20 November 2007
Illegal Immigration in the U.S.
In my volunteer work (teaching English to adult immigrants and Spanish-English interpreting), I come in contact with a lot of immigrants — some are here legally, and some are not. Illegal immigration has also been in the news a lot lately, so I find myself thinking about the subject frequently. When I hear what our so-called leaders are saying about illegal immigration, I get frustrated, because I don’t think they’re thinking constructively. So, I decided I’d better get my own thoughts together.
Facts and Statistics
- According to the Pew Hispanic Center, there were about 11 million illegal immigrants living in the U.S., as of March 2005, which is about 3.8% of the total U.S. population.
- Of the 11 million estimated illegal immigrants living in the U.S., again according to the Pew Hispanic Center, about 7.2 million of them are working illegally, amounting to 5% of the U.S. workforce.
- The most common industries for illegal immigrants in the U.S. are construction (1.4 million illegal workers, or 12% of the workforce) and “leisure and hospitality” (1.2 million illegal workers, or 10% of the workforce).
- The median earnings of illegal workers are around $400 per week for men, and less (I am not sure how much less) for women.
Observations
- Basic economics (and logic) tells us that people make decisions based on benefits to themselves. So, who is benefiting from illegal immigrant labor?
- The businesses that hire illegal workers are benefiting. Clearly, if businesses could hire legal residents at the same total cost (considering salary, benefits, hours, and productivity) as illegal workers, they would hire the workers with papers, to avoid legal problems. So, the illegal workers must be working for lower wages than legal residents would, doing work that legal residents would not do, or working under conditions that legal residents would not tolerate.
- The illegal workers are benefiting. Typical workers I have met say they came here because they had very little chance of finding work of any type in Mexico, and literally no way to live without work (i.e. not many social services, food banks, soup kitchens, etc.). Here, they can find some work, and they say that even if they are living on the streets of Seattle (many do), their life here is better than what they had available at home: at least they will not starve if they have to go a week or two without working. The people I’ve met who have families here, especially the women, are an inspiration for their dedication to improving their lives and the lives of their children.
- There are some costs offsetting the benefits. For the illegal workers, these include the cost to get here (hiring someone to convey them across the border, risking life in desert crossings, etc.) and the risk of deportation. For businesses, they include the risk of fines and bad publicity if they are discovered hiring illegal workers. But the fact that we currently have 7 million illegal workers means that these costs must be much lower than the benefits for these two groups.
- This situation is not new. Illegal immigrants have been coming here for decades, mostly from Mexico, and there has been ample work for them for decades. The risk of being discovered and deported has seldom or never been high enough to discourage people from coming here to work; the risk of fines has seldom or never been high enough for businesses to stop using illegal immigrant labor.
- The public in the U.S. is asking for solutions to the “problem” of illegal immigration. But the politicians (funded by business interests) are not offering effective solutions on a scale that would make any difference, any more than they have for the last few decades. Here are the options that I think could actually reduce the number of illegal immigrant workers:
- The most reliable and humane way to do so would be to improve conditions in Mexico and Central America. If all Mexicans had real options for a good life at home, they wouldn’t come so far from their families and familiar settings to work illegally here — the net benefit would no longer outweigh the cost.
- We could also erase the advantage businesses gain by hiring illegal workers: make sure that illegal workers have the same salary, benefits, and workplace protections that legal workers do, or give them legal status.
- The other option is to increase enforcement by a lot (deportations of workers or fines to businesses) to increase the economic costs to businesses or workers.
- The other question is whether illegal immigrant labor is a problem at all. I do not think it is a problem that the workers are working here to improve their lives. But they experience problems due to the fact that they are living and working here illegally, such as constant fear, lowered social status, and loss of employment rights. It’s not a particularly easy life, and it doesn’t seem right that people who are merely trying to improve their lives, and who are also contributing to our economy, should have to live that way.
RSS
I agree with most you think and say. However as an immigrant myself, I must say that there is a major problem with your model.
Yes, the corporations benefit big time by practically paying nothing for illegal immigrants and thus making larger profits. What would be the benefit to any Employer to hire legal workers if they can get the same, if not better motivated labor for almost free ? Continue the thought and you will see where it easily could lead to.
