How Illegal Immigration Is Affecting The Economy?

Illegal immigrations are self-sustaining and tend to grow over time because it spreads and deepens the social networks that facilitate it. Illegal immigrants, also referred to as illegal aliens, are defined as migrants who typically arrive in a country without the appropriate, legally required administrative documents. This term has also been used to describe individuals who may arrive legally on temporary, non-work visas, but remain past the expiration of the permitted stay (Morris, p. 4). Some states define an immigrant as someone who lives in their jurisdiction for a period of a year or more, while others claim that period of time is three years. The timeframe for visitors is a period of less than one year (Barbour, Scott, pp. 47-90).

While perceptions in the United States have focused primarily on immigrants arriving to seek work or commit crimes, some populations flee their homelands as refugees. Historically, most populations did not leave the poorest nations to go to the wealthiest nations as popularly perceived (Andreas, p. 23). Migrants have often followed patterns of economic development. In other words, it wasn't the paucity of work where they originated, but rather a high demand for low-wage earners in other locations that drove the migration patterns (Andreas, p. 23).

While immigrants from all over the world seek American opportunities illegally, Mexico's proximity to the United States, as well as its economic structure, provides a climate for a great deal of illegal immigration from that country. As such, much of American immigration law has focused on issues with U.S. - Mexican border crossings (Barbour, p. 47).

Pro: Arguments Supporting Illegal Immigration

Prior to World War I, Mexicans were actively recruited by American labor contractors. Mexican migration to the United States grew and shrunk according to the needs of American farmers and manufacturers. During both world wars, both documented and undocumented workers from Mexico served to fulfill the labor shortage as military recruitment displaced many American workers overseas (Andreas, p. 23). These undocumented workers saved American companies money that would have been paid to the government via mandatory bonds and contracting fees. In this way, illegal migration served the needs of the American economy (Calavita, p. 35).

The labor of illegal immigration fills the current needs of the hospitality industry, agriculture, and domestic maintenance such as landscaping, childcare, and housecleaning. According to statistics published by news agencies, 20 percent of illegal immigrants work in the service industry, while another 20 percent work in construction and related jobs. Only four percent of undocumented immigrants work in agriculture (Andreas, p. 24). This can be explained by the use of mechanization in farming and the advent of industrialized, high-yield large farms that have overwhelmingly replaced family-owned farms since World War II (Morris, p. 5).

Migrants tend to be mostly males in their twenties. Very few have agricultural backgrounds, and most work in formal jobs for which wages are paid by check and federal taxes were usually deducted (Barbour, p. 49). It is less likely for migrants to access American ...