Illegal Immigration

Would one be willing to break the law to ensure a better future for their family? Sure, in fact, that’s the only way it can be done in many situations. These situations are very often related to illegal immigrants. Some immigrants have no choice but to break the American law. One main reason for Mexican immigrants is due the country’s poor fiscal management and inequality of wealth. In fact, Mexico has more billionaires than Switzerland. Even the Mexican government has worked to make illegal immigration to the U.S. easier. It plans to produce 70,000 maps marking main roads and water tanks for people wanting to cross illegally into the US. "The only thing we are trying to do is warn them of the risks they face and where to get water, so they don't die.” (Mauricio Farah of Mexico's Human Rights Commission).

But one of the reasons why it is such a hot topic now is because the parents of families are being deported, while their children, whom are often birthright citizens of America, stay behind and just watch. An estimated 13.9 million people -- including 4.7 million children -- live in families in which the head of household or the spouse is an unauthorized immigrant. Another reason is the increased unemployment rate since illegal immigration began.

Many Americans claim that they have been replaced by immigrants because of the immigrant’s willingness to work for lower wages. But CBS News/New York Times poll, asked Americans "Do you think illegal immigrants coming to this country today take jobs away from American citizens, or do they mostly take jobs Americans don't want?" by a ratio of 2-to-1 the answer was "Take Unwanted Jobs". Today’s work force is always talking about how illegal immigration is going to be the downfall of our economy. Although, Business Week says that illegal immigration may strengthen the economy, ultimately raising industrial growth by keeping wages down and, by this, it is helping create as many new jobs as the immigrants themselves are taking away. Those who are positive that immigrants are here to take their jobs want nothing to do with them, particularly those who immigrated from Mexico and Latin America.

The U.S. encountered a wave of illegal immigration from Mexico in the early 1950’s, and it still continues to this day. In 2007, about 880,000 people were arrested for attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border, the majority of them hailing from Mexico and Central America. The year prior to 2007, there was an estimated 1.1 million arrested, which means border control has stepped up its security. This was only possible due to the 284 miles of fencing constructed along the U.S.-Mexico border before the end of 2007, and by the end of 2008 that number should increase to 670 miles. Even after all of these efforts there are still a few lucky ones who evade the border control, with the help of smugglers often known as “coyotes”, and reach America. But that was the easy part.