5 facts about illegal immigration in the U.S.
The number of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. has stabilized in recent years after decades of rapid growth. But there have been shifts in the states where unauthorized immigrants live and the countries where they were born.
President Obama’s executive action on immigration, announced Nov. 20, 2014, would among other things expand deportation relief to almost half the unauthorized immigrant population, though this part of the program is on hold due to a lawsuit to stop the move. While executive actions on immigration have a long history, Obama’s recent action was the most significant protection from deportation offered to unauthorized immigrants since 1986, when Congress passed a law that allowed 2.7 million unauthorized immigrants to obtain a green card.
Here are five facts about the unauthorized immigrant population in the U.S.
1There were 11.3 million unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. in 2014. The population has remained essentially stable for five years, and currently makes up 3.5% of the nation’s population. The number of unauthorized immigrants peaked in 2007 at 12.2 million, when this group was 4% of the U.S. population.
2Mexicans make up about half of all unauthorized immigrants (52%), though their numbers have been declining in recent years. There were 5.9 million Mexican unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S. in 2012, down from 6.4 million in 2009, according to Pew Research Center estimates. Over the same time period, the number of unauthorized immigrants from Asia, the Caribbean, Central America and a grouping of countries in the Middle East, Africa and some other areas grew slightly (unauthorized immigrant populations from South America and Europe/Canada did not change significantly).
3Six states alone account for 60% of unauthorized immigrants — California, Texas, Florida, New York, New Jersey and Illinois. But the distribution of the population is changing. From 2009 to 2012, several East Coast states were among those with population increases, whereas several Western states were among those with population decreases. There were seven states overall in which the unauthorized immigrant population increased: Florida, Idaho, Maryland, Nebraska, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Meanwhile, there were 14 states in which the population decreased over the same time period: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Mexico, New York and Oregon. Despite a decline, Nevada has the nation’s largest share (8%) of unauthorized immigrants in its state population.
4Unauthorized immigrants make up 5.1% of the U.S. labor force. In the U.S. labor force, there were 8.1 million unauthorized immigrants either working or looking for work in 2012. Among the states, Nevada (10%), California (9%), Texas (9%) and New Jersey (8%) had the highest shares of unauthorized immigrants in their labor forces.
5About 7% of K-12 students had at least one unauthorized immigrant parent in 2012. Among these students, about eight-in-ten (79%) were born in the U.S. In Nevada, almost one-in-five students (18%) have at least one unauthorized immigrant parent, the largest share in the nation. Other top states on this measure are California (13%), Texas (13%) and Arizona (11%).
This is an update of a post originally published on Nov. 18, 2014.
Topics: Hispanic/Latino Demographics, Immigration, Unauthorized Immigration
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Jens Manuel Krogstad is a writer/editor focusing on Hispanics, immigration and demographics at Pew Research Center.
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Jeffrey S. Passel is a senior demographer at Pew Research Center.
John • 2 days ago
I’m not exactly the most informed person, but, logically speaking, why would so many people want to come over if there wasn’t a problem? This is something not very many people seem to address. Everybody knows that the Mexican government is horribly corrupt and controlled by the cartels, but nobody’s doing anything about it- instead, we’re just complaining about the people who don’t want to have to live in those conditions. I think that, before anything else can be done about the whole issue, something needs to be done about the government in Mexico.
I understand that we have our own problems at home, but this isn’t a situation that is going to fix itself- either of the two most popular solutions (open the border or deporting all illegal immigrants) is going to leave half the country extremely unhappy with the decision. If Mexico becomes a better place, people will, for the most part, stop wanting to come here. Then it won’t be so immoral to deport illegal immigrants (from Mexico) back to Mexico, and most people should be pleased with the outcome (except for greedy business owners).
Sue • 3 days ago
Just watched the Presidential debate sponsored by CNN – – Really some good comments by people that by and large have very decent thinking about our current problems. Illegal immigration is by far one of the worst that we have here in the US. Been so concerned about the masses of displaced people in the Far East that are looking for rights to immigrate into countries that haven’t had the recent problems that we have been facing with that problem. Certainly Germany can handle 500,000, that is a reasonable number for some country with non-growing problems. But think about it, here we are transporting them in on planes – – setting them up with all the immenities when already we have so many millions of illegal immigrants stopping up our systems with all of their problems. Wouldn’t it be more reasonable to consider the things that could be done for them – – particularly in learning the language and studying to be citizens, rather than bringing in people that we do not know of their real intent (and maybe won’t know until the pressure cooker bomb goes off) in wanting to be a part of our citizenry!!! Please, let us reason together and find solutions to the problems that already exist, before we welome new ones – –
Claire • 4 days ago
It is also my understanding that a large percentage of those working are paying into social security taxes (using incorrect ss# but don’t get discovered) and as we know you cannot obtain benefits without a legit ss#. They pay state and income taxes which come directly from their paychecks as many are hired believing they are legal. I also believe there are a larger number of Europeans that have come here to work on a visa which expires and they stay. They can obtain a Tax ID in order to work here without being citizens. They cannot use the systems benefits either.
Drew F. • 3 days ago
Claire, some possibly are paying taxes. First of all I am in the air conditioning and refrigeration business in Austin Texas. Yes, the state with the longest border to Mexico. Not only do we do a lot of residential repairs on a daily basis, we are also in the new construction business. In turn all contractors know one another, work together on jobs etc…
I know quite a few plumbers, landscapers, roofers and many others that pay in cash. When I say a few the numbers are more than likely to be in the 100’s. Personally I don’t know the laws because I am not the owner, just an employee. I thought at some point they created laws that restricted hiring illegals. If they did no one enforces it. I haven’t seen anybody coming on the job sites checking credentials.
Just a little info from someone who experiences the immigrant problem firsthand.
BZL • 2 days ago
Drew, Claire,
I am a project manager for a construction company in San Jose, CA (Interiors, Floors, Painting, Tile etc.) I experience the same thing, the labor force is all foreign nationals that get paid in cash. This practice has been going on since the 70’s and is so entrenched that if the employers had to pay full SS and disability tax matching, Workers comp insurance, overtime pay, health insurance and many other extra costs that the cost of construction would skyrocket. The owner of my company discussed all of this in depth with several IRS auditors and they are forced to allow it. If the laws were enforced the entire construction industry would collapse, along with the restaurant/fast food industry, home and garden services, etc. The real downside is that I have personally had conversations with the undocumented foreign nationals that have been gang members since childhood and have access to cartel weapons such as hand grenades.
Manny Cervantes • 5 days ago
People who complain that their jobs were lost to illegal “aliens” most likely had their jobs, if at all, go overseas or were lost to technology. I would think executives of large American companies like Apple made the decision to export these jobs for financial reasons. So unemployed American workers are in fact barking up the wrong tree.
Illegals, almost all the time, take low skilled, hard work that Americans would never even consider doing (just ask any employer or employment agency including EDD).
It appears to me that once again Americans are blaming the people that can’t fight back for all that is wrong. This is always the case when the economy for whatever reason goes south. The pitchforks come out to get those “aliens” out of our America, even if some of them have roots in one of the western states that goes back when this was in fact their country. Oh, but we have Manifest Destiny on our side.
Parker • 4 days ago
Agreed!!! And, it isn’t only the illegal immigrants that are doing those jobs. It is their relatives and people who are identical to them in every way except their resident status. So, even when they become legal, we are still treating them as if they don’t deserve the same opportunities, and/or we continue to make it difficult for them to move into other jobs or increase their skill sets. Do they complain? NO! Why? Because you have scared them into submission! They are terrified of being deported by racist pigs who don’t give a flying turd about the families who depend on the pittance they are paid for this extremely hard work nor the jobs they DIDN’T “steal” from them! All of those poor helpless lazy fools who wouldn’t take those jobs EVEN IF they came even close to being enough to support a growing or established family! The jobs they do ensure your utopian suburban universes can even be a reality! No, they are grateful to be here and to have those thankless jobs because although they aren’t ideal, they give their families a fighting chance to know a different kind of life someday. They aren’t all uneducated or “unskilled” either! Many of them make this sacrifice because they want better for their children. What a novel concept! Wouldn’t it be great if there were a country where people could live freely and have better opportunities in life? Oh wait, there is!!! Only, we have continued to make it harder and harder for immigrants to gain legal status so it is no wonder we have so many that are undocumented! Not to mention, there are many that MUST escape their conditions YESTERDAY, and who don’t have the option to wait for approval. Something every American should sympathize with as we would do whatever we had to do to protect our children even if it meant going into another coutry illegally. Those who say otherwise are liars.
They keep their heads down, work harder than most LEGAL citizens of all classes, and for the most part they keep their noses clean! The false information being spread about them which can include: they are lazy, they are moochers, they are all gang members or criminals, among other things, are an unfair representation of these people who are only after the same thing we are all after…a happy life in a “free” country, safer environment, and where they can raise their families with the least amount of financial or social interference!
My family businesses would not have succeeded without our immigrant employees (yes, we checked documentation, but my family always tried to help those who were less fortunate that they could not legally employ in other ways when possible). We always tried to pay a better wage to our employees because we were DISGUSTED to learn early on that people who are supposed to represent good morals and family values, were ironically the worst offenders of bully pay, coercion, and taking advantage of those who are more vulnerable just to make their wallets fatter, spoil their children more and more with unnecessary THINGS, and raise their status in their churches and other communities. It is not only immoral, it is the antithesis of supposed “Christian Values”. What’s worse is the children are being raised to do the same. That is why I find it quite humorous that the people shouting the loudest about illegal immigrants are of the Christian variety! They cut off their nose to spite their faces. If there is anything good that can come out of their hateful policies, it is that they will be up the creek without a paddle if they ever get their wish. My instincts will want me to revel in their misfortune, but because I am not a monster and know it isn’t just them who will be negatively impacted, I will feel bad for them but hope they learn a valuable lesson. Treating others as you would want to be treated is not only central to be a Christian, it is a universal moral imperative that we do so if we want to live in a more peaceful and united world. Until then, people are getting exactly what they are asking for by treating people the opposite of how they wish to be treated. It’s that simple. Karma is a vengeful you know what so let’s hope they can change their ways soon!
I left Christianity years ago because of this constant hypocrisy and mistreatment of my fellow human beings. ESPECIALLY those in minority communities. It makes me physically ill to witness such mean spirited baseless vitriol and lies being spewed about them. I am not alone either. People are dropping like flies because of all of the hypocrisy, greed, and immoral teachings of religion or rather religious people. As I began witnessing it more and more over the years I started questioning my faith and ended up studying it on a more scholarly level only to find that religion does in fact, poison everything. I learned that there was so much I had not been exposed to about many aspects of my faith and made the conscious moral decision to keep seeking my moral questions elsewhere. But, to each his own. I don’t care what God you pray to as long as you aren’t hurting people…that is becoming more and more the case though in American Christianity…just sayin.
This WAS America. I must have missed the memo about it becoming an unwelcoming bigoted plutocracy. If anyone wants to live in that kind of country, don’t let the door hit you where the flying spaghetti monster split ya!
Sam Orr • 2 days ago
I am not a nativist, nor am I anti-Hispanic. The illegals who are here have already shown disrespect for this nation by sneaking into the country illegally or by remaining here after their visas expired. We are supposed to me a nation of laws. When 20 % of American citizens are on food stamps, when 10,000,000 American citizens have given up even looking for a job, when the labor participation rate is at the lowest rate since the great depression of the 1930’s; I want a President who cares about American citizens, not somebody who is concerned about a bunch of ILLEGAL immigrants. The national origin, ethnicity, religious affiliation, or sexual orientation of ILLEGAL immigrants is quite irrelevant. The harm to this nation would be neither greater nor lesser were the ILLEGALS Chinese, Russians, Uzbekis, Somalis, or Ethiopians! It is outrageous that the Democrats and the main-stream media continue to their libels and slanders against those of us who believe in the rule of law; and who are neceessarily against illegal immigration.
Ryan Showalter • 23 hours ago
Of course they aren’t focused on illegals. Making laws for US citizens naturally leaves them out of the loop. They can’t vote, they don’t get the same rights, and they aren’t all criminals either. The republicans are so focused on illegals they don’t care about the citizens! If laws were passed to help the US citizens, the people who don’t benefit are the rich and illegals. Helping the middle class indirectly impacts illegals. I’d rather focus on us then them. If they want to take jobs at slave pay, let em. Otherwise, they can break the law and get punished, or go back to their country.
Lynn • 1 week ago
Can an illegal immigrant be deported?
Ron C. • 1 week ago
Blah, blah, blah…You want to help somebody? Start a business and hire people…otherwise shut up.
Magni Togorsak • 1 week ago
the question here is why are Americans ignorant enough to not make a distinction between mexicans and south americans.
there are barely if any illegal south american in the US yet we’re constantly accused of being illegal immigrants because of our neighbors to the north “mexico”
isn’t it time america to get a bit educated and start understanding cultural and geographic differences around the world? you can’t afford to spend your lives being just stupid americans!
Joy • 2 weeks ago
Where from the data is collected? they are undocumented .. how come we are declaring that illegal population is declining? where is the validity of this statement? i want to see the data .. they way it is collected, the sampling .. i personally think this is a fake report.. just to give American people a false hope that illegal population is not increasing!!!
Middle Molly • 2 weeks ago
This link explains Pew’s methodology. You may have to dig through links within links to understand the whole thing.
pewhispanic.org/2014/09/03/appen…
D • 2 weeks ago
It is decreasing and the information comes from the fact most Mexican immigrants come here on legal visas and just over stay their set time period which they’re allowed to as long as they work on their citizenship requirements, which shows that they’re not so “illegal” after all. Please learn facts and not from fox news those aren’t facts.
Susan • 1 week ago
I don’t believe that we have any idea how many people are here illegally. For every one that admits being illegal, there are probably 100 or more that would never say that. No one checks or asks for documentation because you would be a hating racist. With 47% of the people living off government handouts, that amounts to more than they would make doing the jobs that the illegals supposedly come here to do. Of course, the Americans won’t do the jobs. Why would they, when they can make more money on welfare? I don’t blame the people who come here illegally. If I were living in their circumstances, I would probably do the same thing. Our country is in deep trouble on many levels. We accept 1,000,000 legal immigrants a year and that’s more than we can practically accommodate. We need to start with the Rule of Law. That’s what makes our country attractive in the first place. That means: If you are here illegally, you will have to leave (and you can take all your family with you — no need to separate anybody). We have specific laws about crossing the border illegally. We need to enforce them for a change. We need to stop the Anchor Baby business. We need to clean up our welfare situation and put our population back to work first. If we don’t fix ourselves, and soon, we are not going to be able to take care of all these people and then we will all be living in a third world country.
Hugo • 4 days ago
Where do you learn all of this? Illegal immigrants are barred from receiving government assistance. They DON’T receive a thing from the government. All of the money they receive is money that they earn from working multiple jobs that usually each pay below minimum wage. How do illegal immigrants get these jobs? That’s because American businesses need workers and illegal immigrants are not as reluctant to handle tough manual labor as American born citizens. I know this from the fact that I am a Central American immigrant that came with a visa with my family and now goes to college and is supported by extremely hard working parents. We’re now permanent residents and on our way to citizenship but we have never depended on government assistance. And guess what? It does make sense that illegal immigration is declining, economic and political conditions are improving in Mexico and Central America. And plus the bigotry in this country makes it much less desirable place to live, not only for illegal immigrants, but for anyone that is not a privileged middle class white person.
AJ • 3 days ago
I think Susan was referring to American citizens as the ones taking the government assistance and she was saying that those people receive more money than the illegal immigrants do when they work the actual jobs. Read carefully: “With 47% of the people living off government handouts, that amounts to more than they would make doing the jobs that the illegals supposedly come here to do. ”
I don’t know whether the statistic about 47% of people taking handouts is correct and I think it may be taken from a quote from Mitt Romney. I think this number actually comes from a statistic that shows 47% of Americans do not pay income tax. But I just wanted to point out what seemed to be a misinterpretation of the original comment. Hope this helps.
Aldawg • 2 weeks ago
Why should the U.S. fix Mexico’s problem of employing their people. The U.S. has problems of its own with unemployment. The real problem is the U.S. gives out government cheese in the form of food stamps and housing to undeserving people. That’s why some people (U.S. Citizens) don’t want to work and do the the job that illegal immigrants are willing to do.
Fleetwood • 2 weeks ago
People don’t work because they get free cheese?
Have you talked to people at food banks? Here’s the most common reasons people aren’t working that I’ve come across while handing out that free cheese. Not in any particular order.
