many illegals file tax returns with fraudulent social security numbers. Many don't pay income tax at all. If I falsified my tax returns, or failed to pay income tax, I would end up in jail. But for the most part, these criminal aliens get a free pass. All of these crimes increase the level of anarchy, corruption and inequality in America. It is a two tear system of anarchy. There is an unwritten law that allows illegal aliens to violate certain laws without serious consequence in exchange for working for low wages. Many so called "sanctuary cities" refuse to enforce immigration laws or question fraudulent documents. Unfortunately, this "two class” system is tearing the American culture, ethics, legal system and economy apart.

When I lived in Los Angeles, many Mexican illegal aliens were cocky and claimed that this part of America was their country, and it was stolen from them by the US. They said that the southwest US really belongs to Mexico. Absolut Vodka even put up ads in Mexico reinforcing this fallacy (click here to see and read more about the Absolut Vodka ad).
The fact is, the U.S. won some of this land in battle, and purchased the rest of land from the Mexican government. When we got the land it was baron, just like much of Mexico is today. We built roads, factories, gasoline refineries, cities, power plants, hospitals, schools, and everything that it takes to support a thriving civilization. Now that we built it up over a period of 10 generations, they think that they have a right to it, and all that has been built upon it. This attitude infuriates me.

Mexico has similar resources that the US has. They have fertile farm ground, two long coasts, petroleum reserves in the ground, natural resources, and over a hundred thirty million citizens for its labor force. Why haven't they built up their own nation? Answer: Their government is corrupt and the country is controlled by lawless drug cartels. They should stay and fix their own country rather than abandoning it and plundering our limited resources. We are suffering as a result of illegal aliens putting a huge burden on our schools, hospitals, police, jails, courts and other public services. At the same time, they are not in their country to help fix Mexico's political problems, and build up their own economy and infrastructure. By leaving they are helping their corrupt government stay in power with little or no opposition.

Mexicans who stay in Mexico consider the “illegal aliens” that emigrate to the US to be traitors to their own country for leaving. By giving Mexicans an easy way out, we are robing them of the opportunity to claim their own country and make it great. If they had no other options, they would surely rise to the occasion and defeat the drug cartels and corruption that is stifling prosperity in their own country. We are doing them a disservice, as well as doing a disservice to ourselves by not strictly enforcing our immigration laws. Strong fences make good neighbors.

Some Mexicans that are sneaking in to our country are criminals that are fleeing the law in Mexico. The corrupt Mexican government is only too happy to let them go, and not be bothered with the destruction caused by their crime, or the cost associated with bringing them to justice and incarcerating them. Many criminal gang members come from South America, through Mexico, and into the US where continue their criminal activities. Mexico tries to stop illegals from entering their country with strict enforcement on Mexico's southern border with Guatemala.

Another negative aspect of illegal immigration is the possibility of disease and epidemic. When my ancestors came through Ellis Island, they were checked for communicable diseases. With hundreds of thousands of illegals entering the US every year unchecked, many diseases enter with them. Measles and tuberculosis were almost eliminated in the US due to vaccine and aggressive testing and treatment. Now these and many other diseases are on the rise in the US due to illegal immigration. The possibility of an epidemic spreading across the US due to illegal immigration is huge.

So many Hispanics are coming to the US legally and illegally, that it is changing our American culture. As many as one million Hispanics are coming to our country annually, half of them illegally. Many are demanding that we speak their language, teach school children in Spanish and even have ballots in Spanish. It is estimated that over ten percent of Mexico's population, now resides in the US. There are about 40 million Hispanics now living in the US. One, out of every 8 people in the US is Hispanic. A majority of them are Spanish speaking. Our language, English, is part of American culture and binds Americans together. This country was founded on the principle of “E Pluribus Unim” which means “out of many, one”. This phrase is so important it is stamped on all US coins. It means that this country was founded by many different cultures and nationalities that “melted” into the common American culture that we know today. If one group comes to America too quickly and in large numbers, they will not assimilate into our common American culture, and the nature of America will change. The U.S. will become more like the failing nations that they fled. Maintaining American culture is vital to our survival and growth. Our unique American culture has led us to become the freest, most prosperous and most powerful nation that the world has ever seen.

We became a great nation by avoiding corruption and enforcing our laws equally for all of our citizens. If we continue to allow illegal immigration, we will watch our country devolve into the same kind anarchy, corruption, poverty and disease, that many illegals were fleeing, when they set off for the US in the first place. We must strictly enforce our immigration laws for the benefit of the U.S. as well as for the benefit of the immigrants themselves.