Illegal Immigration Cost
Cost to the California Criminal Justice System of Illegal Immigration
The illegal immigration debate in the United States has taken center stage recently because the President and Congress have decided that is finally time to deal with the situation. Although there have been many stated solutions, it seems that no one can reach a conclusion that is satisfactory to all. In the past year the President has signed an executive order that allowed young illegals of a certain age who were brought to the United States as children, meaning that they had no illegal intent as they were just being moved their by their guardians, were eligible for an amnesty program which would set them on the road to citizenship. This sounded reasonable to a majority of the American public since it is difficult to punish a child for what its parents do, but it does nothing to get at the crux of the debate which centers around cost.
The cost issue comes into play when it is realized that most illegal immigrants do not pay taxes, but they are the beneficiaries of programs that require tax dolls. There is also a cost to the courts system because the incidence of crime increases when there are a high number of illegal immigrants in a district. The solution to this issue could be either to make these people legal and ensure that they do pay their fair share of taxes, or to deport them There is little being discussed between these two extremes. The second is very popular with tax payers because of the increased burden and the crowded conditions in schools, healthcare centers and jails. To examine this issue in its entirety, this paper looks at the crime statistics, total costs associated with illegal immigration, and what is being done about the problem.
Crime and Illegal Immigration
The criminal costs of illegal immigration can be seen in what it really costs to hold and try an illegal immigrant in a court of law in California, but it is more accurate to look at all the factors that are involved. Because there are more illegal immigrants in California than in any other state, more law enforcement officers are required to police the actions of these additional people. That means that more vehicles must be bought, county jails with a greater capacity must be built, more money is spent on such things as food and clothing for the inmates, the costs to other citizens of robberies and other crimes, and other considerations which go far beyond just a simple cost analysis to the courts. This would be true if any, legal or illegal group of citizens, flooded an area. However, research proves that illegal immigration to the United States costs more because there is an increase in crime.
In the 1980's great numbers of emigrants from Cuba were seeing refuge in Southern Florida. Because this seemed to be a trend that he could not stop, Fidel Castro supported the effort by allowing hardened criminals out of jail and providing them with rickety transportation to Florida. The United States and Florida considered these individuals refugees and was more than willing to rescue them from Castro's communist regime. The problem was that, as was mentioned, many of these individuals were released from prisons (some being there for lesser crimes and political issues) and sent to the United States so that Castro and the Cuban people could be rid of them. When the U.S. found this out, many of the boats were either rerouted, or all of the people were made to go through extensive criminal background checks to make sure that they were not sent her on Castro's "program."
The Cuban refugees were, most often, easy to spot and reroute or divert to a temporary holding facility pending investigation, but it is more difficult to do this with immigrants from South and Central America who come overland. The reason for this is the border with Mexico is very long, and the people have a much better chance of evading capture. So, the people who come into the United States illegally into California are less likely to be checked for prior criminal affiliation. This is especially problematic seeing the drastic rise in drug-associated criminal activity presently going on in Mexico.
The states of California has a greater financial stake in illegal immigration than any state in the union by far. This total state cost is estimated at more than $21 billion per year (FAIR,...
Added Info for Pros and Cons About the Situation Immigration will always cause some issues in the host country. One of the major problems, at least in today's America, it the continued scarcity of some types of jobs. People who are fine with the influx of immigrants, whether legal or illegal, when economic times are good will bemoan the problem when jobs are scarce. The reason that the people from Mexico
8% of U.S. households were headed by an immigrant and received 6.7% of all cash benefits; by 1990, 8.4% of households were headed by an immigrant and received 13.1% of all cash benefits (Borjas, 1995, pp. 44-46). Immigrants in different categories (both legal and illegal) have been eligible to receive certain welfare benefits. Legal immigrants are eligible after three to five years of residence, though asylum applicants and refugees are eligible
Illegal Immigration: A Bane or a Necessary Evil? America is a melting pot. We hear that phrased pronounced almost everyday in some context or another. And, to a large degree, it is true: Even the beacon of our freedom, the Statue of Liberty, welcomes all arrivals to our shores, be they ever so poor, tired or huddled in masses. However, a topic that creeps up among our greatest immigration stories is the problem
In 1993 there were 155,704 recorded crimes of burglary and of these 20,200 were residential burglaries. Since the mid-1970s the level of recorded burglaries has fluctuated around a level of 130,000 to 150,000 crimes per year although during the three last years, 1991 to 1993, the level has been close to 155,000. The number of recorded car thefts in 1993 was 61,141 and of these 18,300 were attempts. During
(Restore Fairness and Due Process: 1996 Immigration Laws go too far) Immigration and justice system presently entails overlapping of three distinct issues like "immigrants as crime victims; immigrants as criminals; and the socio-cultural dimension of immigrants." (Immigration and Justice System) the immigrants as crime victims include the issues relating to hate crimes on the basis of nativity status, national origin or race that some sometimes enticed by the economic concerns;
Policy Analysis: Interior Enforcement of the Employment of Immigrants Criminal Justice History of the Problem and Need for Change Problem Scope. In 2004, three U.S. companies were issued penalty notices by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for knowingly employing unauthorized workers (Porter, 2006). At the time, demographers estimated that six to seven million illegal immigrants were employed in the America -- that number is approximately equivalent to 5% of the U.S.
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