Disabilities or injuries which prevent people from working at the job they knew.
Car broke down. Couldn’t get to work. Got fired because they couldn’t get to work. Can’t get the money then to fix the car. (Doing what they can to get the money so that they can fix the car. Mostly by saving every penny and eating free cheese.)
Has a criminal record (usually for a minor drug violation) and they can’t get hired.
Woman who was abandoned by partner or victim of abuse by partner and left with kids – can’t earn enough to pay for child care.
Cannot find a job – especially a job that pays a living wage.
And most commonly – they HAVE a job – but it doesn’t pay enough to support them and their family.
Honestly? I’ve yet to hear someone say that they aren’t working because they want free cheese. The cheese isn’t even very good.
Gabe • 2 weeks ago
Great response, Fleetwood! You’ve done something that many people haven’t–actually spoken to the people as human beings versus just talking about them.
Ben Hemingway • 1 week ago
I’m a veteran who was on food stamps for 6 months and can confirm what Fleetwood said. We went without food for an entire week, went to a church food shelter and were given iceburg lettuce, beans, and lots and lots of chewing gum and chips (???) then told we could come back in 3 months. SNAP (food stamps) kept us afloat for 6 months until things smoothed out. There are also plenty of people who are working and on food stamps simply because wages are so low. My wife was a general manager and was making $9.10/hr without benefits or overtime. I was going to school on the GI Bill.
Nathan • 4 days ago
Here’s something to chew on. In this country we are ALL given 12 years of free education, some college prep programs, others in the trades, but education is available to EVERYONE. As they grow, SOME kids are smart enough to see that there is a time coming when they will have to support themselves………or die.
Others take an easier road of public assistance because it is there, so why not?
Plenty of loan money is available for all who want to earn a decent place for themselves.
My parents GAVE me 25 cents each week as an allowance. but if I wanted more than that I had the opportunity to EARN it by doing various chores around the house. Every “A” on the report card also earned another 25 cents. Anything less than an “A” got nothing. The strategy worked on me. Today I am 68 yrs old, have some $$ in the bank and have been debt free for over 20 years. I also still work 60 hrs/week and pretty much like it. I have not done anything that any other motivated person could also do. Please read “The Richest Man in Babylon” if you need a little boost onto the path. Just remember, “if wishes were horses, beggars would ride” We all have to catch our own horse…….I’m not going to GIVE you mine……….
eddie chacon • 2 weeks ago
Read a little and don’t listen to Trumps Propaganda
loomy2 • 2 weeks ago
There are 11 Million Illegal Immigrants of which 8.1 Million have Jobs, representing 5% of the American Labor Force.
Knowing America, few of these people are paid the minimum wage, pitiful as it is, and thus are likely being exploited and providing long and hard labor for minimum reward or benefits suiting their Employers as well as anyone else who use these people for Gardening, Child Care and other purposes at rates below that which is legally mandated.
No one stops their employment which is illegal, nor stops them from paying tax or renting homes or buying things which is illegal as they are illegal.
The sad truth is that the only reason most of these people are illegal is because by being so, they can be exploited and provide cheap labor at minimum cost to and for the advantage of those who use and often abuse them.
That is why they are NOT made Citizens and remain illegal. It is also why there are 11 MILLION of these illegal people and why they are not deported.
They provide to many benefits to the country that profits from their status as well as their being here for anything to actually change. And that is why nothing really ever does.
This FACT is one Fact about illegal immigration in the U.S that you never hear about.
Eric Koch • 2 weeks ago
loomy2 – absolutely correct , its the tail wagging the dog ” big business ” the ones lobbing our elected officials , to gain favor …..want and need this cheap labor pool .
you hit the nail on the head !
if anyone has doubt of this ..I ask them why not simply enforce laws fining / incarcerating employers of illegals – its simple to do we obviously can count them creating statistics / compiling data , we know the industries they occupy … so
“just enforce the law making hiring them detrimental ” and it will cease .
also many americans are not aware in “agriculture work ” there are no workers rights , no minimum wage , no benefits , no labor practices determining break time -hours etc etc ..perhaps if there were, and this was viable employment and not a form of eco-salvert / indentured servitude .. legal us citizens would want to work or at least see a up side to employment in that field .
another quick example reenforcing your point , is the practice of many large box store chains catering to “illegals ” ,or non english , spanish speaking costumers – when asked if I speak spanish I often joke – yes every time I shop at Lowes .Home Depot, etc etc , I learn a few words – as many of these stores have redundant signs in spanish , soon i’ll be bilingual …
its not a joke – also not the fault of a person seeking a better life / opportunity ..the issue is the money being make on the backs of the illegals and the additional costs to joe average taxpayer propping up the system to handle these illegals so the fortunate few benefit .
Aldawg • 2 weeks ago
The going rate for a day labor in California is $10/hr. The minimum wage in California is $9/hr. As far as no workers rights, Larry Itliong, Philip Vera Cruz and Cesar Chavez fixed all that with the United Farm Worker.
r.root • 2 weeks ago
absolutly true. this reason the southern border has been sealed is because many rich and powerful people don’t really want it closed. There is a lot of cheap labor coming across that border. That’s money in their pocket.
Steven Straper • 2 weeks ago
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–Hmmm…can see one word of being illegal or legal, nor about being citizen or not
Angel • 2 weeks ago
Are we going to deport the first “illegal immigrants” too? The white people that came and stole this land from the NATIVE americans? No? Okay.
Andrew Bennett • 2 weeks ago
White people are illegal immigrants here in the USA,Canada ,central and South America ,India ,Africa ,south east asia ! they came from the UK in 1492 !
Jason • 2 weeks ago
That would have been people from spain
John • 2 days ago
Do you even know anything about Spain? The culture and people have far more in common with England than with Mexico.
Joanne Boring • 3 weeks ago
Our United Methodist Women just discovered we have a member who came here as an 8 year old and is now 50. Her parents came from Germany and are citizens but she is not. She never had a green card.
How can we help with getting her started on applying for citizenship?
Daniel A. Rodriguez • 2 weeks ago
You can start with:
1. Hiring professional legal services to help you with navigating the immigration system.
2. If she had a social security number, the easier way is to see if she paid social security for at least 40 periods of salary. I can’t go on detail here, but if you research that you will find the information. She will be accepted as a permanent resident.
3. You can find her an sponsor. With an sponsor (the church itself) she can also receive at least a temporary resident card and then apply for a change of status.
Here’s where I would stop. I will need more information. But the best thing you can do is talk to an attorney that can review her case and gather information. After being here for such a long time I don’t think she would have problems to become a permanent resident. Citizenship could take a few more years though. I hope this helps.
Thomas • 3 weeks ago
How about redoing the polling using the term “illegal aliens” for the sanitized undocumented immigrant or unauthorized? Let us see how the polling goes then.
tess • 3 weeks ago
Illegal aliens….sounds like they may be from Mars or a far off galaxy!
Gene • 3 weeks ago
they may as well be, They are in America Illegally. Parse your words if you like but you need to look in a mirror to see who you are kidding.
mdmtnwmn • 3 weeks ago
Thomas, there is no such thing as an illegal person. “Undocumented” and “unauthorized” are not “sanitized” terms, they are the correct, most accurate terms. “Aliens,” while it does mean a person from outside the country, also obviously connotes a being very different from “ourselves.” It is also a broad term that includes everyone who comes to the country regardless of whether they’ve immigrated or not – vacationers, guest workers, students, etc. Therefore, “immigrant” is a more accurate, specific and correct term.
Believangels • 3 weeks ago
Are we only talking about Mexicans? How about Ilegal Irish and italians, residing in New York…?
Julia hogan • 3 weeks ago
Those people need to get documented and become citizens too.
John • 2 days ago
No they don’t, they’re white. America is the land of the free, if you’re white.
howmanyamericans • 3 weeks ago
54% of California K-12 is Mexican “Hispanic”. Schools have gone from best in the nation to bottom in a few decades. Cheap labor for farmers and elites is paid for by the average American and especially our children as in MillennialGiants.com
Thanks
Chad • 2 weeks ago
California’s schools went to the bottom because of a tea-party like tax rebellion many years ago. The undocumented cannot be blamed for that.
Ron Gosch • 3 weeks ago
“Unauthorized?” How about ILLEGAL?
Jamie Davis • 3 weeks ago
Continuing to use the term “illegal immigrant” fires up anger but that doesn’t solve the problem. Entering a country without the proper paperwork is neither a felony nor a serious misdemeanor, it’s a civil violation. Do you want all your local cops to focus on enforcing immigration law?
GE • 3 weeks ago
Depends on the country. It is a felony to enter Mexico illegally and punishable by 2 years in prison. Repeat offenders can get 10 years in prison. It is also a crime to assist illegals to enter and stay in the country.
No sane country has an unprotected border with a 3rd world county left open for criminals to enter. The workers (49% of the US population) can not feed and clothe the rest of the world.
Local cops would not need to be involved if the federal government would take care of the issue. No illegal should ever be granted citizenship is the first change needed.
mdmtnwmn • 3 weeks ago
The problem is that there isn’t really a problem with the vast majority of people who have immigrated here. They aren’t bringing crime, disease, or what have you. They are hard working, tax-paying, productive citizens who pump $ billions into our economy and support low prices and a higher quality lifestyle for many Americans. All the hysteria is baseless. Most of the crime issues originate on our side of the border with our “War on Drugs” that has accomplished nothing but making the drug cartels bigger and stronger than ever. Until we change our policies there, that element will continue to grow and terrorize the population south of our border – leading to more undocumented immigration and asylum seeking.
WML • 3 weeks ago
Also, recent studies prove that areas with a higher number of undocumented immigrants have a lower overall rate of crime. So, combined with all other factors, i.e., actual statistics/numbers, proves the racist hysteria sweeping the nation is baseless.
And, sadly, it also proves that a small, yet very vocal, minority engaged in hateful, racist rhetoric can infiltrate the majority only if that majority fails to counter that rhetoric with their own voice, using actual facts to quash dangerous propaganda.
The majority must speak out against this dangerous foolishness before it gets out of hand. Remaining silent only empowers the opposition. It’s happening here and it’s also happening in Germany. There is a dangerous wind that could escalate into a raging storm if we continue to allow this hatemongering to continue.
John Rohan • 3 weeks ago
Actually it is a felony to re-enter the country if you have previously been deported.
Get a Life • 3 weeks ago
Oh good God. Who cares? Same thing. People like you are afraid of everything. Obamacare, Muslims, climate change (Oh, just say it’s not real and it will go away), immigrants, the dark skinned president with the funny name that is going to declare martial law and take your guns away, etc.
Jorge • 3 weeks ago
Wow! Four words and you were able to find all that? Impressive.
Bob • 3 weeks ago
You are not scared of muslims?! You should read the Koran and learn what Jihad means to them. Why do you think muslims from all over the world including the US are joining Muslim terrorist groups? You should read up on things like ISIS, Boko Haram, Islamic Revolutionary Guard, Haqqani, Hezbollah, CAIR, Palestaination Liberation Army and the hundreds of other muslim based organizations that are part of the 1400 year old war against the rest of the world. And then see how they isolate and form communities of hate in western countries where eventually they grow unrest and jihad in countries where they live. If you don’t know what a no go zone is and why they exist then do some research.
The US needs to start venting all immigrants and keep out those that don’t want to assimilate and live peacefully. Illegal immigration could be controlled if one party was not more interested in accumulating votes and wealth over the safety and future of American citizens. When certain politicians refuse to allow states to confirm ID to vote then you know they are not putting America first.
Angel • 2 weeks ago
If that’s the csse then I am terrified of white “americans” (who seem to be excused from the whole “illegal citizen” thing despite the fact they stole this country from NATIVE americans)Jihad means struggle not necessarily anything violent. Muslims are just as peaceful as Christians and generalizing an entire religion/culture based on terrorists groups is absurd. Yes, there are people who are extremists and believe they should do any and everything to protect their culture but there are people like that in America who claim to be Christians.
Hawkins • 2 weeks ago
The Holy Koran states “Because of that We ordained for the Children of Israel that if anyone killed a person not in retaliation of murder, or (and) to spread mischief in the land – it would be as if he killed all mankind, and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind. And indeed, there came to them Our Messengers with clear proofs, evidences, and signs, even then after that many of them continued to exceed the limits (e.g. by doing oppression unjustly and exceeding beyond the limits set by Allah by committing the major sins) in the land!.” Chapter 5 Verse 32, Koran. This is the message of the Koran, and ultimately the message of Islam, how can you expect a religion which gives this message to be a source of killing, hatred & evil especially when the word “Islam” itself means peace. And I am giving you the proof from Koran itself, I have mentioned the chapter and the verse as well so you can verify it as well. Just don`t blindly believe what the people tells you see the source of their info and kindly double check and even still in doubt see in what context it has been said, by reading the whole chapter instead of just taking the bits of the verses from the Koran thank you.
Chad Richardson • 2 weeks ago
Remember the Oklahoma City terrorists? They were “super-patriots” who were mad at the federal government. That is what this “tea party” crowd is fomenting. Those results could be much worse than what I fear from America’s Muslims.
Hawkins • 2 weeks ago
The word Islam itself means peace, what you are stating is nothing but the bias rhetoric propaganda that is pervasive against the Muslims especially in the media but unfortunately such propaganda has no grounds. There are extremists even in Christianity for example Ku Klux Klan or the KKK the organization as per its beliefs represents the ideals of Christianity but as we all know that that their actions have nothing to do with Christianity. P.s Islam is not just confined to the Middle East, there are more than 1.6 billion Muslims in the whole world with Muslims countries in Central Asia , South Asia, South East Asia, Africa and even Europe, Muslims roughly representing about a fourth (1/4) of the total worlds population with estimates showing that it would have the maximum number of adherents by 2050, and what you hear about in the media are those representing a tiny minority which might not even be 1 percent of the total muslim population. Muslims especially practicing Muslims are as much peace loving and humble as you might not percieve them to be because of the negative connotation which the media attaches with them. As for Koran kindly refer to a video on Ted Talks by Lesley Hazleton: The doubt essential to faith | TED Talk it might allay your uncalled for fears. Cheers
Fleetwood • 2 weeks ago
Quote from the Bible: “They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul; and everyone who would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, was to be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.” (2 Chronicles 15:12-13 NAB)
Point being, all religions have been misused to hurt other people. There are extremists in every faith and culture. I’ve spent time in the Middle East, getting to know the people and their beliefs. Everyone that I met abhorred violence and said that that was not part of their faith – just as Christians would say that violence is not a part of their faith, despite this verse to the contrary.
Trisha • 3 weeks ago
It seems that Everyone is overlooking the 1st Simple Issue. They have broken Our Law or Laws.. They are not INVISIBLE, we’all have seen them etc……. If all Hospitals, Social Offices, Businesses, Schools of All Levels, Police Departments, WE! ME & YOU!! All American Citizens had to call the State Authorities to have them Returned or Picked Up by Their GOVERNMENT. Now they can try it again the LEGAL WAY…
2nd Issue. If 60% of Illlegal Mexicans LIVE IN 6!! SIX!! Of our USA STATES; HOW HARD Would it be to pick up 60% of the USA ILLLEGAL IMMIGRANTS… Why are we not using our Armed Forces! ( if that PERCENTAGE was a Sale, I’d be right on it for the Savings..)
mdmtnwmn • 3 weeks ago
Why don’t use the armed forces? To round up maids, landscapers, auto mechanics, cooks, waiters, etc. and their US CITIZEN children? Because that would be revoltingly inhumane and a violation of their human rights. These people are not to blame for America’s problems, they contribute to our prosperity and strength. Get rid of them, and you won’t like the life you’re left with.
Rebecca • 3 weeks ago
Well said!! Ppl are afraid of the facts that they think they know!! And this concept of this is my land not yours makes me sick!!! Yes there are laws to follow but there is a reason the law is broken by those that come illegally.. Maybe the law itself needs to be fixed!!! I also hope Gods not as hard on those wanting into heaven as we are on those wanting into this country!!
Bill Rigley • 6 days ago
What a crock! Human rights? They have the right to live however they like in their country. The US can’t be expected to house the entire world and its problems. We have our own issues to resolve and more than plenty of hungry and homeless Americans to take care of that paid taxes into the system. As Americans, we pay taxes so that our government will serve our best interests and protect our land from invasion. Yet, for all that we pay into the system, life here doesn’t get any better for the average American and we are forced to deal with an increasing silent invasion of illegal immigrants who come to change our way of living and take the jobs Americans would do if not forced out by these foreigners.
