The Causes of Illegal Immigration in the US

As you can see, the issue of the border relating to immigration has never been straightforward. Instead of enforcing the laws of our country, exceptions were made during times of war which created problems that could not be overturned. Now we have illegal immigrants in our nation and any action is opposed by some special interest group. One of those groups is the Mexican government. Since the 1980's, and most prominently recently, the Mexican government has opposed our restriction of the border because their working class far overflows the few low paying jobs offered in the country. Yet that should not effect our policies, we need to curb the illegal immigration as soon as possible, and soon is still far overdue. If it means spending billions on creating watch towers and higher security fences along our border, the fiscal effects will be beneficial in the long run. But our government will probably continue to be influenced by other groups.

Another influential group is the Latinos. Latino suffrage has been increasing; and that group widely discourages harsh action against immigrants, mainly for moral reasons. Employers who often take advantage of cheap labor also oppose such actions; enough competition is created from companies going overseas that any rise in production costs can be fatal to employers. Governmental figures often times are put under such pressure by these groups and fail to enforce our border laws. While usually a local issue, the central government, despite a few futile attempts, such as the IRCA, has been very passive on the issue. President George W Bush has always been known to have a soft heart for Mexican immigrants. Recently he said "You have to remember that the migrants are coming to America for economic ...

... middle of paper ...

... problem is out of control and expensive. I laid out the facts, immigrants cost the government billions and drug users destroy lives. Steps need to be done now to solve the problem. In the past our government has been persuaded by special interest groups, and the federal government is very sensitive to public opinion. In order to put the average Americans interest above special interest groups, the American public needs to demand a material solution to the border problem.

Bibliography:

Andreas, Peter. Border Games: Policing the US-Mexico Divide, Cornell University Press, London, 2000.

The Center of Immigration Studies, www.CIS.org, October 25, 2004.

Bustamante, Reynolds, and Hinojosa. US-Mexico Relations, Stanford University Press, Stanford, California. 1992.

Ingraham, Laura. Shut up and Sing. Regnery Publishing Inc, Washington DC, 2001.