Drain on the U.S. Government

According to a study in 2002, illegal immigrants actually are found to cause a financial drain on the government. The article listed many major findings to help prove this point. The first thing they said was, "Households headed by illegal aliens imposed more than $26.3 billion in costs on the federal government in 2002 and paid only $16 billion in taxes, creating a net fiscal deficit of almost $10.4 billion, or $2,700 per illegal household." Where is that $10.4 billion dollars supposed to come from? How are U.S. citizens supposed to try to help close the gap and what will it cost us? I know that I'm not a fan for higher taxes and if that is the only way that we can make up for that money then I will vote against that plan. Why should I have to pick up someone else's slack? Another major finding was, "With nearly two-thirds of illegal aliens lacking a high school degree, the primary reason they create a fiscal deficit is their low education levels and resulting low incomes and tax payments, not their legal status or heavy use of most social services." I found this really interesting because I would have never thought that the reason they cause such a strain is their education. It never occurred to me that if they were properly educated they would have the opportunity to get better jobs. I never thought it was possible for illegal immigrants to get a good job in America since people just give them whatever else is left and the jobs that they don't want. I also learned that "Costs increase dramatically because unskilled immigrants with legal status—what most illegal aliens would become—can access government programs, but still tend to make very modest tax payments." This statement silences people who say that all the illegals in this country should automatically become citizens. If they were automatically citizens, but still uneducated, they would still be making the same amount of money but this time they would have access to things like welfare that they didn't have before. This also makes me question why they should have access to welfare when American citizens need that money. This topic is starting to make me understand why people have such a problem with illegal immigrants. I always thought that saying they take away from Americans was a lame excuse. I still think it is but I can understand now where these people are coming from because these illegals are taking away from us what is not theirs.


Steven A. Camarota. "Illegal Immigrants Create a Drain on the U.S. Government." Current Controversies: Illegal Immigration. Ed. Debra A. Miller. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2007. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 5 Feb. 2010 .