Chad Richardson • 2 weeks ago
So what do you want the federal government to do? You think there’s some list of who they should pick up? When Eisenhower did “Operation Wetback” in the 50’s, that dragnet scooped up many American citizens and broke up families. Go out and work in the fields for a day with the migrant workers and see if you would be able to replace them. Our agricultural industry depends on their labor. If those workers were deported, farmers would be out of business (or would move south of the border) because Americans simply will not do that work. They pay into Social Security so it will remain solvent for many more years (though they will never get the benefits).
Bill Rigley • 6 days ago
Another crock! Our agricultural systems depends on foreigners to survive? You are seriously deluded if you believe that. Americans have been forced out of such jobs because businesses are more than happy to exploit the illegal foreign population and pay wages far below the poverty level. It’s not a matter of Americans won’t do the jobs the immigrants will do, it’s that Americans refuse to be treated unreasonably and expected to try and live on wages that won’t support the average family.
You take the fast food industry for one example. 20 years ago, Americans, English speaking teenagers and adults, worked in such places. Eventually, the immigrants took over and Americans couldn’t get a job in such places anymore because they were outnumbered and couldn’t compete or communicate with these people.
homework4class • 3 weeks ago
These undocumented people can be a security threat to the country so even if they end up staying the need to be accounted for.
Jody • 3 weeks ago
I live and work on the border of Texas and mexico. I have lived and worked in Mexico and Texas for many, many, years. I can absolutely assure you that your numbers are ridiculously low. I am absolutely positive there are upwards of 35 million illegal Mexicans living and working here. We here in Brownsville Texas are buried under a mountain of illegal aliens draining public assistance and health care reserves. You people in Washington have NO IDEA how heavy illegal immigration is.
Kerry • 3 weeks ago
Care to tell us how you’ve arrived at that number?
Lyn Wright • 3 weeks ago
I agree. California alone has the number they mention for the whole country.
Scott Wilhite • 3 weeks ago
Do you have any data to support your theory, or is it completely anecdotal?
tito • 3 weeks ago
of course they don’t, facts dont matter…
Gator • 3 weeks ago
Thank you for telling us the truth, since our government will not.
John Rohan • 3 weeks ago
Mexico’s ambassador agrees with you:
breitbart.com/big-government/201…
Lev GV • 2 weeks ago
You need to learn basic statistics. The things you see, it does not imply that everything behave in a similar manner. Go to College and, maybe, you can get more accurate conclusions.
Carlos Z • 3 weeks ago
How about giving us some statistics on Illegal Employers too?
That will be a welcome change on point of view on this “problem”,
solution for the US.
HL Mencken • 3 weeks ago
Here’s one for you Carlos: A result of the last amnesty legislation under Ronald Reagan, there was a compromise made by conservative Democrats to ensure that employers would be equally enforced for their part in the illegal immigration problem (the hiring of illegal workers; suppressing wages even further).
To hold illegal alien employers accountable – and to ensure passage of the law – the authors of the Amnesty Bill and the Reagan Administration agreed to include funding for enforcement specifically for employers.
Take a wild guess at how many enforcement officers (regulators) are in place in California that are tasked with patrolling illegal alien employers?
Answer: 2. One for Northern California; one for Southern California.
On top of that, California does not require that state or local law enforcement officers check the immigration status during traffic stops or similar circumstances.
Additionally, under a federal program, all individuals arrested are fingerprinted and run through a database which checks their immigration status. Some states, including California, are considering and sometimes passing legislation permitting local governments to “opt out” of such programs.
Further to this point, while a number of other states require the use of E-Verify, recent legislation signed into law in California instead restricts the use of E-Verify in California.
California also doesn’t prohibit illegal immigrants from obtaining benefits, health care, education or access to housing despite most of these items being illegal at the Federal level.
With all of this supporting infrastructure in place in California, it’s no wonder we have an illegal immigration problem in the US; which includes culpability on the part of the criminal trespasser, the illegal employer, the willful negligence of law enforcement and the capitulation of both the US and other nations in their efforts to carry out the laws.
All of these factors contribute to the uproar you’re hearing out of the ‘silent majority’ as Mr. Trump has taken to call us. It’s been percolating for decades and is finally being addressed on the national stage.
vandammenumber1 • 3 weeks ago
ok. well if 11 million people just got deported think about the economy. First days will be hell because many illegals work on jobs no body wants. No more cheap labor, no more people cleaning offices or restrooms, no more people in grocery stores no more people in landscape. sure all this jobs can be replace by U.S. citizens but trust me people that never work in this type of jobs will be very difficult for them to adjust. Nobody wants this type of jobs and the ones the do are always complaining. Trust me companies like hiring illegals because they don’t complain they don’t even care for vacation all they want to do is work. What about the fields mostly they all Hispanic and they know how to work in the field. over 100 degrees and no shades just 8 to 12 hours working, wow, good luck with that. Sure kick out criminals but look at millions of lives they going to destroy and look at companies how they going to struggle to get many people to work for them and once they do to maintain them with out complaining. People should go fine how this people live and see why they must go are they harming the country or they are making it great. not just because everyone is jumping to the bandwagon. Oh, don’t talk about they don’t pay taxes which they do and is call a pin number because they have no social security plus they receive a small tax refund and the rest who knows what happens to it.
ks • 3 weeks ago
well, you got one thing right. no more “cheap labor”, which is why companies like illegals, so they can pocket the bigger profits. just like what happens in China, people work as slaves for pennies and then the companies export the merchandise to America and charge $25 for something that cost them $1 to make with slave wages, then they pocket the difference. What happens when the Chinese come over and are willing to work for even cheaper than Mexicans and then they will be saying wtf? Mexicans do work for cheap, and they drive down wages for Americans, who would gladly do the same jobs, but they need to be paid a livable wage. A lot of these “landscapers” etc live together, a bunch of grown men who split the rent and send most the money back to Mexico, they don’t put it back in the American economy like Americans would. You know who used to mow lawns when I was growing up in the early 80s? Guys in high school, trying to make extra money to buy a car or something. now it’s all Mexicans, no wonder our kids are into drugs now they can’t get a decent paying job to invest their time at.
Concerned father • 3 weeks ago
Really you think it’s mainly field workers? Try every good middle class job this country had the last 25 years! Including a railroad engineer I work with! You have no clue! They come over illegal and Mary the woman that nobody else wants and get there citezinship then divorce them and bring over their real family. Also last I checked when your making less than middle class wages and have several children you don’t pay taxes! You get way more back than you pay in at the end of the year. Also free medical food stamps social security etc. now with Obama care the middle class is paying Los paying anywhere from $800 to $1800 for family medical to cover all the free people when they were paying around $300 to $800. Get you facts straight people or this country is going to be Greece in the next 20 years! Broke bankrupt and powerless!
SamIam • 3 weeks ago
migrationpolicy.org/article/freq…
you guys need to update your stats, they conflict with the migration policy institutes numbers
HL Mencken • 3 weeks ago
Actually, you’re wrong: migrationpolicy.org/research/ana…
Kyle • 3 weeks ago
I hear people on tv all the time talking about the legal path to citizenship, but for many people there is no legal path if you don’t have a relative or a special job skill or some refugee status(there are a few others) you are not eligible to apply for citizenship. Basically if you are just a regular guy who wants to move to America because it’s the best and you don’t know anyone here your out of luck so the only way in is the illegal way. The U.S. Certainly isn’t handing out work visas despite the demand for low wage foreign workers(yes there is a demand if there weren’t they wouldn’t be here) correct me if I’m wrong on this stuff. It seems to me people just don’t want foreigners here because they don’t like them or because they don’t spend the time to research things for themselves.
Bob • 3 weeks ago
We already have an unskilled labor force. However, they are not ready, willing or able to work because they have decided that welfare is the more dignified means to the same end. When you can get more in benefits, and in some states substantially more given your circumstances, then from minimum wage, why get up and do anything useful at all? If there is a need for unskilled workers who can take simple directions and work, we already have the bodies. Just connect the two. Instead of sending out welfare checks in exchange for doing nothing, get people to work in buses from the social service office centers which they frequent. Get them to farms, factories, construction cites where ever there is a need for hands and/or backs. When they actually get up in the morning with purpose, it will give them the self respect that cannot be provided by a welfare check. Crime goes down because people will be occupied doing something positive instead of nothing with their lives. It really is just an understanding of basic human behaviorism. It’s time to replace illegal immigrants with welfare recipients. Why doesn’t any politician have the balls to implement this simple idea?
Paul • 3 weeks ago
Your comment is interesting. Did you read this article before posting a comment on it? undocumented immigrants make up 3.5% of the population yet they make up 5.1% of the work force. I wonder how they’re simultaneously lazily consuming all our welfare and working harder than us at the same time? Seriously, you should probably be treated for a severe case of xenophobia.
johninnv • 3 weeks ago
But remember, Paul – as Bob said…it is just basic human “bahaviorism” !
I think your request of Bob to “read the article” is setting too high of a bar.
Ron Gosch • 3 weeks ago
The ones working harder and the ones consuming all our welfare, to a large extent, are not the necessarily from the same ethnic group. You seem to have missed his point. The group he is talking about seems more interested in burning down their own neighborhoods than working.
gnome • 3 weeks ago
As should you.
Zeke • 3 weeks ago
Paul,
It appears Bob was referring to the unskilled American workers already here legally and living off welfare “We already have an unskilled labor force”, and he was not making a reference to those who enter the country without documentation.
I like the discussion, but that is what it is, just discussion. Arguments are not reason to downgrade or attack a person’s beliefs, but to understand different viewpoints.
mdmtnwmn • 3 weeks ago
Bob,undocumented immigrants do not receive federal benefits. False SS numbers can be used for payroll purposes, but the immigrant using one can’t really use it for benefits because of the way benefits are approved.
Also, no lazy adults, especially no undocumented immigrants, are choosing to not work and sit on their butts collecting “welfare.” First, the US does not have one program called “welfare.” There’s no such thing. Adults receiving “food stamps” – SNAP – and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families – TANF – benefits are required to work or go to school up to 20 hours/week. Many work full time, including those working for employers like Walmart. Further, there is a 5-year lifetime cap on receiving those benefits and most, I think it is somewhere above 70%, are on and off in 2 1/2 years.
Those receiving assistance who don’t work are children, elderly, and catastrophically disabled. Do you begrudge a 5 year-old her meals and want her to work for them? Do you begrudge a 90 year-old who worked hard all his life, raised his family, served his country, his spot in a nursing home? Do you begrudge a disabled adult – someone whose parents did not abort their pregnancy when defects were revealed – his place in a group home/family?
Believing in the fairy tales of a so-called “welfare state” that went out with Bill Clinton’s presidency might make you feel superior and mighty, but it makes you and others like you emperors with no clothes.
Lester Phinney • 3 weeks ago
I think we must understand that coming heres is not a right. Since we cannot possibly accommodate every human on the planet, it is only logical the we decide who enters and who does not. I don’t view it as bias; I view it as common sense.
Ray • 3 weeks ago
My concern is the in flux of people of unknown age, education, home of origin, criminal history, health status. Would you leave you door to your home open 24 hours a day 7 days a week for whom ever wants to come into your home. This is what happens when you don’t control access to your home/border. The problem is not the illegal aliens but, a government leaving the door open to this country for 30 years. In so doing the government has created the following problems. Poor living conditions for said illegal aliens which, leads to crime and drug use and trafficking. The problems only continue from there.
ks • 3 weeks ago
I wish I could move to Canada but I’m just a regular American with no special job skills, or relatives who live there, so I’m out of luck. Should I just try to move there illegally?
SubCulture MEDIA • 3 weeks ago
There is simply not enough room for everyone in the world to live in the USA. I live outside of the US now and every day, practically everyone I know is trying to get visas. Then you have millions upon millions of illegals inside the US with undocumented income, so their kids are all on ‘free lunch’, getting government-subsidized housing etc. IT IS as huge drain on the economy, much more so than 5% of the workforce leaving, while our current unemployment rate is around 5.3%
Amram Linebarger • 3 weeks ago
Can you explain why a country should allow unskilled workers citizenship? Is America just a giant charity, but instead of donating you are being taxed.
Vin Bale • 3 weeks ago
Actually the numbers for guest worker Visas are way up, not to mention visa lotteries. 100s of thousands. Many of the companies that request contracts for guest workers also lobby heavily against any minimum wage and other basic employment rights in America. It is common throughout the world and it makes for a comical conflict of interest among Americans between public view and private. In other words, the general GOP leadership and those they carry water for hate immigrants publicly and love them in secret. These employers will not enjoy having to pay real wages and benefits and many will simply look to the Fed for a bail-out, thus sharing company with all the others who take more free money from the government than all the “freeloaders” combined. Their experts say it will cost between 400 – 600 billion and 20 years to remove 11 million people. It will also bludgeon the economy and make a whole lot of rich people not so rich. Thankfully, money trumps everything and the sycophants that call themselves statesmen will eventually whitewash it all and we can get on with reality again.
Shriman Gurung • 4 weeks ago
If we really wanted to fix immigration we could.
1. E-Verify for every job, all the time.
2. Punitive costs to employers who hire people off the books or fail to do #1. In short, dry up demand via the market.
3. Help make Mexico, el Salvador etc less like failed states and more like countries that a hardworking person would actually want to live in. You don’t see thousands of Canadians desperately trying to flee into Vermont, because Canada provides a functioning economy with the rule of law.
As far as dealing with the existing population, I really can’t see how there is any solution other than deportation. You broke the law, I’m very sorry, but that means you get to be expelled.
Carlos Z • 3 weeks ago
Punitive costs to Illegal employers and felony crimes for Illegal Workers?
How about jail time and felony charges for illegal employers too?
Jall all illegal employers and you will solve the problem.
Go after the farmers, factory owners, nanny hiring people, construction company workers, chicken, tuna and salmon processing plant owners, hotel owners, fast food restaurant owners, high rate restaurant owners, cleaning ladies hiring people, golf courses owners, etc etc.
Should I keep going?
Now, do you want to deport all undocumented workers and jail all federal law breaking employers?
Or do you just want to punish the workers?
Myra M. • 4 weeks ago
Are the numbers of illegals in this report actually counted? Or are the totals estimated.
Huge difference. I doubt very much that there are as few as you’re claiming.
kp • 4 weeks ago
The population was probably estimated using probability and statistical techniques with population sampling, the same way our general population consensus is done.
It would be impossible to do otherwise unless you mobilize the military and go door to door with a computer and start taking fingerprints. I don’t think advertising for illegals to come out and raise their hands would work either.
gog • 4 weeks ago
immigrants need to be controlled. The illegal ones should be deported and kicked out of our country.
666 Omen • 3 weeks ago
If you will come to my country even for tourist visit, I will do the same with u.
Kevin • 4 weeks ago
What’s the methodology to determine how many illegals are in the country. If they’re here illegally they aren’t announcing themselves. I don’t think PEW has any real clue honestly. It’s not quantifiable, yet the media picks it up as a matter of fact. That’s the problem with stats these days, there’s too much made up BS that is quantifiable.
Hugh Patrick • 4 weeks ago
Kevin – Just because you don’t know how to gather such data doesn’t mean that it’s impossible for those who do know how. After all, the PEW Research Center has been doing this for a long time. Is it not plausible that they have learned a thing or two in all that time ?
Amram Linebarger • 3 weeks ago
What technique is used to gather this information?
Michael • 4 weeks ago
Kevin, while I’m sure a few others experienced the same knee-jerk reaction, a little critical thinking goes a long way.
The sources for Pew’s data are listed at the bottom of the graphs, which is all from the Census Bureau. It is still legally required to respond to the American Community Survey if you are part of the selected sample but also illegal for the Census Bureau to release any portion of an individual person’s data (which includes immigration status). So, illegal immigrants are not punished for accurate information but face serious consequences for refusing to report that information.
As for how Pew is augmenting that data, well, as the person before me pointed out, Pew Research Center has been collecting and augmenting data from smaller samples for a long time with great accuracy and is subsequently one of the most trusted sources for such information. If you’re actually curious about their methodology they do appear to explain much of it here on the website.
miss • 4 weeks ago
What about being brought here as a child due to no choice of yours living here working her having American children then one day get pulled over thrown in ice deported now your kids have no father. Let’s do that to every illegal and everything will be just perfect.