Yes, the illegal immigrants benefit because they can better themselves. My question: Why are they here illegally ? Where is their gain to watch all the time for INS/DHS ? Why can’t they or don’t they want to become legal ? When I came here I came from a non-spanish country with 20.00 bucks to my name, and I did not have the benefit of a social net as many of the mexican/hispanic immigrants have (kudos to them to stick together and help each other) I was borderline illegal, my visa was running out, but I had saved up enough money to file my paperwork and I had noone to help me. Again I ask the question WHY don’t those people become legal immigrants ? One of the benefits I can imagine is: since they (illegal Immigrants) do not exist and do not live (as far as the US Government is concerned, the employer does not have to deduct any Taxes from their income, again a win - win for Employer and Immigrant. But what if, what if an illegal immigrant becomes sick and in need of medical attention ? Most pay their bills a lot don’t or are on medicaid. Then it becomes a problem for all, because medicaid needs to be funded by those who pay into the meager welfare pot. In that context I consider illegal immigrants as a burden to society and a burden to all of us. So many people from Mexico have immigrated here legally and bettered themselves. And with all the benefits the spanish population has (spanish Governmentdocuments, spanish speaking personell in almost all industries, amnesties etc etc) it is so easy to immigrate legally if one is an honest person.
So, bottom line is: I have no tolerance for illegal immigrants, be they from Mexico, Ecuador, Germany, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia etc. Because eventually they will destroy the system, it’s just a matter of time and mass.
Actually, it is nearly impossible for someone from Mexico or Central America to get legal status here. Also, many of the illegal workers here do pay taxes. Check your facts…
–Jennifer
Jennifer,
This was not meant as an attack to you or any immigrant (legal or illegal). Who am I to judge in the first place. I am aware that many of the illegal immigrants do pay their taxes, but there is also a huge amount who don’t. I am also aware that not every illegal immigrant is a burden (or whatever you want to call it). I have worked for many years in a Management Position in the Hotel Industry and I know that many employers in this Industry hire Illegal Immigrants. Their shortime view is: the benefits outweigh the penalties. And what goes for the Hotel Biz, just leads me to believe that a similar thought process happens with anyone who is employing illegal immigrants.
I am also aware that Illegal Immigrants are also a huge economical force. But does that make the whole situation right ? NO. By no means. I repeat, why would I hire a citizen or legal Alien, if I can pocket more money and get even more motivated employees ? This will in the long run undermine the social structure.
Secondly and as an Immigrant myself I know what these people give up (legal or illegal): They leave behind families, friends, a culture a way of life be it good or bad but that’s what they have been brought up with. I think noone can even understand that who has not lived in their shoes. Those illegal immigrants if remain in this status, have almost no way ever to visit loved ones, who they left behind. This is a tough situation to be in. In addition they have to look over their shoulder every time they turn around. Living in a “social twilight”, as I call it.
The government supports this, by doing nothing or doing the wrong thing (deporting children, dividing families), everytime the media picks up the subject. Once again two wrongs don’t make it right. I see both sides and I am saying that corporate america is exploiting the situation of the illegal immigrants and the illegal immigrants feed that, by standing in line for such exploitation. Not because they want to, but they have to. Again, I am not saying it is just the fault of one or the other, it is a mutual relationship, but where the immigrants get the shorter end of the stick. I have one thing though I do not understand and that is your last statement: it is nearly impossible, in 2002 when I filed, I filed with a friend who happened to be from Mexico, we lived in the same county, we worked at the same place, we even used the same lawyer. Per her own admission she had an elementary school level education (which I would have never guessed), I was born and raised in Germany, have a College Education. She had her Greencard in 2 months, mine took ~5 months. That’s where I get that it is fairly easy for Spanish speaking Immigrants to immigrate. Per your statement I stand corrected. Again, I am saying that I understand the immigrants, but I do not understand why they have to violate existing laws beyond a ‘grace period’. I am not saying they have malicious intentions, most are descent hard working people, but WHY do they go this route?
