Dear Editor,
Republicans were given a majority in Montgomery in November 2010. They were put there by the citizens of Alabama to do the job of addressing the Socialist policies of the current federal administration. One of those policies was ignoring the illegal immigration of millions of foreign citizens into our state. They did their job and now special interests are trying to undo what the tax-paying citizens of Alabama wanted. We are a sovereign nation that has the right to CHOOSE who is allowed to enter this country. Citizens of foreign countries do not have the right to come here without permission. It does not matter that there are politicians who choose to disregard the enforcement of the law; illegal immigrants should not be entitled to the rights and privileges of citizenship. I am sorry they live in a country where there are no opportunities to improve their lives. The answer is not to come to the United States illegally, it is for them to stay in their own country and improve their own situation. Instead, an estimated 20 million more illegal immigrants, (if the government estimates 20 million, there are probably 40 million) from 200 countries, not all of whom are Hispanic, have chosen to enter our country illegally. Illegal immigration is not a victimless crime. This massive influx of illegal immigrants is one of the main causes for the catastrophic economic situation we now face. Contrary to the assertion of racism, this is not a racist issue; this is an economic issue, and an issue of state and national sovereignty.
Where illegal immigration flourishes, American housing construction workers, restaurant workers, hospitality workers, and teenagers take the brunt of fewer jobs. The Federation for American Immigration Reform reports that, “a GAO study found that a decade of heavy immigration to Los Angeles had changed the janitorial industry from a mostly native Black, unionized workforce to one of non-unionized Latinos, many of whom were illegal aliens.” The immigrant’s willingness to work for lower rates artificially drags down the compensation for all workers. These are not jobs that Americans won’t do, but rather jobs that they use to do. The national unemployment rate is now at 9.1%, with a real estimate somewhere around 17%. However, among teenagers, it has been estimated at 60%, and among African American men, 40%. With these unemployed workers come increased unemployment insurance costs, welfare, entitlements and other benefits; the cost of illegal immigrants taking American jobs; i.e., Alabama jobs.
Many illegals complain, “as undocumented workers we will never be able to draw Social Security benefits.” The idea that illegal immigrants should benefit from a stolen Social Security number is disingenuous. Hiring illegal immigrants is against Federal law; those who do so, and then report wages on a false SSN, should be prosecuted. Is there no concern for the problems faced by the person whose SSN was stolen? This crime has caused millions of Americans to spend thousands of dollars and man-hours to fix the serious problems this theft has caused. Also, how many illegal workers are paid cash, or “off the books,” to avoid payroll taxes altogether? Alabama loses millions of dollars in uncollected taxes every year with this underground economy, not counting the millions of dollars taken out of our economy that is sent back to the families who are still in their own country.
FAIR (Federation for American Immigration Reform) estimates that “there are 363,000 children born to illegal immigrants each year.” Citizens of foreign countries come here illegally knowing that if one has a child in the United States, that child automatically becomes an American citizen and is entitled to all the benefits offered to a citizen. Women, who are here illegally, give birth at local hospitals and benefit from Medicaid and millions of dollars of federal subsidies to hospitals and clinics. In some states, the health care systems have been overwhelmed and forced into bankruptcy. The average illegal patient is 25 years and gives birth to at least two anchor babies. If I entered another country illegally would I be offered the same benefits as a citizen? I think not.
Every Alabama taxpayer pays for the children who are born in Alabama to illegal immigrants. How much does it cost the Alabama educational system to teach these children, most of who come from households that do not speak English? Lower SAT numbers now plague schools that have a high concentration of illegals.
According to the Center for Immigration Studies, “1/3 of all prisoners in our justice system are illegal aliens. Illegal aliens collectively represent a group that is a significant menace to the public, 80% have committed serious crimes in addition to immigration violations, and 40% have violent crime histories.What is the cost to Alabamians who have been killed by illegals driving without a license and/or without insurance?
America is a nation of laws, and the Rule of Law says that “a person who unlawfully enters the United States, or overstays their visa is an illegal alien.” According to Federal law: It is unlawful to bring in or harbor illegal aliens. Fine: $3,000 for each alien. (Sec. 273. [8 U.S.C. 1323] ).“Any person who, during any 12-month period, knowingly hires for employment at least 10 individuals with actual knowledge that the individuals are aliens described in sub paragraph (B) shall be fined under title 18, United States Code, or imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or both. (Sec. 274A. [8 U.S.C. 1324a]).It is unlawful for any person or entity knowingly- to forge documents. Legal documents must be presented when entering the US.( Sec. 274C. [8 U.S.C. 1324c] )
Sound familiar? The Alabama law mirrors the Federal law. Enforcement of our laws is the only answer. Citizens of Alabama want immigrants to come here legally if they have something to contribute to this state and this country, not just for what you can acquire from us. These United States cannot afford to grant the rights of citizenship to every foreign citizen who wants to come here. Again, according to the Center for Immigration Studies, “amnesty for illegal immigrants will cause costs to increase significantly from $10.4 billion a year to $28.8 billion. This is because an amnesty program would transform an illegal immigrant to an “unskilled immigrant with legal status” who could access all the various government programs at an untenable cost. However, due to low income, these “unskilled immigrants with legal status would likely make very modest tax payments.”
A majority of the citizens of Alabama elected representatives to address the economic problems of illegal immigration here in the state, and they have done so. Marching in protest will not change the fact that millions of our citizens are out of work, while millions of foreign citizens who have taken those jobs are here illegally.In as much as I have sympathy for the plight of those children brought here by illegal immigrant parents, and born here to illegal immigrant parents, it is the parent who should bear the consequences of their actions when they entered our country illegally, not the taxpaying citizens of these United States, and more specifically Alabama.
Ann C. Eubank