Lesley • 4 weeks ago
As a former social worker in Tucson, AZ I’ve seen hardworking parents picked up at bus stops by the cops on bicycles & stuck on a bus to the border. CPS picks up the poor kids & that’s rarely good. People may be surprised to know that a lot of Mexicans want to come here & work, such as picking oranges in the hot sun for peanuts and then go home & work on their houses. Since Bush made the regular border crossings so hard to get through, people either tramp through the blazing desert for days or die trying. So they stay because they can’t come and go anymore.
JennyG • 3 weeks ago
Yes! And this makes no sense to me, you’re willing to take your 5 year old child on a dangerous trek through the desert for days with no food & little water to get to America. But you’re not a bad parent? Yes, yes you are. And you know what? Nothing is stopping mom, dad, and younger dual citizen sibling from accomanying the deported “DREAMER” back to Mexico (or wherever). But I notice they never do. They let their kid get sent back to Mexico while they stay here & cry about it.
Jennifer Moore • 3 weeks ago
Spoken like someone who has never lived in Mexico or seen the life these people ar3 born into. A teacher with a four year degree makes 4 to 5 dollars an hour doing he same job an American does. People don’t walk in the desert for 5 days for fun. They are obviously trying to get a chance at a better life. And that example I gave is what I make as an expat living in mexico for People without a formal education the legal minimum wage is 5 dollars a day for 8 hours of work. The typical pay for unskilled labor is 100 pesos a day which is less than 10 dollars for 8 hours or more of work. What kind of life can a person have making this much money? And before you say come here legally. Do you have any idea how hard it is for a Mexican person to get a work visa? If people want to stop illegal immigration the government needs to come up with a plan to make work visas available to workers. Don’t blame someone for doing whatever they can to take care of their family. Be happy that you were born into a country where you were lucky enough to be paid a fair wage and given the chance to make something of your life.
Robert Martel • 4 weeks ago
For those who are either too mentally incapacitated to think rationally or are merely drowning in a cesspool of nativist racism, we do not currently have – and have not had since 2008 – an increase in the number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. (In fact, the number has declined by about 400,000.). When we find the political sanity to develop a ‘path’ to citizenship for those who are living here and working here the issue of low paid illegal immigrants being hired to replace higher paid current citizens will, by law, be eliminated automatically. The raging anti-immigrant attitudes of those who refuse to deal with that reality is the major cause of the loss of jobs to lower paid immigrants.
Continue to increase border security as well as the hunt for the 50% of illegal immigrants who entered the country legally but overstay their visas, while at the same time maintaining a path to citizenship for immigrants generally, and we have a much stronger country and economy. Failure to do either or both hurts America and Americans perpetually.
Robert Martel • 4 weeks ago
I’m outraged! It’s all Obama’s fault! He’s only reduced the number of illegal immigrants in the U.S by 400,000. When Bush was president, he kept untold billions of illegal immigrants out of the country while only adding 3.9 million to the number inside the U.S.
There is clearly a problem, but it’s just as clearly not a problem which is on the increase, which has everything to do with the increasing numbers of illegal immigrants being caught and deported as they enter the country. In other words, for the thick headed clueless dolts among the 30% of the population who belong to the Know-Nothing mob, America needs to have a come to Jesus moment and deal with the reality instead of your idiocy and never ending hatred of anyone who isn’t in your America-destroying gang. About 11 million people live in this country as your indentured servants and slaves, but would prefer to be citizens…while no matter what we all do, China is going to overwhelm us with sheer numbers and eat our lunch unless our population increases dramatically over the next few decades. Try, little ones, to get the big picture and if you’re incapable of that, buy a clue…or 50.
Arizona Jim • 4 weeks ago
The “11 million” figure been around since 1995, yet is still widely used today!
Panz Critter • 4 weeks ago
Exactly, like many other government figures, suddenly they pause or decline because of methodology. The true number of illegals is closer to 30 million which would toss the other numbers all over the place. And the majority is from South American countries. Until we face the real problem, we can’t find the real solution.
Ann • 4 weeks ago
offering up stats based on inadequate information does no one a service.
How long has the number 11-12 million been used. Surely, simple math would indicate that it has to be far more than 12 million in the country illegally.
So, you lose credibility right off the top.
Choose2Think • 4 weeks ago
Just wondering if any “commenters” are willing to pay $5 for a head of lettuce. I live in California. We have been “dealing” (in essence, not dealing) with the illegal immigration problem for decades. Now that illegal immigrants (especially those from Central America) are infiltrating the north-east corridor, there is the huge cry to “do something about those damn illegals.
There is no real solution that any politician is willing to undertake because it would mean losing votes. Want people to stop wanting to come to this country? Simple. Abolish all welfare, free health, and free education. Abolish ALL taxes and institute a national sales tax. Abolish minimum wage laws. Open the borders. But in order to get here, you have to prove that you are proficient in English. Make English the official language of the United States and stop printing all government documents in multiple languages. Abolish “bi-lingual” education. Reinstitute a guest worker program.
Here is what would happen. Our prosperity would surge. People would complete for jobs. Companies would stop outsourcing jobs to other countries. We would be able to compete in the global market. We would be able to stop buying goods made in China, India, et.al. We would stop hating one another.
Michael • 4 weeks ago
“Want people to stop wanting to come to this country? Simple. Abolish all welfare, free health, and free education. Abolish ALL taxes and institute a national sales tax. Abolish minimum wage laws.”
This would also stop most people already here from wanting to remain in this country. It would result in unmitigated institutionalized poverty and regression towards a highly disposable and vastly uneducated workforce. The economy would collapse due to significantly reduced consumption (and subsequently, reduced production) of goods which have become much less affordable (like food and clothing) and/or simply no longer mass marketable (like computers and cars). Even less people would be proficient in English because the educational system is only available or viable for a very select (rich) minority. This minority would then have complete control over “official” language and all other government policy, resulting in an even further entrenched class system. This is quite literally the opposite of a surge in prosperity. What you’re proposing is a jump back to the Dark Ages and feudal oligarchy.
On the bright side, though, no more damn illegals infiltrating your precious territory. Because at the end of the day, that’s what really counts.
Ken Potus • 4 weeks ago
The illegals coming here are doing it for jobs; not welfare, which they cannot collect since they do not have a social security number (which are checked by our government systems for fraud). If you want to diminish illegal immigration write your congressmen and tell them we want our government to strictly enforce the use of the e-verify system by our businesses..
Carlos Z • 3 weeks ago
And throw in jail all the illegal employers!!
JennyG • 3 weeks ago
Technically true, however many social services have been told NOT to ask for SS# when they know their “clients” are illegal. Basically to bend the rules. And if they have an anchor baby, that child is eligible for services no problem and the rest of the family benefits.
Ruby Melody • 3 weeks ago
JennyG,
Where are your sources on that? I’m conducting a lot of independent research, looking at as much non-bias sources as possible to get the most facts about illegal immigration. I am attempting to educate myself as much as possible through non-biased independent research and personal experience/accounts.
Your comment is something I have not seen in my research nor any of the personal accounts I have collected. You seem very sure about it which leads me to believe it must be true. Please direct me to where you have gathered such information. I’d sincerely appreciate it.
ruby_g@ymail.com
Thanks!
Dandelion Daydream • 3 weeks ago
well said Michael
Harvey Bauer • 4 weeks ago
11.5 million illegals unlawfully in the USA when Obama took office on Jan. 20, 2009 ~ and 11.3 million illegals unlawfully in the USA in 2014, AFTER Obama had already forcibly deported 1.8 million unvetted criminal illegals by that time ~ and, this is called “stabilization?” I call it a failed “revolving door” illegal immigration policy. PROOF, the border is Not Secure.
Bob • 4 weeks ago
Where do these statistics come from? It would seem to me it would difficult to gather given the topic and sample discussed.
Lyn • 4 weeks ago
@Bob. Exactly. If ‘they’ have been saying there are 11 – 20 million in the country how can one even give stats when they do not have the accurate numbers. And, politicians will use this to their advantage. If the Dems say it is only 12 million that is so that americans won’t be soooo alarmed to know there are many, many more.
This isn’t about the color of someone’s skin or the country they hail from. It is about a spineless corrupt political system that would put Anyone above its own ppl. The poor, the disadvantaged through no fault of their own while promoting illegal immigrants.
My insurance, taxes, school funding should go to assisting american citizens. No one else. It is illogical
Ken Potus • 4 weeks ago
If you read the research reports illegals are not able to collect welfare since they do not have a social security number and applying for one will put them at risk of being caught. Most economist that have studied this issue extensively agree that illegals on the whole are a net positive or at worst cost neutral to our country. remember, they pay to social security due to the payroll taxes that are automatically collected from their employers yet they are not eligible to collect ss. If we want to decrease illegal immigration we already have a system in place called e-verity that requires biz to hire legal workers. This has not been heavily used due to lobbying by businesses complaining about cost of compliance and over regulation. Talk to your congressman about this if you really care about decreasing illegal immigration (oh, and get ready to start paying $10lb for your tomatoes, carrots, apples, chicken, etc).
matt • 1 month ago
hmm…5.1 percent of the workforce? so that means when people cant find jobs, its because of that number? and texas having 9% would eliminate the unemployment here if they were gone…its great that obamacare is here since, even if we deported them, employers wouldnt be able to hire americans to fill those jobs because it would be too expensive..some people want insurance and a higher,wage, which larger corporations may be able to do, but the smaller businesses won’t. this kind of thinking is magical, because it assumes there is ample money to be handed out by small businesses to “create” jobs…entitlement…
Fernando Centeno • 4 weeks ago
We also have legal immigrants wkg in gov’t positions, at all levels — local, regional, state, national, as I witnessed wkg in Austin, our state capitol. Yes, legal immigrants can work in the U.S., but not only are they taking jobs from qualified U.S. citizens, they do not owe their allegiance to the U.S. Some of these positions are policy positions, effectively representing U.S. citizens; imagine if U.S. citizens knew that almost 1/2 millions jobs are taken by legal immigrants, what reaction you would see.
Contact yr local, state & nat’l repre. to address this issue!
Lindsey Nyberg • 4 weeks ago
If you want to work outside in the 95 degree heat 12 hours a day 6-7 days a week laying brick pavers (breaking your back & inhaling the dust) be my guest. That is the kind of jobs they are doing!
KARMA • 9 hours ago
An American job is an American job they should be given to the legal Americans first.
David Gomez • 1 month ago
Would you be so kind as to provide some helpful resources to learn more about the break down of labor force numbers (#4)? Im curious to see what jobs undocumented immigrants are filling.
Lee Founds • 4 weeks ago
This touches on that subject…………coincidently see #4, but also has some other interesting info. money.cnn.com/2014/11/20/news/ec…
Carlington Reese • 1 month ago
Here is an older (2013) report released by the Department of Homeland Security that might be of interest to some readers: dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publ…
Does anyone have research that highlights the efficacy of border security?
Thanks
Michael Hartman • 1 month ago
I happened to notice that the peak of influx was in 2007 at the peak of the US economy and the first decline in 2008 the same year as the crash. If this correlation is representative of causation then the numbers show the amount of money available to pay illegal aliens and will rise with the economy or availability of money. It is less likely that any law was obeyed given that the illegal immigrants and those that hire them were not paying attention to the law beforehand and are unlikely are now.
Nancy Beeds • 1 month ago
I hope and pray you are considering each and every illegal immigrant to the America’s since 1492 …
Jamarr • 4 weeks ago
Illegal immigrants of what country? What country was here? Mexiico? Americans are illegal immigrants of Mexico is that what you saying?Yea sounds pretty dumb doesn’t it, just cause you live on the land don’t make you responsible for it’s greatness.America was made great by the collective intelligence of races that span the globe .Africans, Europeans, Asians, Indian’s, Jewish and yes native American and
South Americans so please just be thankful
Sandi • 1 month ago
In the last national census, there was not even a place to mark if one was Mexican, if you remember right. In the one done in 2000, it was the Native American who was left without a place to mark on the ballet. Just depends on which survey is to be skewered, near as I have been able to figure out.
Michael • 4 weeks ago
What I think you are referring to are race and ethnicity portions of the decennial US Census. In that context, an option to report oneself as “Mexican” would not be accurate to the type of data being gathered, as “Mexican” is not a race or ethnicity, it is a nationality.
Since 2005, The Census Bureau has collected some nationality and immigration information through its American Community Survey each year which is distributed to a much smaller, random sample of people living inside the United States.
National reality • 1 month ago
Illegal immigration is a modern form of slavery, there is no need to build a wall between U.S. and Mexico to stop illegal immigration, we just have to pay legal wages and then U.S. citizens will be willing to do the job.
Be realistic, there is a government/society promoting illegal immigration for their own benefit, then all those illegal immigrants, slaves, are deported as soon as they are not needed any longer.
john rizzuto • 3 weeks ago
Slavery??? These people come here on their on accord, look for jobs, have children knowing they are breaking the law, and then cry they are not being treated fairly. I know one that asked his him employer to sign a letter saying he made less than he made ( he was making $17/hour) so he can get medical benefits, that we pay for, for his 3 children that he had here. But alot of the middle class that are real US citizens can not get health care. BS!!!
Jack Wynder • 1 month ago
The problem is we can’t agree on how to fix the immigration system so we leave it as it is and things continue.
That said: there’s something we can do to fix things without doing anything to the immigration system:
Raise sales tax to 30% in every border state and give sales tax refunds to citizens and legal residents at tax time.
That way all the illegals who are escaping deportation will be indirectly forced to pay into the system even if they don’t file income taxes.
Shane Simmons • 1 month ago
“Raise sales tax to 30% in every border state and give sales tax refunds to citizens and legal residents at tax time.”
And you put the burden on retail, etc. businesses in those states to keep track of everyone who makes a purchase at one of their businesses, and the extra headache and expense will drive them out of those states. Brilliant!
Leon Lewis • 4 weeks ago
Not at all. There would be no need for tracking at the point of sale. The burden would be on the individual to document their spend and request their refund..presumably when filing a state income tax return.
Carlos Z • 3 weeks ago
The immigrants will move to other states….
Chris Johnson • 1 month ago
Does your research show what percentage of undocumented immigrants are repeaters every year? By “repeaters,” I mean that they tried at least once before to immigrate to the US, were apprehended, and were deported.
Jorge • 1 month ago
I’m not sure it’s that way. Crossing the border might be extremely difficult and dangerous (and expensive) depending on several factors, the biggest one is if you have a Visa (or not).
I think we can classify Mexicans working illegally in USA in these groups:
– Non immigrants with a Visa: usually highly skilled workers (bachelor’s) that can’t find a good job in Mexico. They commonly get in using a tourist Visa and overstay working some minimum wage job for a couple of years while saving money. They tend to come back to Mexico after they get tired on working on something they are overqualified for (but with a bigger savings account!). They might or might not go back to the US (or to a different country) depending on if they get a good job back in Mexico or not.
– Non immigrants without a visa: usually low skilled workers (less education than high school) that are denied a visa (if they even tried to get one). These are somewhat common in certain part of Mexico, and could be seen as a long tradition/rite of passage. Basically, a guy (almost always a male) goes to the USA to work for 6 months to 2 years to make some savings and then comes back permanently (or might try to go to the USA again, depending on how easy it was entering). The main objective is getting enough money for a big purchase (say, a pickup truck), or to get money for a big event (like a wedding) and then go back. My grandfather actually did this in order to marry my grandmother.
– Immigrants with no Visa: really poor people with nothing to lose, they intend to cross and stay there forever. Main motivation: minimum wage jobs pay probably 10 times better in the USA. They usually have almost no ties to Mexico (how could you have strong ties to a country that has failed you?).
-Immigrants with a visa: usually middle-low class people with an education level around high school. They manage to get a tourist visa but overstay in the USA. When they see that jobs in the US pay better and with less work than the ones in Mexico, they decide to stay and use all resources they can to get citizenship. It’s common for this group to marry for citizenship (be a legitimate married or a sham/paid one). They tend to have strong ties to Mexico (specially familiar ties) but see no other option, or just prefer the lifestyle the US offers.
Jorge • 1 month ago
Well, if they were legal they would pay taxes. Win-win don’t you think?
Jack Wynder • 1 month ago
Raise Sales Taxes and they will have to pay taxes illegal or not.
Mari • 1 month ago
They do pay taxes though. Wow the ignorance of it all
Leon Lewis • 4 weeks ago
The irony of the poorly informed generalization in this comment is hilarious.
