While I can certainly understand the idea of Mexico’s residents wanting to leave their country (I have seen the conditions there) and I feel for them wanting a better life for their families, giving citizenship to more than 11 million illegal immigrants is completely insane. In a country that already has budget problems, is trying to cut Social Security and has no universal health care, the admittance of more citizens is crazy. What’s even more nuts is the illegal immigrant pictured on CNN saying he had all rights to be a citizen because he had been here illegally for 11 years and he “pays taxes.” I would honestly like to know exactly how he is paying taxes – and sales taxes don’t count – since he would have to provide a Social Security number in order to do so. So unless this guy has committed a number of felonies, he cannot possibly have a Social Security number and therefore is not paying any kind of taxes.
When everyone sees these demonstrations of thousands of illegal immigrants touting their status, no one stops to take into account what exactly having this many people here illegally involves. How many of them have received care at a hospital or through an ambulance service for which they did not have to pay? How many are driving cars that are not only unregistered but untaxed as well? How many of them have children who are illegal but are in public schools taking away from the people’s children who are here legally?
The guy on CNN seemed proud that he was here illegally and stated that his daughter was in public school here and was an illegal immigrant as well. Another woman who owns a landscaping company stated that she depended on illegal immigrant workers to keep her business running. I can only assume that this woman is breaking quite a few laws herself and I seriously doubt that she would be offering these people jobs if she had to pay full wages as required by the government once they become legal citizens.
Another problem that illegal immigrants will run into themselves will be a lack of legal jobs. Once a job is made open to people other than illegal citizens and employers realize they will have to pay taxes on these workers, provide benefits for them and pay worker’s compensation insurance for them, the availability of job positions will drop significantly. Why do you think there are so many American citizens who are unemployed? Yes, a lot of it is laziness, but all too often Americans who have not finished high school (as many illegal immigrants have not) find getting a job in today’s market very difficult. And getting an education could be made even more difficult for students that have lived in this country their entire lives. I cannot see it being fair to turn away students for financial aid whose parents have paid taxes in this country for years while those who have never paid taxes but are suddenly citizens can get aid because their families are flat broke from working under the table.
There definitely needs to be a compromise, but allowing 11 million new citizens into a country that is already far beyond its own means financially is suicide. Before the United States can contemplate allowing anyone citizenship it needs to take care of the citizens who are already here by providing better healthcare, jobs and security for our nation’s senior citizens. Only then can we begin making a country that is really a promise of freedom.