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The Reality of Immigration

By Annie Banerjee

According to a recent posting by the American Immigration Lawyer's Association, illegal immigrants comprise of about 5 % of the US workforce and contribute about $520 billion to the Social Security System, an amount that they wont ever get back. Even at the State level, these "undocumented immigrants still pay more in taxes than they use in public services." This money will go towards payment of social security benefits of US workers.

Most undocumented immigrants come to the United States to work. They come here because they can find work. If the work dries up, they will NOT remain in this country and be far away from their families. Thus sheer free market forces, and restrictive immigration laws control the whole phenomena of undocumented workers.

US was founded on the principle of Free Market System. Ben Bernanke espouses it. Yet the raids on businesses by Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) is actually hurting the already battered US economy further by shutting down businesses. Why is ICE going after people simply working for a better living and paying taxes in the US, instead of going after aliens who are criminals? Because unlike what Lou Dobbs preaches, there are very few illegal aliens who are actually criminals. The agency would not need to have that many officers if the only people they deport were criminals.

So, ICE, whose parent is the Department of Homeland Security, makes work a crime and a security issue, arrest and deport men and women who are working, and thereby hurt the US economy. We have a Government that has already hurt us by going into a costly war against Iraq. When will they stop?

Full post as published by US Immigration Matters on July 17, 2008 (boomark / email).