Bottom line is: we can bite each others noses off, and nothing will be solved, but what we can do is to help those people and help them to better themselves by becoming legal or finding venues for them to get out of the ’slavery’ situation.
We can raise awareness and pressure the Government and Industry to make it a easier and more difficult for the wrong people.
Just because the illegal Immigrants are such a strong force does not mean it is right. It is not right for either side you stand on.
I think we agree on some points.
Regarding the difficulty in obtaining a work visa, it looks like the current cap on H-2B (non-skilled) work visas for this year is 66,000. Considering that there are 11,000,000 illegal workers here, only a small fraction of them can obtain legal status. (Here is a reference.)
For Latin Americans who have citizen family members, or who marry citizens, it may not be all that difficult to get green cards and/or work visas. But for those who don’t have that, it’s certainly not statistically likely that they will get them.
As for the reason that the immigrants are here, the ones I have spoken to all say the same thing: there is no work for them in Mexico (or untenable working conditions, such as a 15-hour work-day with low pay that barely keeps the family fed, and during which your children are left to themselves), and no government safety net. Faced with the choice between that and coming here and working illegally, which would you think they would choose? In spite of leaving their families behind and all the other difficulties, they know that if they manage not to get caught and deported, their lives will be easier and better here.
–Jennifer
I agree that most of the illegal immigrants come from Mexico, but there is a large number of south American immigrants as well. I’m a Mexican immigrant myself, and I have been successful in my stay in the USA – I have a small software company. I was young when I came, and I did not have a family of my own. I know that most immigrants to not want to leave their families, but as Jennifer mentioned they do not have many choices: die of hunger along with the family or go where there is a possibility of making some money.
Another thing not mentioned is the fact that for one immigrant that makes into USA many more die, or end up mutilated or handicapped. Immigrants coming from south of Mexico are subject to a number of abuses by the Mexican people – it saddens to admit this.
Whether legal or not these people are humans just like you and I. Yes, there are rules and laws that must be followed, but these people need to be treated with respect. The same respect you and I would demand not matter what we have done. They may not be as educated as you and I, but they feel and cry just like you and I.
Governments can fix the illegal immigration issues, but they do not want to. USA can help create jobs and opportunities – real opportunities, no simple exploitation – in Mexico, and Mexico could care more for its own people.
Good points — thanks for your comments, Miguel!
I personally have found it very easy to respect all the illegal immigrants I have come in contact with. They are very dedicated to making their lives better, very smart, very hard working. What’s not to respect? The main difference between me and them is that I was born here and they were born somewhere else, which usually means that they didn’t have the same opportunity I had to get a good education, learn English from when I was a baby, get a good job legally, and all the other benefits we often take for granted.
–Jennifer
Good morning Jennifer,
With the exception of mom and pop shops (cash business and ability to hide receipts from the IRS), a typical business requires a green card (or something similar) prior to hiring someone: plausible deniability. Illegal immigrants tend to falsify/borrow papers to get jobs. The real issue however is that *legal* workers are not flocking to fill job that illegal immigrants are more than happy to take. The claim (not yours) that immigrants are taking away our jobs is false. I don’t see hordes of white boys and girls descending on Yakima and Chelan demanding jobs picking grapes and apples.
For a business, it’s about supply and demand:there is no supply of local workers, and plenty of demand for apples and strawberries. The system works, and in general everyone is happy (from an economic perspective, as I don’t dare even begin addressing human factors: happiness, medical care, etc.). Instead of wasting taxpayer money on a raid netting some hundreds of illegal workers in a chicken processing plant (earlier this week), the INS should probably focus on terrorism related activities (until such time when teenagers are rioting in downtown Bellevue demanding to be bused to Wenatchee for the apple picking season).
As an aside, and while I agree that the solution is to improve conditions in Latin American countries (and elsewhere), I tend to think that the people of those countries are to blame when the final analysis is done. The real problem is local/tribal loyalties versus a strong commitment to a national/regional cause. US/International business interests will do what they do best: protect their share values, so it’s up to the people of these countries to step up to the plate and do the right thing. It’s the only way to force a change from the status quo.