Employment for Illegal Immigrants

Employment for Illegal Immigrants

The foundation of the United States has always been greatly influenced by immigration. For hundreds of years it has been the melting pot for many cultures and many generations of hard-working immigrants. Now Americans face the difficult problem of illegal immigrants working within United States borders. To solve this problem George W. Bush has proposed an illegal immigrant employment licensing program. It stands to greatly benefit Americans as well as immigrant workers looking for employment in the United States. The United States should grant rights, such as employment rights to illegal immigrants. The

proposal will allow illegal immigrants to apply for temporary employment permits that will benefit help immigrants work legally in America. According to sources located at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illegal_immigration,

'An illegal immigrant is defined as a person who either enters a country illegally, or who enters legally but subsequently violates the terms of their visa, permanent resident permit or refugee permit. The

terms 'undocumented immigrant', 'illegals' are and 'illegal alien' are all roughly synonymous.'(dictionary.com)

Illegal immigrants are most commonly thought to be individuals that cross the border from Mexico or Canada into the United States illegally. However, these immigrants frequently include individuals from Middle Eastern and European countries. By being able to achieve a temporary worker status

means better benefits and fair opportunities on the part of the worker. George W. Bush's proposal for issuing temporary workers rights to illegal immigrants is favorable because it helps homeland security

by accounting for illegal immigrants, fills job openings, promises a profitable outcome to the economy and it holds many benefits to the immigrant (msnbc.com).

A common misconception regarding illegal immigration in the United States is that too many people are being allowed into the country which can jeopardize national security. The truth, however, is that

President Bush's proposal actually helps maintain the security of American boarders. Also, in addition to the proposal, vast efforts are being made to secure U.S. boarders from terrorists. Border patrol has

expanded and boarder protection funding has increased by 40 percent in the last two years. (Office of Press Secretary, 2004 atwww.whitehouse.gov.) President Bush also stated, "We're matching all visa applicants against an expanded screening list to identify terrorists and criminals and immigration violators."(2004 www.whitehouse.gov). Meaning, in addition to this new proposal, efforts are being made to let in only those hard-working honest immigrants who deserve to come to America. Many of the individuals applying for these permits are illegal immigrants already residing in the United States, undocumented by the government. This new program would document and keep record of the presence and activities of these immigrants. Also, when new immigrants are given the opportunity to work in the United States under this proposal, they are better documented and the government will have a much more accurate account of the illegal immigrant population. According to The White House online in reference, fair and secure Immigration Reform, participants would be issued a temporary worker card that will allow them to travel back and forth between their home land and the U.S. without fear of being denied re-entry into America. Therefore, the program benefits the immigrant and the United States government. The immigrants can feel fewer restrictions while the government can accurately track who is coming in and out of the country, making United States boarders more regulated and safe.

Another common misconception about illegal immigrant employees is that if they are hired by United States employers, there will be fewer jobs available for American Citizens. In fact, according to Challenge Magazine of Economic Affairs, 60 percent of Americans are concerned with illegal immigration because of this single reason.(Apr. 2005, pg125) However, in President Bush's proposal it is required that the American employer make a legitimate, documented effort to fill the position with an American worker. Once the job cannot be filled by an American citizen, the job is then open to the immigrant worker. Therefore, many of these jobs simply would not be filled without the illegal immigrant workers. In The Washington Post, President George W. Bush stated, "There are some people -- there are some jobs in America that Americans won't do and others are willing to do." (Section: A06January, 2005) The immigrants are actually helping the American economic system as opposed to the common belief that they can harm it. Under Bush's new proposal, the country can have the ability to run smoother. For example, many of these jobs are in agriculture or in large factories. Many Americans do not want to fill these positions, so it is both profitable and fair to let illegal immigrant workers fill the positions. (http://www.whitehouse.gov)

Therefore, current American citizens should not feel threatened by illegal immigrant workers and their place in the economic system. Another major benefit of President Bush's immigrant work proposal is its profitability to the United States and to the American Taxpayers. For example, currently Texas is spending 4.65 million dollars on illegal immigration covering the cost of their schooling, medical care, and prisons. (High Cost of Illegal Immigration, Human Events2004, Vol. 60 Issue 29, p22). This is all paid for by the taxpayers. So, if the illegal immigrants in the United States were granted the right to work in the U.S., the government would not spend as many American dollars on illegal immigrants. Instead, the illegal immigrants would also pay legal taxes to contribute to their expenses. Also, according to Thomas Elias, author of the article "Immigration Opponents Ignore the Economic Contributions of Illegal Immigrants", illegal immigrants are actually profitable. He states that their average net profit is $7,890