The Problems
Why should we stop this invasion and refuse amnesty to those already in the USA? How is it a threat to the US to allow this to continue with open borders?

Can anyone dispute these facts? Can anyone tell us why most Democrats and the Bush administration are so pro-immigration in light of this information?

1. It is a threat to our national security. We must monitor who is allowed into our country for the safety of all citizens. Terrorists can easily cross our borders. "A group of al Qaeda terrorists is attempting to infiltrate the United States from Mexico to conduct attacks in the country, The Washington Times has learned. The al Qaeda members are working with Mexican organized crime groups, such as drug-trafficking organizations, in an attempt to enter the United States covertly, the officials said." According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, hours after the 9-11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, an anonymous caller led Mexican immigration agents to 41 undocumented Iraqis waiting to cross into the United States.

2. Crime among illegals has skyrocketed. Illegal immigrants are committing crimes such as robbery, identity theft, auto theft, serial rapes, serial murders, sexual homicides, child molestation and many other crimes. Our courts are jammed with illegals and our prisons are filled with them. The costs to process these criminals are staggering. Taxpayers must foot the bill for defense and prosecution attorneys, court costs, incarceration, parole services, and many more costs associated with illegal alien crime. Taxpayers pay half-a-billion dollars per year just incarcerating illegal alien criminals. Twelve Americans are murdered every day by illegal aliens, according to statistics released by Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa. That translates to 4,380 Americans murdered annually by illegal aliens. That's 21,900 since Sept. 11, 2001. Gangs are growing stronger and larger, becoming more dangerous and more organized and are rapidly spreading throughout the country and to many other countries as well.

3. We need to protect our children. According to the Violent Crimes Institute in Atlanta, based on a one-year in-depth study, research estimates show there are about 240,000 illegal immigrant sex offenders in the United States who have had an average of four victims each. This places the estimate for victimization numbers at close to 1,000,000 for the 88 months examined in this study

4. They are a burden to our school system. Classrooms are over-crowded and teachers cannot spend the time necessary to properly teach our kids. According to past studies, an estimated 1.1 million illegal immigrants are currently in the nation’s public school systems. And a recent key finding of the report by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) said that California's already struggling kindergarten-through-12th-grade education system spends $7.7 billion a year on children of illegal aliens, who constitute 15 percent of the student body. Rather than being used to improve the quality of education for current students, communities’ limited tax dollars are instead being diverted to build new schools to accommodate population growth and to meet the special needs of immigrant children. Including special programs such as bilingual education, which can cost nearly 50 percent more than regular schooling, immigration costs the taxpayers over $24 billion a year in education costs.

5. They undercut our wages. They work for less than American workers can afford to work for. Because they often live in colonies or pack several families into a single family home, draw welfare and free public services, they live cheaply and will work for less than Americans.

6. They replace Americans in the work force. Because they provide cheap labor, many citizens have lost jobs so that large companies can employ this cheap workforce. Under NAFTA, Mexican and Canadian workers in 63 designated categories may be hired in the US, even if qualified American workers are available. The Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University finds that millions of American workers are being severely harmed by the unprecedented wave of legal and illegal immigration over the past decade or so. In addition to the immediate economic impact on younger and less skilled Americans, the phenomenon will likely have long-term negative consequences for American society. As the Hispanic population continues to rise, more Native Americans are being displaced in the workforce.

7. They are bankrupting our health care system. They go to free clinics and hospital emergency rooms for free treatment, whether it is an emergency or not. Many hospitals have now closed their emergency rooms because they cannot afford to continue to provide these services without payment. An illegal alien mother only has to say she is "undocumented" in order to receive immediate - and free - medical care. Mexican ambulance drivers are driving their hospital patients who can't pay for medical care in Mexico, to facilities in the United States. They know that the federal Emergency Medical Act mandates that U.S. hospitals with emergency-room services must treat anyone who requires care, including illegal aliens. Eighty-four California hospitals have closed their ERs between 1994 and 2003.

