So You Want to Live in America?

Immigration has been a major source of population growth and cultural change throughout much of American history. Recently and as of 2006, the United States had accepted more legal immigrants than all other nations in the world combined. The number of first-generation legal immigrants residing in the United States has quadrupled, from 9.6 million in 1970 to about 38 million in 2007.


Our country was built with and by immigrants from all four corners of the world, from all walks of life, people just like you and I, looking for opportunities that are too numerous to mention and irrelevant to this discussion but opportunities that they could not find in their native country of origin, and unless you are a native American, you are either a descendant of one of these adventurous and courageous people or one of them yourself. They left all they knew and all they had behind, including loved ones, got on a boat or on a plane, many with little or no money and headed for an unknown land, many unable to communicate, risking all, but hope drove them to what was to be their land of opportunity. Once here, they decided to better themselves, working hard to provide their idea of the “American dream” for their families. However, our ancestors and maybe even you, came through the front door, rang the bell, and came in legally, following all the laws, rules and regulations, worked hard, served the country, paid taxes and one way or another made a positive impact, and as a result were and are protected by all the laws in the Nation, having all the same benefits of those naturally born here, except voting, but even that is covered by the law, should one decide to stay for a minimum of five years, he or she can also have that right and participate in our democratic process as a naturalized citizen.

Illegal immigrants however, do not fall into this category. By not following, choosing to ignore, bypassing and break all the laws, rules and regulations in their eagerness to reach the land of opportunity, they forfeited all the rights that their legal siblings enjoy. They settle for substandard employment opportunities by unscrupulously greedy employers that are simply concerned about lowering overhead costs, accepting substandard salaries however, above standard in comparison to their country of origin, literally enslaving themselves to their employers or sponsors, in fact Indian, Russian, Thai, and Chinese women have been reportedly brought to the United States under false pretenses. “As many as 50,000 people are illicitly trafficked into the United States annually, according to a 1999 CIA study. Once here, they're forced to work as prostitutes, sweatshop laborers, farmhands, and servants in private homes.” US authorities call it “a modern form of slavery”. The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women has reported scores of cases where women were forced to prostitute themselves. “Trafficking in women plagues the United States as much as it does underdeveloped nations. Organized prostitution networks have migrated from metropolitan areas to small cities and suburbs. Women trafficked to the United States have been forced to have sex with 400-500 men to pay off $40,000 in debt for their passage.” At least 45,000 Central American children attempt to illegally immigrate to the United States every year and many of them finish in brothels as sex slaves, according to Manuel Capellin, director in Honduras of the humanitarian organization House Alliance.

Some argue that illegal immigrants perform jobs that American citizens and legal permanent resident aliens refuse to do, and this is true, but not by choice and only by necessity, once legal they too will refuse to perform those jobs. I have never met anyone who came here illegally, and I have met many, who are now legal, picking oranges in the groves of central Florida. On the other side of this argument is the fact that many also perform jobs that many Americans and legal immigrants would have no problem in doing however, because illegal immigrants are willing to take a much lower pay structure, the aforementioned unscrupulous and greedy employer will choose and continue to hire them at the risk of a simple petty fine, increasing the unemployment ranks by 3.5 percent, increasing unemployment costs, lowering national wage rates by 4 percent and increased incarceration rates of minorities by almost one percent. The presence of illegal immigrants and their exploitation drives down wages for certain sectors of the American populace, further widening the socioeconomic gulf between the poor and the middle class.

In many cities, including Washington D.C., New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, San Diego, San Jose, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Detroit, Jersey City, Minneapolis, Miami, Denver, Baltimore, Seattle, Portland, Oregon and Portland, Maine, who have adopted “sanctuary” ordinances banning police from asking people about their immigration status, this petty fine is not even an issue and illegal immigrants can seek employment with just about anyone without fear of repercussion but still at a lower compensation.

One other problem is the amount of money leaving the country sent by illegal immigrants to their families abroad. In 2003, Mexico’s President Vicente Fox stated that the transfer of funds to Mexico by illegal Immigrants, "are our biggest source of foreign income, bigger than oil, tourism or foreign investment" and that "the money transfers grew after Mexican consulates started giving identity cards to their citizens in the United States." He stated that money sent from Mexican workers in the United States to their families back home reached a record $12 billion. Two years later, in 2005, the World Bank stated that Mexico was receiving $18.1 billion in remittances and that it ranked third (behind only India and China) among the countries receiving the greatest amount of fund transfers.

Another issue is that many illegal immigrants in an effort to appear legal obtain through the “black market" fake or stolen social security numbers in order to acquire fake work documentation, as a result creating and reinforcing the need for an identity theft market.

In October 2008, talk radio station KFYI reported that according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, five million illegal immigrants hold fraudulent home mortgages. Radio hosts Rush Limbaugh and Lee Rodgers later also repeated a variation of this claim and I can personally avow that recently a group of illegal immigrants were occupying a bank foreclosed home in my subdivision and eventually apprehended by the DEA, FBI and ATF.

It is my opinion that the so called “amnesty” or any other resolution so far proposed by our elected officials is not the answer to this national dilemma. “Amnesty” is simply another scheme by the recently embattled Democratic Party to add millions of new voters to their ranks as most immigrants tend to vote Democratic, however they’d have to become naturalized first, that will take another five years. So that will not work unless they plan on skipping that small detail. Illegal immigrants are by definition criminals; therefore amnesty would reinforce the notion that crime does pay.

The Bottom line is that illegal immigrants broke the law the moment they set foot in this country; they continued to break the law as they perpetuated their illegal residence here and in an effort to give the perception of legality. They have caused financial stress along with numerous other difficulties and distress to those of us who were either born or are legally here and while illegally searching for the golden egg in the land of opportunity, to themselves. Gov. Brewer and the citizens of Arizona have it right, the only answer is to enforce the existing laws, send all illegal immigrants home, and since they already broke all principles and regulations of the land of opportunity, close the door, and lock it up for them.

This is not an issue of hatred or bigotry, this is abhorrence to crime. My parents just like so many before them, including my grandparents who entered our great country through Ellis Island, left it all behind and with only $200 in their pocket, brought me here in 1979 with the hope and faith that I would have more opportunities here than where I was born, so I too am an immigrant, one that loves and respects America, the difference is that we rang the bell, asked for permission to enter, the great people of immigrant descendants that were already here welcomed us with a great big smile and allowed us through the front door. You have truly given me enormous opportunities, some I have taken some not, but I am forever indebted and grateful to every single one of you for letting me be here accepting me as one of your own!