Illegal immigration has been a hotly debated issue among political pundits for the perceived impact it has on the overall growth of the nation. Politicians, on the other hand, tend to detach themselves from the issue as it is a very complex topic that can affect political careers. The fact that illegality is involved, there is this notion that nothing good can stem from it. However, given the complexity of issues, there is a need to weigh the illegal immigration pros and cons so as to know how to deal with the issues, one state at a time.

Every state faces the problem of burgeoning number of immigrants, with a certain percentage of these immigrants being considered as illegal. Immigration, in general, is not bad, it is when the word “illegal” is affixed to it that makes the entire issue so controversial.

The simplest description is that of entering another country without proper permission. This means that the simple act of moving to another country has violated the immigration laws of that country. This also includes overstaying, wherein everything is legal until the visa expires. Some states are more vulnerable to illegal immigration than others. A case in point is that of the areas near the US-Mexico border. In many cases, Mexicans cross the border by illegal means to get to American soil, risking their lives to get to the “promised land” because they believe that better opportunities await them. This is true for the most part, if they survive at all. With this background, we can now look at the illegal immigration pros and cons with an open mind.

Illegal immigration cons primarily stem from sentiments put forward by anti illegal immigration proponents. Aside from the risks involved in crossing the border, illegal immigrants are said to cost taxpayers billions of dollars, hence it drains the tax-based resources being utilised by staying in the country. Relatedly, they do not contribute to the economy because they do not pay income taxes. Also, given that they are willing to accept low paying jobs, the overall demand for low wage jobs increases, hurting the working and middle class.

The fact that they are staying illegally in the country, they are encouraging the manufacture of fake documents, hence businesses dealing with fraud are growing.

One of the perceived benefits of illegal immigration is that of filling in of low wage jobs that a regular American would not be willing to accept. The illegal immigrants are willing to do the “dirty” jobs, so to speak, hence helping the economy to move along as intended. As such, illegal immigrants also boost consumer spending, which drives the economy forward. They purchase goods and services and contribute to the overall economic activity. Relatedly, they pay sales tax and real property taxes. They open bank accounts and buy car insurance.

These don’t seem to matter at first glance, but with 15 to 20 million illegal immigrants in the US, mostly coming from Mexico, this translates to billions worth of consumer spending.

Now that illegal immigration pros and cons are established, Americans can now form their own conclusions whether the benefits outweigh the negative consequences and perhaps they can have a clear understanding of the recently enacted Arizona immigration law which requires immigrants to carry their documents at all times.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Illegal-Immigration-Pros-and-Cons—Weighing-In&id=4573278