Dan Eldridge • 1 month ago
This data seems to be in line with most other data I have found on the subject. Provided one does not go to a source that is bent liberal or conservative. My opinions on the subject are complex. Too much to write down here. Having no ancestors that can be traced in this country beyond 1890, leaves me a profound sense of happiness and pride that this great nation took in my great grandparents and great, great, grandparents without anything other than the desire to be American and a signature/mark. I know, I have seen the papers of my maternal great grandparents. That was it, no 1 year this, 3 years that, 10 years for good measure. I am not saying the doors should be thrown wide open. That ship has sailed. But I do believe that the current immigration policies has given rise to a great degree of problems we currently face with immigration. I do know this, I would much rather see money go to help americans in need, improve medical science, and science in general. Than spend it on a foolish wall and/or armed soldiers/police to guard this silly wall.
Anita Anderson • 2 months ago
Good facts
Proud American • 2 months ago
What I find interesting is that of the noted 11.2million illegal immigrants ( I disagree with use of unauthorized) 8.1 million illegals are working (72%). At first glance that looks good except they are not paying taxes. Another way to look at it is 28% are NOT working. It raises the question what are they doing and how do they sustain themselves?
How many of the services are used by the 28% not working?
Edward • 1 month ago
Not paying taxes? How do they avoid paying sales taxes in stores? Gasoline taxes? What about the portion of their rent payments that go toward municipal property taxes? Highway tolls? Wireless phone taxes? All unavoidable for anyone living and working here in the US.
Ariel Perez • 4 weeks ago
Proud American, what makes you think they don’t play taxes. A large part of that 72% working use ITINs when filing their taxes, to the tune of $870 million dollars in 2010. All of those workers also paid over $3 billion into Social Security that year, money they’ll never see again.
Get your facts straight.
Vicki Martinez • 2 months ago
I am curious how this data is collected when many illegal immigrants come to the country and are hiding in the country, therefore can not be counted in the data. They have no identification, they pay with cash, live with family members and are ghosts in the community essentially. This is the reason most citizens have a problem with illegal immigrants being here and not coming to the country through proper channels. I am curious how these ghosts in the communities are counted in this data.
sbrown • 2 months ago
Schools, hospitals, social welfare agencies, police, border control, they aren’t really flying under the radar! They come here for all these things.
RegularGuy55 • 2 months ago
Data aside, I still find calling illegal aliens ‘unauthorized immigrants’ is an attempt to legitimize their presence. They are criminals who broke the law by entering the US, broke the law by living here, and broke the law by working here.
Vanessa • 2 months ago
Who do you think works in America’s hard labor force? Its those same illegals that work Sun up to Sun down picking vegies and fruits so we can have produce in our markets. We can’t forget those 5 star meals who do you think works in those slaughter houses. Latinos do anything to support their families. They are the reason majority of landscapes look as beautiful. They take the jobs that us Americans wouldn’t even think of doing. We have opportunities. Why not give them that choice. We all are immigrants , unless you’re native American.
Vincent Vlemx • 2 months ago
They take American jobs at half the money–it’s not true that Americans would not take the jobs. Everytime someone hires an illegal 2 Americans are priced out. We are legal immigrants. We did not break American laws for profit.
grant • 2 months ago
Actually, we aren’t all immigrants, though all of us, including Native Americans, have ancestors who were immigrants. I don’t agree that there are jobs the illegals are doing that the rest of us wouldn’t do. As a matter of fact, illegal workers have driven down the wages paid to American workers by participating in an underground labor force. Those wishing to come to the United States to live and work DO have a choice. They can get in line, apply for work visas and legal status, just like the legal immigrants of our ancestors’ generations.
Insert • 1 month ago
Grant, there are no “lines” to apply for a work or resident visa.
Actually, immigration to the US is quite difficult. Just take a look at the USICS website and get a grasp of the types of visas, the requirements and the benefits (or lack thereof) each has.
Adam Sternberg • 2 months ago
Studies have been shown, over and over again, that this is a fallacy. It’s a lie made up by liberals to help justify the illegal immigration waves. If you go to any farm, you’ll see just as many whites working there, if not more, than illegals.
Cynthia Blancett • 3 weeks ago
You may see whites picking produce but how many of them are prison labor? That is a question I would like an answer to.
Mary • 2 months ago
Who do you think works in America’s hard labor force? It’s those same Americans that work sun up to sun down in the Appalachian coal mines, some of the hardest labor work on the planet. I know because I come from these people and I have many friends whose family members STILL do this work. It is grueling and dangerous. Why do the poor, rural people who’ve lived in that region for generations risk their lives to support their families in coal mines instead of farm fields? Because farms do NOT pay a living wage! Why? Because illegal immigrants are not beholden to US labor laws like US citizens are, and can be paid pennies. No American family could survive on the same wages without forever relying on social services or living in a cardboard box. Companies hiring illegal immigrants are not willing to pay Americans a fair wage – these companies are the problem because they put the profits of their CEOs over the welfare of their people. They also put Americans out of work because they can underbid on construction contracts when their entire workforce is illegal and underpaid. American construction workers can’t compete. If farms, slaughterhouses and construction companies paid Americans what the law says they’re entitled to, there would be PLENTY of Americans working in those difficult fields, because there are millions of rural – and urban – Americans who have done hard labor to support their families all their lives.
Paul Muller • 1 month ago
If they crossed the border illegally, deport!
Susy Smith • 1 month ago
My adult students in Miami, Florida do not work from sunset to sundown in the fields. That is a myth. I wish I could inform our country as to the truth because we are losing our country and nobody seems to represent us, the American citizens.
They (the illegals) are working in construction and making good money. Those jobs use to go to our union employees. (Not only Americans, but legal citizens as well). However, since they are illegal, they don’t pay income taxes like we us citizens. They all have fancy cellular phones and tennis shoes. They carry no insurance because our hospitals cannot ask questions as to whether they are illegal or not. they know they can keep on having illegal children without having to pay what the rest of us pay.
The overcrowding in the schools Is horrible. We, the taxpayers are paying for all those illegal children because illegals own no property, and it property taxes that pay for schools.
For the last 15 years I have face the problem of illegal immigration daily at my school. It is a sad picture for those of us who were born in Miami and remember a totally different society. A society where rules and law were respected by all.
Random Thought • 2 months ago
Well, the number is something like 40% entered 100% legally. These people are taking planes. Only 50% are from Mexico. The rest get on a plane, pass thru customs, and are here (originally) 100% legally. So, this idea that they entered illegally is unfounded. Yes some % of them did. But probably the vast majority actually just overstayed their visit.
Chris • 2 months ago
I guess the fact that all of the Americans at the time of the Alamo were illegal immigrants doesn’t have any bearing on the conservation? Or does it help explain Texans. They wouldn’t bring drugs if there wasn’t a demand. Have to finance the trip somehow. Market forces? Or evil people?
JennyG • 3 weeks ago
By the time of the Alamo America existed as a country so no we were not “all illegals”. If you’re speaking of this as the perspective of native Americans it’s more like we were invaders than immigrants.
Something that has happened many many times throughout history, all over the world, not just here. Pretty much all of what is now the UK, the empire of Alexander the Great, the Mongol invasion of China, the Visigoth invasion of Rome, etc etc etc.
And the Battle of the Alamo (and in fact the entire war between future-Texans and Mexico) was about the type of gov’t Mexico was going to become, up until that point Texans considered themselves to be subject to the laws of Mexico. So it literally has nothing to do with illegal immigration. Unless you think Miami or Houston are going to try and cecede.
Susan Anthony • 2 months ago
I have couple questions, if anyone knows and one observation.
Are DACA recipient still consider in that 11million figure?
Is there anywhere you can see the number of Asylum cases gained green cards in immigration and family courts, across the country? IS there a data base that keeps track?
In the article it says the illegal immigration in Massachusetts is declined, how they get info?
My observation is that in my area of Massachusetts it is very much on the incline. Everywhere in construction, hotels, gardeners, house cleaners,the nannies at the park etc
In my area it is Brazilians and their numbers have definitely grow in last decade.
Lucy Love • 2 months ago
Yes
Deborah • 2 months ago
Half of illegal immigrants were on legitament visas,and just over stayed .,,from all countries.
Irma Flores • 2 months ago
You are close to being correct. I believe that it’s between 35 – 40% that overstay their visas.
Nomoremaos • 2 months ago
The propoganda machine jas been using he 12 million figure for as long as i can remember. So somehow, the illegal population swelled to that figured and it was at that point where they decided not to migrate to the US. Hmmm, sounds like a load to me. It’s a convenient metric to sound resonable to some but % wise, not to alarm most. However, for every illegal, there ate on average 3 children (often times more), the spouse, grandparents, et al… This means we easily have 100 million people who should not be in this country.
What other nation thinks open borders is a smart national policy? Pretty much zero.
johnny • 2 months ago
No one is proposing an open border policy.
Charles Gatlin • 2 months ago
But that’s essentially what we have.
Susie • 2 months ago
No it’s not. We have American businesses GMC, Kwikset locks, etc. In Mexico so this is why America doesn’t close the border. Think how corporates would feel. They wouldn’t be able to pay cheap slave labor. Including a large percentage of agriculture comes from over the border.
CJS • 2 months ago
The propaganda machine is right. I just read an eight year old study from The Social Contract that estimated 20 million then. It made sense to me.
Larry Uebbing • 2 months ago
So according to your numbers 1 out of every 3 people in the U.S. is an illegal immigrant. You need to either increase or decrease your prescription dosage.
sbrown • 2 months ago
What’s the population capacity of the U.S.? There are approximately 319 million people in the U.S. The planet is being crushed under a growing population of 7.5 billion. This country is dealing with social and political chaos, environmental imbalances, terrorism, and a $17+ trillion deficit. Is there a limit? The country is certainly not financially, socially or politically “healthy” enough to absorb 11-30 million illegals and their families, those days are gone. Why do Americans feel some strange guilt or obligation where Hispanics/illegals are concerned? The constitution gives the children born here a “right” to be here (despite the scam), NOT the illegal family members! America is not a “bad guy” for sending them back to their homes and shoring up the border. My original question is, what is the population cap on the U.S.? 320 million, 500 million, a billion people? Population growth is at zero growth in this country all increases in the numbers are through immigration alone. The American west is in the midst of a water crisis right now, what happens in the next few decades when the “climate refugees” begin arriving from dozens of other countries- what then?
Mengnan Wei • 2 months ago
I lost my job and visa for not lying to my client. Lying on your resume is not a crime but it’s still unethical in the IT consulting industry.
I love America and I wanna stay but not in this way so I headed back to China this January.
I wanna say show mercy to your human fellows even though they’re illegal immigrants.
I think those illegal immigrants are no different from me. We both love America but in different ways.
Tom • 2 months ago
You say, “11.2 million illegals in 2012.” Is that the –very best– you can do? Hey, were in July 2015. That 11 million figure is waaaaay old. Ann Coulter calculates the true figure is –at least– 30 million. Is Pew infested with liberals?
Linda • 2 months ago
Now there’s a source I’d quote – Ann Coulter – NOT
Craig King • 2 months ago
Ann Coulter calculates……….lol. My young son is big into calculating recently. I’m usually somewhere between a hundred and a thousand years old based on his earnest calculations. To be fair his perception of my ancientness is probably no less real than Ann Coulters fearful perception of being swept under an avalanche of 30 million “others”.
Irma Flores • 2 months ago
Yes, we should all go quoting Ann Coulter especially since most of her statistics are overblown. That makes perfect sense!
Bruce in AZ • 2 months ago
In here new book on immigration, she quotes figures supplied by legitimate government organizations with foot notes. Can you supply credible data that refutes Ann Coulter’s? (Aside from partisan ridicule and personal denigration.)
gary schatz • 2 months ago
Well done! Explodes the myth that all of them are from Mexico. Though a lot of the Mexicans here are not the best citizens (and incarceration costs a lot of money). Another interesting statistics would be about where the drugs come from.
David • 2 months ago
That still means about 1.7% of the population are undocumented, Mexican illegal immigrants, and that’s a problem a lot of Americans want to sweep under the rug. That could be a lot of tax revenue for this country that’s simply not being generated. Why is it ok that taxpayers foot the bill to jail illegal immigrants, but it’s not ok to tax them for being here if they plan to stay here indefinitely illegally?
Zara • 2 months ago
Many undocumented immigrants pay taxes. Please educate yourself.
Laylah • 2 months ago
Yes and many (especially from Mexico ) are of low socioeconomic status when they illegally migrate here. They take advantage of resources that were put in place to assist American citizens who may need them.
Jeffrey McDonald • 2 months ago
More don’t pay taxes. The employer is suppose to use e-verify & you know they tell the illegals they are paying taxes but if employer report those taxes they would be in violation and fined for hiring illegal aliens. Quit using that argument. We know there is probably more illegal aliens here than the #’s being reported.
Gigi • 2 months ago
Illegals from all other countries who work here pay taxes just like every citizen. it’s not just the “Mexicans” that are unauthorized. I recommend doing more research. We have people undocumented and paying taxes from Asia countries, Europe etc. I wish people can stop always pointing out “Mexicans ” like they’re vermin. They are hard working citizens. Parts of America were mexico at one time know America’s history.
JennyG • 3 weeks ago
If taxes are being paid by illegals it’s because they are using someone else’s SS #. Otherwise they are working “under the table” and not paying taxes. Either way they are breaking the law. If by some magical chance they say they are paying taxes the company they are working for is lying to them. No company is going to knowingly hire an illegal, pay them at least minimum wage, and then pay employer & employee taxes to the gov’t. The whole point of hiring illegals is that you don’t pay them min wage, and you don’t pay taxes on their wages. Otherwise they’d be hiring citizens.
I don’t care what country they are from. Law breaking is law breaking.
Laylah • 2 months ago
Mexico and South America thats where the drugs come from, and their President is the biggest drug lord of them all.
Jake • 3 months ago
What continues to baffle me is how people can’t understand that illegal immigration is a terrible thing for our country. My girlfriend has relatives who have been put on a waiting list for over YEARS to be become a citizen, whereas there are people crossing the border within an instant.
The process of becoming a citizen is safe and helps prevent people like murderers or drug dealers into our country through background checks. That is something that doesn’t happen when people cross the border illegally.
immigration is very good thing, but bringing in vast quantities of illegals is very dangerous
Not saying that everyone crossing the border is a bad person, but you cannot deny that there have been a surplus of criminals coming over
phyllismurphy • 3 months ago
A Federal Illegal Immigration was passed long long ago but any law is only as good as enforcement. A country weakens in every way once a break down in law is allowed by the pitiful creatures elected or appointed to keep American citizens protected. Me and 5 bros worked in fields back in the 40’s when Mexicans swarmed into our small country town in Illinois and began taking jobs..Citizens objected strenuously and culminated with illegals swarming the downtown streets and male citizens swarming and a massive brawl ensued. Fortunately, no serious injuries or deaths but that stopped most Mexicans from coming to our town for future jobs. So this uncontrolled illegal invasion is and insidious insult to all who are waiting in line to become a citizen legally..I have not respect for the idiot self serving lazy politicians who fail to enforce laws!
Kevin Pierce • 2 months ago
You quote, “Mexicans swarmed into our small country town in Illinois and began taking jobs”.
So they just elbowed you out of the way, or were they willing to accept less?
Sounds like market forces at work, and then you saved money of your food later on?
critical_thinker • 2 months ago
ah yes – market forces and the cost of food. I assume you approve of lowering or abolishing the minimum wage in the fast food industry so we can all appreciate a drop in the cost of a Big Mac
Irma Flores • 2 months ago
Anyone coming to the US legally does not automatically become a citizen. They are documented aliens. Depending on the type of permission that they have. Some are given Visas, others are given temporary residency. After temporary residency comes permanent residency, then after five years you are eligible to apply for citizenship.
However, you also have a misconception; just because someone is legal doesn’t mean that they can’t committ crimes and that our country is safe because of it. Need I remind you that the terrorists of 9/11 were all here legally and so were the terrorists who bombed the NY city garage back in the 90’s and none of them crossed the southern border either .
T. • 2 months ago
Also from other countries. This is the huge gap in our immigration system. Statistically a very low percentage are criminals majority coming over are not. They’re desperate what would you do if you had a family to support. Its a matter of life and death. This why immigrants come here or send their children for a chance to prosper and be productive . isn’t that what America and our Constitution stands. Equal opportunity.
D’Arcy Burgess • 3 months ago
Carlos, I’ve always read about the land belonging to the natives and I haven’t really questioned that; but I have to admit that I wonder, what land REALLY belongs to any human? Just because the natives were here first, does that mean it was theirs to claim? Who decided that rule? I’m not even saying I have a problem with it; but seriously, what human being can really make that call?!?
