Illegal Immigration Is a Drain on the United States - New Proposed Legislation Sparks Protests Nationwide

March 25th 2006

Border Fence

It is about time that the Federal Government stepped up to the plate with legislation making “being in this country illegally” a felony. For decades the US has allowed people to enter the country to find work, sign up for social programs, put their kids in public schools and use emergency medical services.

Many Americans in border states have complained for years as they watched their hospital emergency rooms shut down due to uninsured, unpaid visits. Of course, not all uninsured patients are undocumented, and illegal immigrants do pay sales tax like everyone else.

But even if an illegal immigrant pays income and sales tax, there is no evidence that they add to the economy. One trip to the emergency medical room can cost tens of thousands of dollars (or more), and since most illegals have fewer skills and less education than most other Americans, their contribution to the tax base is lower.

Since illegals are lower on the economic scale, they are more likely to sign up for welfare and other social programs. This can be a drain on our public services that were not designed to take care of people that travel here from other countries. Americans may benefit from lower prices on lettuce and strawberries, but they are hit by higher taxes and longer distances between hospital emergency rooms in exchange.

There are reasons why countries limit immigration. The US needs to take action to limit illegal immigration. The US should build a fence all along the southern border and begin rounding up people in this country that are here illegal. Don’t just send them back to their country; put them in prison for several years first. Children of illegal immigrants should be locked-up in juvenile detention centers until their parents are parents are deported.

I hope that the Congress sees these protests and realize that the illegal immigration problem should be addressed. It is time to take our country back before it is too late. Comment on this article at our Forum