8. They threaten the sovereignty of the United States. Mexicans are not coming here merely as individuals seeking economic opportunities, but as a nation, expressing their national identity and collective will. They refuse to learn English and they demand that their language be accepted and we have obliged them, inconveniencing our own citizens. We have to read through instructions to find the English versions, we have to press one to hear English on the telephone, signs and advertising are now in English and Spanish. Our schools are now having to provide Spanish-speaking teachers and Spanish textbooks. And most likely it will continue until all road signs and public notices are in Spanish as well. This is a tremendous cost to the taxpayers. The covert agreement signed in 2005 by President Bush, former Mexican President Fox, and the former Canadian Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin known as the North American Union, aka "The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America", is a plan to eliminate the borders between the US and Mexico and the US and Canada and is rapidly moving forward with very little fanfare. [The] Joint Statement of the three leaders [state] that our... boundaries will be defined by a common external tariff and an outer security perimeter within which the movement of people, products, and capital will be legal, orderly, and safe. The agreement further states: "A long-term goal should be to create a ‘North American preference’—new rules that would make it much easier for employees to move and for employers to recruit across national boundaries within the continent." In its section, "What We Should Do by 2010", it explains: "Move to full labor mobility between Canada and the United States. To make companies based in North America as competitive as possible in the global economy, Canada and the United States should consider eliminating all remaining barriers to the ability of their citizens to live and work in the other country. This free flow of people would offer an important advantage to employers in both countries by giving them rapid access to a larger pool of skilled labor, and would enhance the well-being of individuals in both countries by enabling them to move quickly to where their skills are needed. In the long term, the two countries should work to extend this policy to Mexico as well, though doing so will not be practical until wage differentials between Mexico and its two North American neighbors have diminished considerably." If this plan is enacted it would destroy our sovereignty and create a borderless United States and a common currency (called the Amero) among the three former countries.

9. America is getting over-crowded. Our highways are over-burdened and a simple commute to work sometimes takes hours. New roads and infrastructure are needed and the higher use of these things require more maintenance costing billions of dollars.  The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that a new immigrant enters this country every 31 seconds. The Heritage Foundation found that the changes in immigration law would allow an estimated 103 million persons to legally immigrate to the United States over the next 20 years and "dramatically" change "the character of the nation."

10. Bi-lingual problems with public servants. Our police, drivers license employees, hospital employees, welfare workers, social workers, and many organizations must train or hire bi-lingual employees. Hiring bi-lingual employees is easier than training English-only speaking employees, so the bi-lingual is often hired ahead of US citizens that may be more qualified for the position.

11. Drug cartels can infiltrate the US easily. The majority of the drugs in this country come from Mexico. The increased availability of these drugs cause additional crime and devastation to the individuals and families of those who become addicted. Eighty percent of cocaine and 50% of heroin in the U.S. is smuggled across the border by Mexican nationals.

12. Hit and run accidents are on the rise. Because illegals do not want to get caught because they may be intoxicated, do not have a valid drivers license or insurance and fear deportation, they will flee the scene of an accident because they have nothing to lose, often leaving injured victims alone and helpless. Nearly 300 people are killed annually in hit-and-run accidents in California alone.

13. They use the "anchor baby" method to get citizenship. The 2.2 million children of illegal immigrants in America, often referred to as “anchor babies”, ensure the parents can stay, provide a path to citizenship for themselves and their families, and add an additional $20 billion to the tab for medical care. In a recent year in Colorado, the state's emergency Medicaid program paid an estimated $30 million in hospital and physician delivery costs for about 6,000 illegal immigrant mothers - average of $5,000 per baby. Those 6,000 births to illegal aliens represent 40% of the births paid for by Medicaid in Colorado. Those 6,000 babies immediately became U.S. citizens and qualified for full Medicaid services, with a cost yet to be tabulated.

14. Poverty is increasing. Since most Mexicans crossing the border are poverty stricken and under-educated, they are not providing the quality of citizens that will allow our country to maintain the high education standards and keep us powerful and prosperous. The poverty level will increase the need for the middle class to provide more support through taxes. Uneducated immigrants, regardless of heritage or ethnicity, who have little interest in education, generally end up with poorly educated children. Even in the fourth generation - after at least fifty to sixty years of "assimilation," it appears that the descendents of Mexican immigrants display scant interest in higher education. This is a stunning finding. It belies the expectation that college-based affirmative action programs would eventually level the education playing field.

15. They send back to Mexico billions of dollars per year. This is bad for the US economy because that money should stay in the US to keep our country financially strong. That money spent in the US for goods and services would strengthen our economy. Mexicans living outside their country sent home a record $23 billion dollars in 2006.