James Wilde • 2 months ago
That’s a fairly logical assessment. Nobody sprouted from the ground and has some entitlement to the land. The world’s borders are not first come first serve. Some army/tribe/empire/society came in and conquered or developed the countries that exist today. Some societies hard work and governments have yielded better results. Because the U.S. worked out so many others want a piece of that pie, the grass is greener on this side. As someone who has ancestry dated back to the Revolutionary era, I can say that my family were the laboring, working class that built the country to make it something worth having when it wasn’t the world power that is today. The U.S. didn’t become a modernized nation and world power over night.
Ben Weiser • 4 weeks ago
Which is “the” laboring, working class that built the country? Are you descended from enslaved Africans?
Redacted • 3 months ago
Don’t take this the wrong way, but why do they all flock here? Clearly there is a problem there for them to do that, so why not band together and fix it? I’m not saying I hate them, or that America isn’t good enough to immigrate to, but it all causes population problems here. Legal immigrants I have no qualms with, fyi. It’s just they come here instead of doing what must be done there. Essentially what Wade said.
Passing Through • 3 months ago
Considering the exploitative damage that NAFTA dealt upon Mexico (not the first time the US has bullied its neighbor to the south), the US has set itself up for waves of immigrants who are looking for better conditions outside their country. Additionally, the US aided the civil war in El Salvador during the ’80s, again prompting a toxic situation that demands people flee immediately. I would like to see traditional, legal immigration processes work here, but it would willfully stupid to turn a blind eye to the tragic situations our country has caused and manipulated.
So, to answer your question, that’s why many Latino undocumented immigrants arrive. I am not as well informed in Asian countries or other areas. It may or may not be the same.
Mabes • 2 months ago
NAFTA did not damage Mexico…it damaged the USA
Irma Flores • 2 months ago
Sorry Mabes – but Passing Through is correct. This is why the US had an influx of illegals coming to this country in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. Most were peasant farmers who could no longer compete with the pricing that Mexico (and some Central American countries) was receiving from the US for agricultural items.
Ana Sheila Victorino Lopez • 2 months ago
It hurt poor Mexicans. The number of agrarian jobs in Mexico plummeted, hence why you saw in increase of poor Mexican immigrants in the U.S looking for the jobs that no longer existed in their own country.
Hominychi • 2 months ago
Assuming you are of Caucasian decent: why did your ancestors flock here? Why didn’t they stay back home and fix whatever problem it was they had back then? Why did they take over the native Americans land?
Tina • 3 months ago
I also married a person who came here illegally 11 years ago. We have two US born children. He pays taxes, has never collected any benefits from the government and speaks English. He has no chance of gaining any type of status without reform. He actually doesn’t care about citizen status all he wants is a driver’s liscence and to continue supporting his family. How many US citizen fathers don’t give two craps about their families? They rather not work in order to not to pay for their children. Doesn’t that tell you something?
MrCharles • 2 months ago
He ought to respect this country enough to get right with its laws. He has rationalized common decency away. What country did you say gave him the opportunity to support his family? What does he say to legal immigrants looking for the same opportunity?
Bob • 3 months ago
I’m sorry , i married a undocumented person, they are scared to get pulled over by police
because they have no license and several times i had to get the cars from impound yards .
They don’t want to be counted in any census. The Government Of Mexico is the Problem and the other South American Governments . so I do think their are more people here than
your estimate . I deplore our leaders in both parties who want these people to break the law , so their children who are born here can grow up and vote . We are a country of Laws period.
C Bender • 3 months ago
I’m all for people coming to America for freedom and a chance at the American dream. But they have to come wanting to be American. That means they have to learn to speak English. They have to obey and respect our laws, our government and our beliefs! They have ro come into our Country legally. We cannot just let people walk over our borders and declare themselves Americans! Do you know of any Country that would let you do that? Come on people we cannot continue on with bleeding hearts for every person in the world. My Grandfather, father, brother, husband and many long dead relatives died for me to be here, I cherish that dedication to this Country. I’m not willing to share my Country with anyone who wants to change what they died for! I believe in God, I believe that he blessed this Country and I believe that the melting pot we have become has eroded the very foundation of what this Country was built on! You cannot have a Country that supports every belief and every religion, it is not possible! Every Country has to have a core belief to build on. When there is to much diversity the Country crumbles. This is a fact that goes back to every great civilization from the beginning of time. And the majority of Americans refuse to see that it is happening to our Country. You cannot have a Country without morals, principals and core beliefs. So, if you want to live in America, then be an American!
Cameron • 3 months ago
I was also born and raised in America, as well as my parents, grand parents, great grandparents, and so on. We came over on the mayflower and have been one of the longest American families. I do not believe in god. I do believe that our Constitution grants you the right to believe in god and me not to, something called the first amendment. It’s also a well known fact that, because of this amendment that you uphold so dearly, that the US does not have a national language. We are a country founded on immigrants and a country founded on immigrants with a population over 300 million will never become completely universalized. Both your dead relatives and mine came to America, slaughtered or supported the slaughter of a mass amount of people, and then declared themselves American. This hypocrisy has to stop. The system must be reformed of course, but in a way that supports our forefather’s cherished ideals of acceptance and kindness. A form of welcoming that is open to all people who want to live and thrive in the greatest country in the world.
Alex • 3 months ago
Be americans!?people from central to south America, They are Americans born and native to this continent , yet we have Europeans here who want English to be spoken here why!? English is not native to America the continent ,there is no such thing as the US as it being America the country that’s plain retarded
Ordinary Person • 3 months ago
Alex,
This is exactly why so many Americans resent the illegal alien brigade. You are voluntarily moving to a majority English speaking nation. It is hardly unfair to ask for English fluency in return. Why should a law abiding American citzen be asked to adapt to your refusal to learn English, pay more in taxes for your interpreters and face decreased job opportunities because they aren’t fluent in YOUR language?
The American government represents the American people not resentful foreign nationals who imagine they have the right to dictate how our society is run. If you want to voluntarily join our society, we have every right to ask that you exhibit basic common manners and be fluent in English.
Ricardo Gonzales • 2 months ago
South and central americans are europeans aswell or have more european than native heritage. And they are mixed with the indians from those continents which are very far away those indians had nothing to do with the indians in the USA for example the sioux and the inca did not know each other communicate share a language or culture so those people have no claim to the united states. Thats like saying a frenchman has all right to russia becouse they are from the same continent, dosn’t work like that.
Ricardo Gonzales • 2 months ago
Spanish in not native to the americas either? The central and south americans are european just spanish european and even the indians of central and south america have no connection to the indians from the united states for example the sioux and the inca or aztec had no connections a different language and different culture the south and central american have no cnnection or right to lands in the united states. Thats like saying a russian has rights to china just because they are the same continent asia and that is not logical.
KARMA • 9 hours ago
You’re restarted Alex.
what do you know I just practiced one of my Rights as an American citizen Freedom of speech.
Larz • 3 months ago
I do not believe in any “god” or deity…so does that make me un-american?
patricia ligons • 3 months ago
This was build on religion by freedom. So answer is NO
patricia ligons • 3 months ago
It should be a fair playing field not a open back door for one Race illegally and close the front door to the legal sreps.I was a Democrat but I think they are destroying our country, we need to vote for a Leader not a Party American !
Ray • 2 months ago
Love it! My sentiments 100%!
Leif Cairn • 2 months ago
1. If your God blessed the massacre of 80-90% of native North American peoples, so you could have a house with 2.5 kids and a picket fence, you should seriously question yourself about what ‘God’ you’re worshiping.
2. “Every Country has to have a core belief to build on.” We are built on a core belief: everyone is equal and are free to worship or not worship a particular God. That IS what makes America, America.
The plate on The Statue Of Liberty: oi58.tinypic.com/3090ub9.jpg
3. “When there is to much diversity the Country crumbles. This is a fact that goes back to every great civilization from the beginning of time.” Both the Greek and Roman empires had immense diversity early in their existence, but to be frank about it, a level of a societies diversity doesn’t control whether they eventually crumble or not. Every society crumbles, it’s just a matter of when, and a substantial argument can be made it that generally happens because of hubris and the neglect to manage resources proportionally to their citizenry.
Irma Flores • 2 months ago
The US is not the only country facing problems with illegal immigration. England is also facing this problem, and Canada as well – to name a few.
james fitch • 3 months ago
Kindly disclose the source(s) of your estimated illegal Mexican immigrants.
Many estimates come in as high as 18-24 million. Since U.S. policy for many years has been not to even attempt to keep track of illegal immigrants, U.S. Bureau of Census or State Department estimates are practically worthless. How did you arrive at your figure of 11.2 million?
james • 3 months ago
wat is illegal immigration and how did it began and why cant things be settled in peace
john ulysis • 3 months ago
Illegal immigration is a serious crime. The only ones that deserve this country are legal citizens. Criminals sponsored by politicians should not be here.
Dee • 3 months ago
Illegal entry is a civil offense. As such it is not criminal nor is it considered serious.
Bob • 3 months ago
Yes , it is a civil offense , and we pay billions of our tax dollars to feed ,house and educate , and free medical for people breaking the law, go to Tecate
border in
San Diego and watch every morning the 100’s of children coming over to go to school here, it’s a joke they give a false address and get a good education here and a free lunch everyday they go back home , and this is just the tip of the ice berg we tax payers are so upset with our leaders pandering to undocumented workers who break the law of this great country who has the highest quota in the world for legal immigration . The cost is in the 100’s of billions every year.
Even if illegal immigration stopped today the cost of services to these people
the rate for services goes up for the ones who are here every year ..
Lisa • 3 months ago
Not necessarily so…allot of illegal aliens pay taxes…and local taxes. They contribute some in many many ways to society. Educate yourself…it is not as black and white as you make it sound…as most things in life.
Susan Anthony • 3 months ago
Maybe we should make it a felony like so many other countries
Kevin Pierce • 2 months ago
If their status is changed, they are no longer criminals, eh?
Wade • 3 months ago
So if things get bad in someones home country the solution of choice is to just bail out and not fight to help save the home country. Instead just go to some other country and ignore your countrymen. If Americans did that there would never have been a country like it is today. It would just be ruled over by terrible people like drug cartels and corrupt political self serving jerks. Where will the cowards run to if the USA decays like that? Canada is reticent to receive.
Kaylee • 3 months ago
Except for the fact that this country wouldn’t even exist if it weren’t for people doing that.
Joshua • 4 months ago
Great site but I wish it could be updated to 2014 rather then that it’s spot on
venna • 4 months ago
they aren’t issues if the immigrants weren’t here you would not have the resources you have now… americans don’t want the jobs the immigrants are taking and the immigrants are providing resources
David • 4 months ago
These are good facts… I hope people can respond intelligently about our immigration issues based on the truth and solid facts vs emotions..
sam rolley • 4 months ago
this iws great
Hunter Patton • 5 months ago
Im writing a 6 page essay about this stuff, please help my finger are getting cramped and im breathing really fastly, but anyways this is a good cite
sonia fuentes • 5 months ago
My question is does a undocumented person Obama care or qualify for medical insurance although they are not legal in the country?
John • 4 months ago
Please, people shouldn’t utilize public services if they have and STILL ARE breaking the country’s law; that’s common sense.
Dee • 3 months ago
No, they are not eligible for Obamacare. It is only for citizens.
J • 3 months ago
They should be eligible for Obamacare and pay the fee. By not allowing them to pay for Obamacare they now use the emergency room. All should be allowed to receive medical care. They then contribute to Obamacare and received regular health care
Jose Cabrera • 5 months ago
Did anyone notice the not so subtle change from the article’s title to the rest of the article.
Caramel • 5 months ago
Wow I always thought Europeans were the largest number of unauthorized immigrants in the US. I could have swore I read somewhere that European people migrated here on boats, and I certainly don’t remember any mention in history that they were ever authorized to be here… mabey I’m wrong. I’ll google it and make sure I have my facts straight.
steve • 4 months ago
One doesn’t become an “unauthorized immigrant” going into a wilderness, where there were no taxpayer subsidized entitlements.
Bruce • 3 months ago
When the Europeans came to the Americas, there was no established government. There was open land and various tribal people. The greatness that is the USA, which is one the current world powers, had to be cultivated by hard work over a few centuries. The Europeans that came to what is now Mexico did the same things as the British colonist, but their body of work in the new world didn’t turn out the same. That country has far worse racism and diversity issues than the U.S.
Carlos Anonimo • 3 months ago
get your facts right. This place was no open land. This land belong to the Natives. Europeans snatched it from them, by killing them, by poising them. we still see it this actions by the government today. For example, 9/11, Sandy hook. All plan by the government.
D’Arcy Burgess • 3 months ago
Carlos, I’ve always read about the land belonging to the natives and I haven’t really questioned that; but I have to admit that I wonder, what land REALLY belongs to any human? Just because the natives were here first, does that mean it was theirs to claim? Who decided that rule? I’m not even saying I have a problem with it; but seriously, what human being can really make that call?!?
Pamela Stringfellow • 5 months ago
Sources?
Bob Cat • 6 months ago
I am debating this and I would like to say that the whole point of illegal immigrants is that they are illegal that is my whole argument.
Truth • 6 months ago
A lot of you want to claim that it’s a principle of laws well if its principal laws than all those should be followed to T. There is no statue of limitation therefore all white people who came from illegal immigrants should be sent back and then come back legally. Also you’re not American your English American or European American just like any other race here you’re not American there’s no such thing as a full blooded American unless you’re brown (Red man) . I’m a white supremacist by the way. I’m just telling you guys the truth.
logic • 6 months ago
The Native Americans did not have laws against Europeans coming over and taking there land. Therefore your argument is invalid.
Shut up • 6 months ago
Your life is invalid @logic
Witch King of Angmar • 6 months ago
I have seen these statistics on other sites(4). They all check out. It is sad that we have so many unauthorized people living among us. I think that the president is allowing a lot of these people in so that he and other democrates can gain popular vote. He is using them to get his way in Congress. He doesn’t care what they are doing to the economy or to other citizens, he just wants their illegal vote. He wanted to decrease the unemployment rate, well if he wanted to really fullfil his promise then he’d find all of the illegal immagrants and either deport them or make them go through ALL the neccisary paperwork to become a citizen because most of the illegal immigrants don’t want to be here, but they want to sent OUR money back to their families then go home. He can also stop illegal immigrants from comming in and not lie about that “he is trying”. Well, I have rambled too much. Sayoonara.
Natalia • 6 months ago
Well you are obviously misinformed because if these immigrants don’t have the right permission to live here they wouldn’t be able to vote. So, therefore they couldn’t get the popular vote through them.
fleetwoodray • 4 months ago
You are missing the point about the Progressive Socialism movement of the Democratic Party. When, not if, Obama gets his once executive order passed since the Supreme Court is blocking it, then, these people by-pass our existing laws on immigration to the U.S. Yes, they will be able to vote. Remember, they come from Nationalist countries. We have close to a million MS-13 gang members in the U.S. now because of border neglect. Obama released 38,000 convicts back into our population. The intent is to create as much chaos as possible, then instill more socialist policies which means bigger, more govt control over, guess who, us, the American people. We lose more every day because of socialism oozing into our way of life.
I grew up in Texas and most TexMexs couldnt stand illegals. They would come here and work using false SSNs which screws up U.S. citizens taxes to be paid. Scary when IRS tells you that you made double what you really earned and you must pay taxes on that. Happened to me, can happen to you. Then, they would go back on deportation bus and come back in a few months and do it all again. We can’t support Mexico, Central America and South America. Thats what we are doing now, because thats where our dollars are going, to support families there. 30 yrs ago, it wasnt a strain, but today, its a major strain on out already volatile economy. We have a imploding dollar and we will bankrupt if interest rates go up. Too much National Debt. We would do better to annex these countries. Then we could expand real growth throughout the Americas. Do your research!! Semper Fi
is that how you feel • 5 months ago
I’m Mexican and proud but you have no idea of how bad things are in mexico a lot of Mexicans come to USA in hopes of saving money or wanting to have a better life for their kids. And most Mexicans work here I mean if u went to a Mexican restaurant you would see at least one Mexican. what if we all left back to our country. Who would work in the fields? I cry thinking what if anything bad happens to my family. My mom, little sister. I hate that some American people feel this way, yeah I’m Mexican, no I don’t eat spicy things. Point is you don’t know how it feels.
