Illegal Immigrants Pay Taxes, Don’t Ruin Services
One of the most compelling arguments of the anti-illegal immgration camp always been that illegals don’t pay taxes and that they drain services like our welfare system and our hospitals. In fact this is the one argument that seriously gave me pause about supporting open borders.
But according to this article from Reason Magazine, more than 2/3 of illegal immigrants pay taxes. Illegals have been disqualified from welfare, Medicare, and most other services. “The only services that illegals can still get are emergency medical care and K-12 education.”
So, what’s the problem?
(Via Dean Esmay)
May 17th, 2006 at 4:43 pm
I actually found it a little scary, on the day Hispanics were supposed to boycott work and businesses, to see on the news all these people in streets making demands (yes, I know they weren’t all making demands, but a lot of their signs were demanding and demonstrated a lot of “attitude”). If we turn that around and think of Americans going to live in another country illegally and then “demanding” all the rights of full citizenship while bypassing the due process, we’d consider it ludicrous. There are some countries Americans can’t go and work in unless they are specifially invited by a citizen — at least there were at one time, because some friends of ours couldn’t go to Australia years ago without a specific invitiation.
Bypassing the legal process is the main problem — to come in illegally and then expect to be approved would be rewarding and encouraging that illegality. No one likes ‘cutting ahead in line” in any venue.
May 17th, 2006 at 6:11 pm
The problem is that our immigration process is seriously screwed up right now. It’s a complicated, time-consuming maze of bureaucracy like only the government can produce. I think that if we made the legal immigration process easier, less complicated, and less time-consuming then we would see a dramatic drop in illegal immgration.
Apparently, we also don’t let just anyone in. In my international business class, we discussed this issue with a number of foreign-born students who were attending the class. Only a small fraction of the people who want to are allowed to gain citizenship, and the easiest way to get in is to bring a million dollars to invest in the United States. It’s a long way from “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to break free.”
May 18th, 2006 at 7:55 am
Isn’t it also hard to get into some other countries? Don’t most of them want to protect their jobs and resources for the people who are already there first?
May 18th, 2006 at 9:10 am
It is. But that isn’t how it should be here.
As far as protecting jobs and resources goes, I think that by adding people to the economy you are increasing your resources, not decreasing them. If we didn’t have illegal immigrants doing work in our country, then overall prices would be higher for everyone, not lower. By making it difficult for immigrants to enter the country, we cut ourselves off from valuable workers, both unskilled laborers and scientific experts.
May 25th, 2007 at 12:21 pm
They have to check on every houses i guess. So they can find more people.December 8th, 2007 at 5:38 pm
although im just a child.
i think that its stupid that illegal aliens don’t pay taxes like the rest of us.
even though they are here getting payed a low wage, i dont think they should be here at all.
They are taking our jobs, our money and they are making us pay more for medicare, and other things we all need.
February 13th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
:cool:I DONT LIKE THWEM TYDFUYJKHLOUILYHUKTYRR
February 13th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
EVIL IS COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL
August 29th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
The issue on illegal immigrants is very debated. I believe that if we allow more immigrants into our country than we do now; which is only about 140,000 immigrants per year, and we also invest money into helping mexico build schools, housing, and increase sanitation, mexico will be a much better place to live. Mexico’s economy will rise and much good will come out of our investments. Also, less illegals will move into our country.
So instead of everyone arguing whether or not we want illegal immigrants or mexicans in our country, why don’t we just find a solution that everyone can agree on and benefit from?
October 8th, 2008 at 2:29 am
Well my father is a illegal immigrant buy the only year he has not payed taxes was his first year here in the states. Up to now he has been paying taxes for about 13 years and has never missed a single one so i would think that maybe a high percentage of them maybe dont know how to get started.