16. Illegal immigrants are allowed to claim children living back in Mexico and qualify for the earned-income tax credit that traditionally has helped the American poor.

17. They use more services than they provide in taxes. The Center for Immigration Studies in Washington, said U.S. households headed by illegal aliens used $26.3 billion in government services during 2002, but paid $16 billion in taxes, an annual cost to taxpayers of $10 billion.

18. They do not want to assimilate in the US. They want their own culture, flag, language, currency and do not try to become true Americans. It appears that they hate Americans but love the benefits America has to offer. When you add millions of immigrants that can’t speak our national language, they emotionally, physically and intellectually separate.  A nation cannot long survive when its citizens cannot speak to one another.

19. They are breaking the law by coming here. Their first encounter in the US is an illegal one, making them more inclined to feel it is OK to break the laws in the future. Granting amnesty to law-breakers only reinforces that philosophy.

20. Law enforcement officers are at risk. These guards risk their lives daily to protect our country. If the border was fenced, it would reduce the need for as many guards and would reduce the number of encounters with dangerous drug smugglers, violent criminals, and law breakers..

21. The proposed guest worker program would still allow unsupervised activity. Who will be responsible for the activities of these workers when they are not on the job? Who will pay the price for their crimes and illegal activities? And what are the real costs this program would add to the taxpayers' tab?

22. Taxpayers are paying for shelters for unemployed farm workers. Farmers and other agricultural workers who find themselves unemployed as a result of the recent crop-destroying cold snap can find assistance at 18 newly opened centers in California.

23. The spread of diseases to humans. "Undocumented" aliens are not inoculated against health threats resulting in new outbreaks of diseases such as leprosy, multiple-drug-resistant TB, Chagas disease, dengue fever, polio, malaria and intestinal parasites.   With the reports of active TB cases, Americans should be especially worried about disease control, particularly since TB is considered an epidemic in Mexico. A brain infection caused by a pork tapeworm, is a "growing public health problem in the United States," especially in states bordering Mexico, where the disease is endemic.

24. The spread of diseases to livestock. Dr. Gary Thrasher, a Palominas veterinarian who specializes in cattle herd health, said stray cows are a major concern for ranchers on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. There are at least 30 serious health problems that can affect local herds, he said, and since most cows have not been exposed to all the illnesses, they haven't developed a natural resistance. Furthermore, Thrasher said there are at least 10 foreign illnesses that pose a risk to local cattle due to unregulated human traffic across the border. Possibly the most dangerous is foot-and-mouth disease. Thrasher said a major foot-and-mouth outbreak could virtually destroy the livestock industry in the United States.

25. Illegal aliens to receive Social Security benefits. Given the fact that a proposed Totalization Agreement would cover not just Mexican workers but also their spouses and dependents, it is highly likely that over time, potentially millions of people would receive U.S. Social Security benefits and the cost would be in the billions of dollars.

26. The actual costs to taxpayers for illegal immigration is more than $60 billion per year. FAIR research shows "the net annual cost of immigration has been estimated at between $67 and $87 billion a year. Congressman Ted Poe of Texas lists the costs of illegal immigration in his speech to Congress. If illegal aliens were legalized and began to pay taxes and use services like legal immigrants with the same education levels, the estimated annual fiscal deficit at the federal level would increase from $2,700 per household to nearly $7,700, for a total federal deficit of $29 billion.

27. Americans are being prosecuted and persecuted for protecting their country and their property. The two border agents, Ramos and Campean, are good examples of this but there are dozens upon dozens of cases where illegals prevail over US citizens. Rural citizens here have met with savage recriminations for exerting their legal rights. Immigration advocacy groups howl in protest, as does the Mexican government. Their lawyers have demanded that the ranchers be prosecuted for false arrest, kidnapping, intimidation, criminal assault and violation of civil rights – anything lawyers can come up with to advance their clients' interests. Illegal immigrants have now sued some Cochise County citizens in American courts. In the Ramos/Campean case, the drug dealer was granted immunity from prosecution for his testimony against the two border agents and then sued the US for $5 million dollars for "pain and suffering".

