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Nicole Ramirez Ramirez 1

Dr. Joan Kennedy

Persuasive Essay

October 11, 2009

Hot Topic

One of today’s current issues the United States faces is illegal immigration. Illegal

immigration is defined as the migration of people across national borders in a way that

violates the immigration laws of that country. Illegal immigration although has many

pros, it also has cons. Deciding on what to do on this topic is something that needs to be

dealt with. In an analysis of the March 2007 Current Population Survey, it was estimated

that there are approximately 11.3 million illegal aliens living in the United States. The

estimate for the number of illegals included in the 2000 CPS is 7.3 million. Between

2000 and 2007 the illegal immigration number grew by 4 million immigrants. It is

estimated that 57 percent of the illegal alien population comes from Mexico, 11 percent

from Central America, 9 percent from East Asia, 8 percent from South America, and

Europe and the Caribbean account for 4 percent. Of all immigrants from Mexico, 55

percent are illegal; for Central Americans it is 47 percent; and it is 33 percent for South

Americans.

Illegal immigration is said to impose a positive effects on the United States. Both

political leaders and their constituents have an opinion about illegal immigration. The

pros of illegal immigration are that each year illegal immigrants add billions of

dollars in sales, property, including Social Security taxes (Randy Alcorn). Statistics and
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data have been collected about illegal immigration. Based on some statistics illegal

immigrants contribute to the economy more tan they cost in social services. They

contribute to the economy by filling millions of important job positions and services.

On the other hand, illegal immigration is considered a burden on the United States

citizens. Although illegal immigrants pay billions of dollars in sales, property, and Social

Security taxes they are not the main source of revenue for the state and federal

government. The Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), in the section titled "Costs of

Immigration said that “Even though illegal aliens make little use of welfare, from which

they are generally barred, the costs of illegal immigration in terms of government

expenditures for education, criminal justice, and emergency medical care are significant.

They have also discovered that the net fiscal cost of immigration ranges from $11 billion

to $22 billion per year. California has estimated that the net cost to the state of providing

government services to illegal immigrants approached $3 billion during a single fiscal

year.
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Work Cited:

The Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), in the section titled "Costs of Immigration

October 24, 2007

http://immigration.procon.org/viewanswers.asp?questionID=000788

Lipman, Francine J. Taxing Undocumented Immigrants: Separate, Unequal and Without

Representation Spring 2006 October 8, 2009

http://immigration.procon.org/viewanswers.asp?questionID=000789

Garibaldi, Mario Illegal Immigration pros & cons May 08, 2006

searchwarp.com: Monday October 5, 2009 http://searchwarp.com/swa61485.htm

Seminara, David Backgrounders and Reports Overview March 2008

cis.org: Monday October 5, 2009 http://www.cis.org/illegal