John • 4 months ago
Dude, I understand that things in Mexico are really bad; so are things in Brazil, in Africa, in south Asia and in many other places.
Just because your home country borders the US, that is no prerogative to break this country’s law and just sneak in; that is unfair to other people who were also born to poverty or violence and do not have the option to walk across a border but rather have to study and work hard before they can come here LEGALLY and *maybe* get a change to stay.
Wade • 3 months ago
Here’s how I feel. If my country(USA) is in trouble with corruption and cartels I want to fight like hell to retake it. If things get awry in the USA are you just going to run to another country again?
Matthew • 3 months ago
A single man can make no difference at all when your hole country is breaking apart, running to another country is not tge best options, but sometimes it’s the only thing you can do when you want your life to progress in every single way. That’s what I think.
Redacted ERWE • 3 months ago
Exactly, a single man, but enough come here that you could make a large militia (If it comes to that). It is all about power in groups.
Tina • 3 months ago
Fight like hell to retake it? You can do that with a government that has some interest in the people. You can’t do that when the government, the police and all those who any normal person would go to ask for help is being controlled by the gang members. You’d be dead and then who would your family rely on?? That’s what this is all about. Family and survival.
mint chocolate • 5 months ago
First, learn how to spell and write correctly before you discriminate immigrants. Second, it is sad that all these immigrants are trying their best just to give their kids a better future than what they had to deal with. all they want is freedom and a better opportunity. Just like how the English wanted freedom and not wanting to be catholic anymore. So, there is no difference between then and now. Just put yourself in their shoes, the daring choice, the traveling, the saying goodbye to family, the starting a new life, and having something to hide from because you don’t have what they need. next time, think about it. Because you are discriminating immigrants on how bad they are. well you are clearly horrible at English and you are American. Yet, I am Costa Rican and I have better grammar than you and I’ve only lived here for 13 years.
Wade • 3 months ago
Why not fight like hell to improve the home country rather than bail out and impose on another society that fought like hell to build a good country? Do they not love their country enough to force change?
Aamirah • 3 months ago
That’s because Mexico is already dead. Tired of fighting, ignorant, corrupt, and distracted from its goals. Its all imposed inside our culture and imposing changes in a culture that has been promoted for years is hard, not many Mexicans have a proper education, and the ones that do, flee from Mexico (legally) to look for another country where they can exploit their potential. Everyone is scared, or just doesn’t care because they haven’t been thaught to care. Just shrug and embrace the lifestyle. Is very sad really. But you wouldn’t understand, unless you were Mexican yourself.
Harley Jensen • 3 months ago
Well I don’t want my country to “die” either!
D’Arcy Burgess • 3 months ago
Wade, don’t mean to be argumentative or sarcastic; but you say that this country fought like hell to build a good country; but it fought like hell to steal something that is said wasn’t theirs in the first place because it was inhabited by the Native Americans first. So they ‘stole’ it. Though I have to say I even question how ANY human species can claim that any land is theirs just because they were there first. Who made up that rule anyway……
matthew • 6 months ago
hi iam an imagration person 😀
Antonio Ortiz • 6 months ago
At least todays the immigrants that comes here to the US they don’t killed and shot innocent people. Most of the people that are looking for a better future, Their ancestor were original from the continent of America. Why they are left with nothing, Who took over their land about 500 or 600 yrs ago. what the European people did when they came here to America they poisoned and killed all the Indians not just here in north all over of the continent. Now tell me who have the real right to be here and who has damaged the continent of America the first place. If the white people does not like other color of human being so they know where they are came from.
irm • 6 months ago
That is the real Truth. I can’t ask for a answer better than this one.
dave • 5 months ago
Reasons to Deport Illegal Aliens…
1. $11 Billion to $22 billion is spent on welfare to illegal aliens each year.tinyurl.com/zob77
2. $2.2 Billion dollars a year is spent on food assistance programs such as food stamps, WIC, and free school lunches for illegal aliens.cis.org/articles/2004/fiscalexec…
3. $2.5 Billion dollars a year is spent on Medicaid for illegal aliens.cis.org/articles/2004/fiscalexec…
4. $12 Billion dollars a year is spent on primary and secondary school education for children here illegally and they cannot speak a word of English!transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/…
5. $17 Billion dollars a year is spent for education for the American-born children of illegal aliens, known as anchor babies.transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/…
6. $3 Million Dollars a DAY is spent to incarcerate illegal aliens.transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/…
7. 30% percent of all Federal Prison inmates are illegal aliens.transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/…
8. $90 Billion Dollars a year is spent on illegal aliens for Welfare & social services by the American taxpayers.premium.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0610…
9. $200 Billion Dollars a year in suppressed American wages are caused by the illegal aliens.transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/…
10. The illegal aliens in the United States have a crime rate that’s two and a half times that of white non-illegal aliens. In particular, their children, are going to make a huge additional crime p roblem in the United Stateshttp://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0606/12/ldt.01.html
11. During the year of 2005 there were 4 to 10 MILLION illegal aliens that crossed our Southern Border also, as many as 19,500 illegal aliens from Terrorist Countries. Millions of pounds of drugs, cocaine, meth, heroine and marijuana, crossed into the U. S. from the Southern border. Homeland Security Report:tinyurl.com/t9sht
12. The National Policy Institute, “estimated that the total cost of mass deportation would be between $206 and $230 billion or an average cost of between $41 and $46 billion annually over a five year period.”http://www.nationalpolicyinstitute.org/pdf/deportation.pdf
13. In 2006 illegal aliens sent home $45 BILLION in remittances back to their countries of origin.rense.com/general75/niht.htm
14. “The Dark Side of Illegal Immigration: Nearly One Million Sex Crimes Committed by Illegal Immigrants In The United States “.drdsk.com/articleshtml
So using the LOWEST estimates, the annual cost OF ILLEGAL ALIENS is $338.3 BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR! So if deporting them costs between $206 and $230 BILLION DOLLARS, if we send them home, we’ll be ahead in a year.
14 reasons illegals are far worse then white people tito!
DEE • 4 months ago
You need to get your facts straight. The undocumented does not get food stamps, health insurance, and Medicaid. I would know because I am undocumented. Also, I flew to this country LEGALLY. There are different situations for undocumented people. They are not all the same. They are just pooled in one category “undocumented.” I went out of status because I went over age. I am waiting for my papers since I am being petitioned, but it has been a long wait.
You people do not understand half of things you write on your comments. I came here legally, with a social security number. You people judge way too fast without knowing anything about the law, immigration, and the real truth behind the word “undocumented.” It is better to be informed than opinionated.
Wade • 3 months ago
Why did you not want to work to improve your home country?
Chuck C. Koehler • 4 months ago
immigrationpolicy.org/high-schoo…
Chris • 2 months ago
How much do they pay in taxes. Unless their employer is cheating the same as you or I. And things they pay for like social security they will never collect. What about “Give me your tired,your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be Free”? When did that expire?
bob • 3 months ago
That is what happens when you lose a war.
Mr barker • 6 months ago
I live in the UK
but my daughters went to LA grande Oregon
With there mother
I though it was all legal but it’s turning out that they could be illegal
I have flight itinery which stars a 2 wk stay
It’s nearlly 4 yrs I’ve been trying to find if there not suppose to be there
But no one ever seems to want to help me or my scared daughters
They’ve had enough of moving around over there and want to come home
I have to and need to find out if they should be there or not
Please please help us
Asher Smith • 7 months ago
I AM TOTALLY AGAINST ILLEGAL IMMIGRTAION
Bob Cat • 6 months ago
Me too to a degree.
mayee • 7 months ago
1. Thank you for the work you do.
2. Can you publish more unauthorized immig stats from Asia ?
Ted Friedli • 7 months ago
If you think illegal immigration is the reason why our middle class is disappearing, you need to study the political and economics of what has happened to our country in the past 20 years. The government deregulation of our financial industry, and their collusion with the banking industry, has allowed for the destruction of the middle class and the inflammatory growth of the countries wealthiest top 1%. This is all on the back of the middle class.
PatrickM • 7 months ago
I remember awhile back watching a documentary about illegal immigration the the U.S. and it found that most illegal immigrants in the U.S. do not in fact stay in the U.S. permanently but rather will travel back and forth every year. They will work in Mexico for 6 or so months they come to the U.S. work 6 or so months then return to Mexico. This cycle continues and continues. So I’m curious to see if the numbers of illegal immigrants in the U.S. is different or could be changed to reflect the fact most illegal immigrants do not stay in the U.S. permanently but rather migrate between the two countries. I cannot remember the name of the documentary I saw but it completely changed how I viewed the problem with immigration
eric sun • 6 months ago
Really? I did not know that. If that was the case, I am wondering how weak the US border is just letting these illegals travel back and forth.
Sam • 7 months ago
The U.S. is not an employment agency. No one has the right to immigrate here. It is a privilege and not a right. The pro-illegal alien crowd loves to conflate “immigrant” and “illegal alien” to be the same thing. The reason why so many Mexicans come here is that they are economic migrants. They think they have the right to just come to the U.S. as they please. Why don’t they stay in Mexico if they think it is so great? There is a Hispanic racialist agenda when it comes to immigration. If we continue with the same immigration policies (both legal and illegal), Hispanics will be the majority of the U.S. by 2060. If if we’re any other population replacement like this, it would be called ethnic cleansing.
Roy • 6 months ago
“The bosom of America is open to receive not only the opulent and respectable stranger, but the oppressed and persecuted of all nations and religions; whom we shall wellcome to a participation of all our rights and previleges” – G. Washington, Dec. 2, 1793
jerry • 5 months ago
remember that we are a nation of immigrants so you have no right to say anything these are families trying to find a better life,but your not in there shoes so you wouldn’t know.
tbryant • 7 months ago
This is just a financial question that perhaps the PEW Research Center could provide. Of the 7% of K-12 students with at least one unauthorized immigrant parent in 2012 what was the estimated cost per U.S. citizen to provide healthcare or otherwise care for these children.
irm • 6 months ago
Illegal immigrants pay taxes just like you and me.
no no no • 5 months ago
just not as much but they pay the taxes that cannot be avoided by any one.
Cleeg • 3 months ago
Receiving social benefits is not paying taxes.
megan • 6 months ago
These are the numbers just for the state of Texas – $12.5 billion annually for education, including esl classes, $7.5 billion for healthcare, costs an average texas citizen household $1200 year to educate, etc, I also read that in Texas, around 15% of students were either illegal themselves or have a parent who is currently illegal.
Tyger • 5 months ago
The studies I have seen indicate that, while it is extremely difficult to pin down a solid “cost”, it appears that it is pretty much a wash. Illegal immigrants pay most taxes but use fewer services on average.
Chris • 7 months ago
As an enrolled Native American of the White Earth Nation (Minnesota) I have this to say about immigration: It is our history that uncontrolled immigration brings change absolutely. Change means you will replace something old with something new, and while some talk about change as if it is positive and part of progress this is not always the case. Sometimes change means endless sacrifice, compromise and the loss of freedoms to make way for the new world.
Immigrants do not leave their customs and traditions behind them when they come to a new land, they seek to shape the new land to their customs and traditions.
Chris c • 2 months ago
I can understand how you feel to some degree but isn’t migration sort of like immigration? Co-existence is the problem. Democracy for all is a good solution. Allows for the most input.
Angela • 7 months ago
Well first of all all of you white people who think “illegals” should be back in their country think again.Seriously white people descend from immigrants so its kind of stupid that you don’t want immigrants into the u.s.The constitution was written by immigrants so it makes no sense that all these immigrants are all like omg their are going to our country.This is coming from a mexican american 12 year old girl aka me
Beverly • 7 months ago
You are right! Most of us whites descended from immigrants. The catch is, those immigrants were LEGAL immigrants! The objection today is to ILLEGAL immigrants.
There are few objections to immigrants who legally enter the USA. They work and support themselves, and they do not burden our education, welfare, and health resources because they pay their fair share of taxes.
Tyler • 6 months ago
No they were not, it was not until 1921 that the US had a true immigration policy that said who and where from a person could move here. Before then many Europeans sailed here and raped, killed and otherwise swindled Native Americans off of their own “native land”. There were no laws when a vast majority of our ancestors made their way to the “New World” so I wouldn’t say it was “legal”.
D’Arcy Burgess • 3 months ago
Best post I’ve read so far.
Sarah • 6 months ago
This is just so wrong!
Its not that people who live illegal in this country say oh hey how about moving to the US and living there illegal, that sounds so much fun being forced to do all the shitty jobs Americans would not want to do and do in fact not do, it would also be fun to never be able to leave the US because when they do they cant get back in (meaning that they cant see their family back home), its probably also lots of fun being always scared and so on and so on
Now a person like you would argue so then don’t come or come as a legal immigrant..
Well THEY CANT, I am sure they would if they could but its not possible.
Those who come here illegal, come because its so bad in their home countries and no, they could not come here and live here legally. You people have no clue about immigration laws! Those people are poor when they come here-they cannot just pay 100 k for education in the US to get a student visa, its also ‘unlikely’ that someone without education etc. will get a sponsored by a company (that and tons of other things are needed to get a work visa) and it is also unlikely that a poor person from mexico has the money to start their own business so he can get a visa based on that business and live here legally.
Immigration rules are insane in this country and people who come here and live illegally do that because they hope for a better life for their children etc.
They DO NOT take away anything from anyone. In fact, they work those kind of shitty jobs Americans would not work- in fact Im sure the whole economy would break apart if every illegal person would be deported because WHO would do all the shitty jobs (who would deliver your food, how would restaurants exist when you would have a server and a chef but no bussers, no cleaning people, no kitchen help, …hmm no more laundry services…the list could go on and on).
Ps. I am neither Spanish nor illegal, just a regular white girl from the US
Susan • 1 week ago
Well, first of all . . . the people who came from Europe had to sail across the Atlantic Ocean, a long way in boats that were tiny compared to our ocean-going vessels today. During the 1600’s and 1700’s (a LONG time before Ellis Island was even thought of, people got on those boats not knowing whether they would get there or not. Some had saved and scrimped until they got enough money to pay their passage (and it wasn’t cheap). Some wanted to come so badly that they indentured themselves, usually for 7 years, that they had to work for someone to pay for their passage. They were basically slaves. When they got to our shore, many of them were sick — from being crowded into small, dirty places with not enough to eat. When they landed, there were inspectors who boarded the ship and would not let anybody get off that was sick. When they got off or finally had their debt paid off, they were on their own to make a living. There was no welfare, food stamps, Sec. 8 housing, healthcare, etc., etc. So, please don’t compare the people who break Federal law by sneaking over the border with the brave, hard-working people that built this country into the Home of the Brave and Land of the Free that it used to be.
Pedro Martinez • 7 months ago
The thing your missing Angela is that when you break a law it doesn’t matter if your white, black, green or purple. This is a land of laws. Millions of people have immigrated to this country LEGALLY. What makes anyone so arrogant that they should go to the front of the line because they say so. Why the attack on “white people”? Who are “white people”? Do they have rights as legal American Citizens? Do your rights trump theirs?
The constitution was written by colonists who rebelled against the crown of England. They felt they were being over taxed and had no say in their own governing. They were not illegal immigrants they were colonists that became Americans through blood split and sacrifice that created this great and unbelievable opportunity for all of us.
DISCO • 7 months ago
simmer down there, lassy. Nobody has issues with immigrants. The issue is with ILLEGAL immigrants, whom do not pay taxes, who collect tax payer money, and who break multitudes of laws, for example, driving without insurance, and cause problems in LEGITIMATE citizens lives like causing taxes to rise through using publicly available services i.e. medical care, with out paying for it- that are provided by the tax payer. Also by holding percentages of the job market when our own LEGAL citizens have an unemployment issue.
sfjr • 7 months ago
Are you serious? Illegal immigrants pay taxes. If the go to a gas station and buy a drink , they pay taxes right? I don’t think the the gas station employee it’s going to ask if he is legal or not to see if he/she has to pay taxes. Most illegal immigrants are working with fake ssn for a company and that means the are going to get paid with a check and also means that they are paying taxes. And about driving without out insurance it’s not true. Most illegal immigrants have insurance, why, because they don’t want to get pulled over and deported, and if they do drive without insurance and cause an accident , court makes them pay from their own money. Don’t be Fucking stupid don’t talk things you don’t know. Oh and thanks to immigrants, usa it’s a rich country.
cheryl • 4 months ago
I am not getting into the pros and cons but if you do have an argument to make, then make sure it is true. The not paying taxes is crazy. Well they do work for cash until they can buy their paperwork and get a better job. Then they pay taxes like everybody else but they will not file for the unemployment they pay taxes for and they will never get the social security they pay in. So if they go to the hospital occasionally it is just a wash. Money is the worst reason for not wanting them here. Decent people want to help those less fortunate. Ideally, we could have worker programs. That seems to work well for Germany and we would know who is in the country. Visas are practically impossible to get.
jonh • 7 months ago
The constitution was not written by immigrants that came to the country knowing they would receive mandated handouts, nor by immigrants that diluted educational & healthcare budgets through federally mandated expenditures.