28. We are depleting our natural resources. Overpopulation is creating irreversible damage to our country and our planet. In many states, water is already a serious issue. More of our open spaces will be turned into housing communities, shopping centers and parking lots. Our animal species are fast becoming extinct. Pollution is destroying our sea beds, coral reefs, air quality, and many of our endangered species. Our wetlands are being destroyed. Over-produced farmland will be depleted of precious minerals. Our forests are being destroyed so that more homes can be built. Our landfills are becoming larger and larger. More sources of power will be needed and that means using more fuel to create it.

29. They are creating slums. Third world slums began appearing along our borders from Brownsville, Texas to San Diego, California in the 80s.  They’re called “Colonias,” which is Spanish for new neighborhoods.  They feature shacks, no sewers, no streets, no running water, no electricity, no toilet facilities or waste pickup. The New York Times, March 3, 1988, “Along the US Border, a Third World is Reborn,” reported, “Colonias are rusted trailers and shacks nailed together from tar paper and packing pallets without indoor toilets…with mounds of uncollected trash that attract rats…the lack of sanitation has polluted the ground water to the point where many residents drink their own waste…the colonias feature Third World levels of hepatitis, dysentery, diarrhea, skin rashes, cholera and tuberculosis…they are contaminated, explosive, fecal, filthy, illegal, miserable, polluted, powder kegs, putrid, shocking, sick, stench filled, suffering and wrenching.”

30. They are causing citizens' "out of pocket" costs to rise. Auto insurance rates are rising due to more uninsured drivers, hit and run accidents, reckless driving by illegals, and denser populations [read part 1 & part 2]. Medical coverage, health insurance, clinic fees, hospital visits are all rising due to illegal immigrants not paying their way. These are just a few of the cost increases individuals are facing.

31. Many illegals are being paid in cash and not reporting their income. Farm workers, gardeners, maids, housekeepers, laborers, are avoiding paying taxes yet are quick to take advantage of our free public services for low income or unemployed "undocumented" aliens.

32. They want to take back what they believe is their territory. There is a strong movement on to take back the territories they sold to the US. According to a Zogby poll in 2002, 58 percent of the Mexican people believed the U.S. Southwest belongs to Mexico, and 57 percent believed that Mexicans have the right to enter the United States without U.S. permission.

33. The Mexican government is aiding in the invasion. The Mexican invasion of the United States began decades ago as a spontaneous migration of ordinary Mexicans into the U.S. seeking economic opportunities. It has morphed into a campaign to occupy and gain power over our country—a project encouraged, abetted, and organized by the Mexican state and supported by the leading elements of Mexican society.
 

The Benefits
How would it benefit the USA if we give amnesty to the millions of illegal immigrants and allowed them to continue to come here freely?

Give us the facts about the benefits and we will seriously consider the merits of your arguments.

1. They do work that Americans don't want to do. They are helping corporations fill positions with low cost labor.

Counterpoint: Actually, they are taking jobs many Americans WILL do if the pay was adequate. Besides, there are millions of LEGAL immigrants in this country that will also do this work. Corporations hire illegals because they can pay them less than they would have to pay American workers. If corporations started paying more for low skilled jobs, they wouldn't need to hire illegals.

2. They bring original Mexican restaurant cuisine to our country. Authentic Mexican cuisine is being introduced into the US making our choice of dining more diversified and less expensive.

Counterpoint: This is a weak point that is hardly worth bringing up. Plenty of LEGAL immigrants are here and can do the same as illegals.

3. More voters. The more voters we have, the more government representatives we will get to represent our districts and the more Federal funding the districts can get.

Counterpoint: The more representatives we have, the larger our government will be. Frankly, our government is too big now and what we don't need is more politicians. The more money they have to spend, the more they will spend.

4. Businesses can afford to provide cheaper goods because their labor costs are less. This allows their businesses more growth and profitability.

Counterpoint: Big business grows at the expense of US taxpayers. If corporations paid their workers more, they would have to charge more for their goods and services, but it would still be less than the cost of illegal immigration.

5. This country was built on immigration and the diversity makes it stronger. Immigration brings new culture to our society.

Counterpoint: Early immigrants earned citizenship by coming to this country legally, learning our language and our constitution. They obeyed the laws and respected our traditions, resulting in true Americans. Illegal immigrants break the laws and demand rights and expect the US citizens to foot the bill.