RussP • 7 months ago
You are failing to separate legal from illegal immigration. I have not heard anyone calling for a stop to all immigration, just the flood of those entering the country illegally.
Farmer • 7 months ago
Your assumption we don’t want immigrants shows that at 12 years old you have been indoctrinated well. We want the immigrants to follow our laws and come here legally like our grandparents did. They waited at Ellis Island, took classes to learn about the
Countries laws and traditions and also the language. Is it really asking too much to ask new arrivals obey the law? I would hope that as you grow up you learn that the schools try to push a certain narrative on the students, and it is quite often distorted to make sure you come out of school with a certain state of mind. Stop and think for yourself…. after you see that illegals are called illegals for a reason, they are breaking our laws. Why should we open our arms to people that showed so little respect for our Country that they start their life here by thumbing their noses at our laws. And then they want to put their hands out and collect from a Social Security system they never paid into. The SSI system is a retirement program designed to ensure OUR retiree’s have enough to live, and yet it is being raided to pay for others that are law breakers. And you suggest we shouldn’t be upset. Our families obeyed the law, paid into SSI, and the lawbreakers collect the money. So please, take the time to look at the whole picture and ask yourself, should people coming here have to obey the law? Should they be required to pay into SSI like all Americans do? Should they adapt and become part of America? And if they refuse to do so, do we send them back home or throw them in jail for breaking the law? When you look at those two options, being sent home seems much better. So yes, I am for sending illegals home instead of throwing them in jail. Jump the border of some Countries and you will be shot. Are we really that bad? I don’t think we are, but then again I fought against the indoctrination and thought for myself.
Liz • 7 months ago
I am a white person of European descent. My ancestors came to the United States in the 1800’s from Ireland when the country needed people to do work, such as build infrastructure (roads, railroads, bridges, etc.). Now, the United States has more than enough people who can do blue collar work. We do not need foreigners entering illegally to do menial work when there are a substantial amount of non-college graduates already here. Essentially, there work here is meaningless.
In addition, many illegal immigrants evade taxes. Ultimately, every other American is supporting them here through government transfer payments. For example, if an illegal immigrant enters a hospital and seeks help, they are very rarely denied care. Basic economics: there is an incurred cost with everything. No “free lunch.” The illegal aliens’ “free” hospital visit comes at both the expense of paying customers and the hospital itself. Many hospitals are going bankrupt for this very reason. Many illegals are taking from the system and not contributing anything. They come here with intentions of getting a green card, when in reality, it is questionable if they deserve anything due to the very reason that they came here illegally.
I am not against immigration by any means; immigration is a wonderful thing if done correctly. For example, the United States needs people such as: doctors, nurses, and people with PhD’s. We do not need more unskilled, blue collar workers. We need educated people who will actually commit something to society. Along with educated people, there are also refugees. Bringing foreign refugees from a civil war prone country is great because those people live their lives with constant fear.
After travelling through Mexico, Central, and South America several times (even through extremely dangerous areas), I can assure you that the illegal immigrants who enter from there are just trying to take the easy way out. There is most certainly a way to succeed in those nations and it starts by attending school. For example, college graduates from a place like Brazil can become extremely successful in their own country. Of course their government is corrupt, but they are still able to live simultaneously to that.
Lastly, crime is a huge concern regarding illegal immigration. Phoenix, AZ currently has the highest homicide rate in the nation. This city also has a huge illegal immigrant population. Coincidence? I beg to differ. Many drugs start in Bolivia, Peru, and Colombia and eventually make it to the United States. The drug trade involves gangs and ultimately violence.
So when you say “The Constitution was written by immigrants,” think again because those immigrants committed something relatively important to American society; not simply committing crimes and soaking up government services.
Dorie • 7 months ago
I totally agree with you, Angela. My ancestors came from Scotland and Ireland, and my husband’s ancestors came from Sicily, Germany, and France. The only real Americans are the Native Americans who’s land was taken away and were forced to live on reservations. As far as the African-Americans, they were brought here against their will and were so mistreated.
The main problem that Americans have with immigration is when people come here illegally. It’s against U.S. law, and if you want to come here you must do so legally or risk deportation.
Cheryl • 4 months ago
Don’t forget the native Aleuts and native Hawaiians. And don’t forget the Mexicans that were living here when we increased the size of the US by one fifth.
Jim • 7 months ago
Way to play the race card Angela. Why you gotta be prejudice like that? Don’t be a hater. I would think ALL Americans would want to protect it’s borders. Other countries do.
Tisha • 6 months ago
The problem isn’t immigration, it is illegal immigration. How can you not understand that?
afghan1 • 6 months ago
White, Brown, Black, Red, Yellow. No one cares if you immigrate to this country LEGALLY. And no one cares if you work here LEGALLY. But if you’re here illegally then you really don’t have any room to argue.
Bill Neall • 6 months ago
There is no such thing as Mexican American. You are either a Mexican or an American. Don’t grow up to be a PC libtard dear. Learn the difference between immigrant and illegal immigrant. Anyone who is in this country illegally should leave or be deported. Otherwise we have no country. Sorry young lady but the citizens of the United States cannot afford to support everyone on the planet who would like to break and enter our borders. You and your family seem to like it here. Do you want to watch the U.S. become a broke third world ghetto slum like the places most illegals come from? How do you think those places became slums? Answer: Because they are full of uneducated unskilled people like most illegals who come here. It’s not sustainable.
e • 6 months ago
Ya but those immagrants didn’t come here illegally scrub
fer • 8 months ago
just open the gates and watch anarchy
M4giK–T3KK3RS • 8 months ago
i think they should let everyone in
Chris • 7 months ago
Ditto!
Wittsend • 9 months ago
It’s not as much the title of “illegal” that bugs me. I do not care what you call them. It is the lack of our country to police our borders and the impact that this travesty has on our middle class. We are already supporting too many people, legal or not, to add more to the mix is insane.
I guess that our government doesn’t understand the concept of the underground Economy. If you can not hold on to enough of your earnings because of high taxes, you force otherwise honest hardworking people to hide money.
So there’s a double whammy of non taxed hidden wealth and off the books workers not paying taxes and sending money out of the country.
mik • 7 months ago
I think you missed something. Those with american children are working under a tax number. They pay taxes and get reunds just like others do. Of course there is a few who work under the table but if ICE was funded properly we could not only get rid of the under the table people but also those employers that are hiring them. This is a current issue for republicans. But they will not fund it ortouch those who support them
Carlos F. • 7 months ago
Not everyone cares about the term “illegal.” In fact, some Mexicans use the term in Spanish. I even hear a lot of Mexicans say, “el vino de mojado,” meaning “he came as a wet[back].”
As a whole, undocumented immigrants probably do more good for the economy than bad. Why? Because they still have to pay income tax and pay state taxes with goods. However, because they are undocumented, they cannot file tax returns, so the federal government stays with the money. They do use schools, which affect the states’ budgets, but many states get tax revenues through taxing goods, which illegals have to buy. The whole, “they don’t pay taxes” thing is a myth. Do you really think that when I go to the store, because I look Mexican, people ask me if I’m an illegal so that they won’t charge me taxes?
As far as “sustaining” people goes, the only welfare illegals can get is food stamps under the condition that they have children. But most of them don’t even know about it and don’t care because they’re making so much money compared to what they did in Mexico.
And the whole “sending money to Mexico” thing being an issue is also a myth. Yes, Mexicans do send money to Mexico. But despite being the biggest group of immigrants, they only rank in 3rd place after Chinese and Indian immigrants. And even if Mexicans ranked 1st, it wouldn’t really matter because the US and Mexican economies are very dependent on each other. Most of that money sent to Mexico will be used to buy goods that were imported from the US. Because most of the goods in Mexico are from the US.
As far as “underground” economies go, the only true (by definition) underground economy that I know of are the Mexican ladies who park at Walmart to sell tamales to their coworkers and anyone else who gets word about it.
Tisha • 6 months ago
That is not true. We provide health insurance in the form of medicaid to illegal adults as well. While I am working 12 hours shifts and paying out the nose for my families health care they break into my country and get theirs for free.
Aisha • 5 months ago
It not that they don’t pay any taxes, its that they don’t pay income taxes, they work mostly under the table, or off the books ( cleaners, nannies, lawn care, home repairs etc).
So sale tax, property tax , gas tax they do pay , do not cover the cost of services, schools, police, fire, health care etc, that they use.
The way it works , even if you are legal citizen and make 50k a year, and have lets say two kids and you pay all your taxes, federal and state. The taxes you pay do not cover the cost of services you get. Mostly, this is why US is running deficits, but high income earner pay in more then they use in services, as it should be.
But this big underground economy is really bad for America
Leftcoastrocky • 9 months ago
If it had not been for the illegal immigrants entering during Dubya’s and Bubba’s years, there might be 1M at the most in the Obama years.
chris • 2 months ago
No, there is no relation between who is President and Illegal Immigration and besides Clinton is A Democrat and Bush W. is a Republican. The reason Hispanics(i.e. Mexicans) came to the IS illegally between 1995-2007 was because the US Economy was pretty good. There was demand for new houses being built and one of the biggest drivers work/industry wise of illegal immigration is Construction. When the Great Recession happened in 2008 some illegal immigrants went back to Mexico because there was no demand for houses being built because of the The Housing Crisis.
Mike • 10 months ago
PEW Research implies an accuracy when you use 11.2 million as the number of unauthorized aliens in the U.S. Funny thing is, no one, not even the government, knows what the actual population of the U.S. might be — they use estimates based upon the 1900 population estimate. I would think that plus or minus some 20 percent of the estimated number would put you in the ballpark. As to the unauthorized alien population, plus or minus 50 percent of the estimated number may not get you into that same ballpark. Any number reported by the government as to unauthorized alien population is just a wild guess based upon the “statistics” that the government wants to use to justify some wild action that may or may not be reasonable.
Melvyn • 10 months ago
Where is the citation to these facts?
hmm • 10 months ago
Well, for one, at the bottom of the graph. Duh.
Denny • 10 months ago
Can someone tell me if illegal aliens are allowed to have a “voice” in any other country besides the USA?? I honestly don’t believe you will find one, but I could be wrong !!
Cameron Joyce • 10 months ago
Why do you use such devise and demeaning language in the title of this piece? No human being is “illegal” and your choice to use this word is disrespectful and shameful. I don’t know what political or business purpose it serves using such language, but your institution knows better and I hope you will reflect and change this offensive title and way of discussing human life.
Sam Levy • 10 months ago
Cameron Joyce, I believe you are severely mistaken. At no point in the title or article does the author insinuate any of these people are illegal humans. Instead, it is the means of immigration they chose that is illegal. By choosing to pursue an illegal form of immigration into this country they broke the law causing them to be considered illegal immigrants just as a heroin addict is considered an illegal drug user. The only thing the term illegal immigration says about the people themselves is that they broke the law, that is all.
Noreen Linneman • 10 months ago
I agree with Sam Levy. They are and should be called illegal because they have broken laws. Many other immigrants have followed difficult and tiring laws to be here. Those people deserve our help. I feel that encouraging immigrants to break the laws of the country they wish to live in sets them on a course that could lead to the belief on their part that other illegal acts can somehow also be accepted. That does not bode well for this country.
plusafdotcom • 8 months ago
Well, that’s how folks like Cameron deflect the conversation away from the true issue of the illegality… the Fact that some Immigrants Break our Laws in the way they enter the US… that, by definition, makes them “Illegal Immigrants.”
Such a red herring ‘argument.’ I’m glad you recognized it!
D’Arcy Burgess • 3 months ago
Plusafdotcom, they break “our” laws? Others are saying our Mexican brothers and sisters “steal” their way into “our” country? Not trying to be devisive, I swear I’m not. I just don’t get how our European brothers and sisters don’t see how they are like the pot calling the kettle black. Europeans “stole” their way into this country when it was already being occupied by Native Americans. How can that be ignored??
Robert Hammond • 10 months ago
Wow! Well said. Very well said
Lucy Brozic • 10 months ago
I can only see the word “illegal” in the title, and it refers to immigration, the activity, not to a person. I noticed that in the article the word used is “unauthorized”, which I thought is better than “undocumented”. Nowhere in the article do I see the term illegal alien, or illegal immigrant, or illegal person used.
J Alonzo • 8 months ago
Illegal,unauthorized,undocumented.it all describes people that are breaking the law.
Joe • 8 months ago
What specific Federal Statute does their presence here violate?
Steven Benson • 10 months ago
Cameron Joyce’s nonsensical comments are a perfect representation of the absurdity of political correctness. Somehow, remarkably, an accurate description of a person is demeaning?! If you shoplift, its illegal. If you drive 75 Mph in a 55 Mph zone, its illegal. If you enter the country in a method outside the law, its illegal. To label an accurate and fair description as ‘demeaning’ is about the most ridiculous and unfairly hypersensitive response someone can have. Anyone anytime can claim to be offended by anything. This does not mean the world should contort and adjust to any opinion. If people develop inner strength and self-pride inside themselves, no names or comments or descriptions will bother them at all. Quit blaming the external world for your own internal insecurities. Fix yourself instead of trying to fix the world to accommodate you.
Glenn • 10 months ago
Cameron, If they are here illegally, then they are illegal. Sorry ’bout that. I regret that I am not at all sensitive to your PC spirit, but as far as I am concerned political correctness is just another form of cowardice.
KARMA • 8 hours ago
Well said
hmm • 10 months ago
Too bad that calling a spade a spade is contrary to your political agenda. If you are in the US illegally, you are an illegal immigrant- in contrast to one who is here LEGALLY . It is a very simple distinction. It is easy to see what purpose is served by your (and others like you) attempting to make illegal behavior by foreign nationals sneaking into the US not appear illegal. It is simply part of the larger attempt to claim that foreign citizens have a “right” to enter the US as they please, and a “right” to representation and legal games to keep them here once they sneak in. No one in the US makes citizens of other countries sneak into the US, so if you (or they) feel disrespected by WHATEVER language we choose to use, there is a simple solution- do not come here illegally.
Sudheendra Gamoji • 4 months ago
That’s the point, isn’t it? They can’t enter legally. Nobody would immigrate illegally without a valid reason. That would just be really absurd.
Nomoremaos • 2 months ago
Amd what would the valid reason be? A need to break the law?
Kathy meyers • 8 months ago
Not calling them illegal person- calling them exactly what they are: ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS!
Wade • 3 months ago
At which point do you say someone is doing something illegal? Murder, fraud, speeding in their car and fleeing from the scene after striking your grandmother? When people feel it sufficient may they just move into your home and share it with you even if they pay some bills?
D’Arcy Burgess • 3 months ago
Cameron Judge,
I totally agree with you! How condescending for a group of “humans” to refer to another group of “humans” as if they’re better…..I’ve always felt this way.
Tory • 2 months ago
Dear Lord people! I completely agree we need to solve our immigration issues. However, I find it so ridiculous everyone focuses on Mexico while people from Canada come in and do the exact same thing yet I didn’t see one person mention the that boarder…So while you all are focused on Mexico and the scary brown people, the white Canadians can come over and do the exact same thing?! They might not run across the boarder, but they enter our country and fail to go back, as well as fail to become a legal citizen. Open your eyes to the big picture! Stop being racist and focus on our immigration issues as a whole. Sorry, but when I drive past the homeless shelters I see a bunch of white crack heads. The Hispanics might be on the corner selling them the drugs, but open your eyes to reality that just because they might be white doesn’t mean they are good people and should be free to roam our country illegally. If you’re against illegal aliens be against them all or just join the KKK or Aryan Nation, move to Idaho or Texas and embrace your ignorance.:)
John • 4 weeks ago
We all are humans, we fight to live each day. Our immigrant is human. We need to learn how to work together and not point the fingers on who taking what job. Just Because we landed on this land doesn’t mean we have all the rights of humanity to discourage one whom strive to survive.
KEVIN BEALER • 1 month ago
Patric,
I have no clue what your post is about.