America has a thriving economy that attracts millions of illegal immigrants from different parts of the world. However, continued growth of the population of illegal immigrants has far-reaching ramifications on the U.S. economy. In fact, the need for illegal immigrants to access social services strains annual budgets at federal, state and local levels. Thus, it is appropriate to deny illegal immigrants access to social services because doing so protects the U.S. economy.
Firstly, “illegal immigrants fear detection” and are more likely to seek backstreet access to social services (Kullgren 1630). For instance, many illegal immigrants choose to seek treatment outside provisions of Medicare. Because illegal immigrants fear detection when pursuing or receiving Medicare, they mostly explore underground health care alternatives. As such, both states and the federal government may be wasting resources by setting up budgets and facilitating access to social services, which many illegal immigrants may not utilize.
Secondly, offering social services to illegal immigrants encourages illegal immigration. Interestingly, the population of illegal immigrants grew from 3.5 million in 1990 to about 11.9 million people in 20 years (Becerra et al. 112). The figures can go up very fast if authorities create comfortable living conditions for illegal immigrants. Obviously, offering social services to illegal immigrants sends the wrong message that the U.S. is ready to permit increased violation of its immigration laws. Thus, not offering social services to illegal immigrants sends a clear message to the rest of the world that the U.S. offers no free “greener pastures” to uninvited persons.
Thirdly, many illegal immigrants do not pay income taxes despite enjoying appreciably unrestricted access to many social services (Martin and Ruark 1). Worse still, the U.S. treasury pays a significant amount of tax credits as a result of claims that many illegal immigrants pursue. Thus, it makes little economic sense to spend on a segment of the population that does not pay back by means of income taxes.
Fourthly, the tax that authorities collect from illegal immigrants is very little compared with associated spending. As such, many states in the U.S. continue to grapple with huge budget deficits year after year. For instance, the state of California faced a budget deficit of $14.4 billion between 2010 and 2011 (Martin and Ruark 1). Conversely, the state had an estimated $ 21.8 billion annual allocation towards expenditure on illegal immigrants (Martin and Ruark 1). Other states, such as New York, experienced similar budgetary shortfalls. The states’ expenditure covered education for aliens’ children, welfare and medical expenses among others. Evidently, spending on illegal immigrants whose income taxes do not offset total costs of services provided significantly drains out both state and federal budgets.
Equally important, states incur extra costs by providing a comfortable living environment to illegal immigrants. If more people from different parts of the world are encouraged to live in the U.S. illegally, they will bring about increased costs of incarcerations, detention and border patrols. Quite clearly, many illegal immigrants are associated with a wide array of criminal activities such as, drug smuggling and human trafficking (Becerra et al. 113). Nevertheless, provision of Medicare, education and welfare to illegal immigrants does little to check criminal aspects of undocumented immigration.
Evidently, it makes perfect sense not to offer social services to illegal immigrants. Thus, U.S. authorities should not offer Medicare, welfare and other social services to illegal immigrants. In the end, the U.S economy will remain strong and free from unnecessary strain.
Works Cited
Becerra, David, David K. Androff, Cecilia Ayon and Jason T. Castillo. “Fear vs. Facts: Examining the Economic Impact of Undocumented Immigrants in the U.S.” Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare. 39.4. (2012): 111-135. Ebscohost. Web.
Kullgren, Jeffrey T. “Restrictions on Undocumented Immigrants’ Access to Health Services: The Public Health Implications of Welfare Reform.” The American Journal of Public Health. 93.10. (2003): 1630-1633. PMC. Web.
Martin, Jack and Eric A. Ruark 2010, The Fiscal Burden of Illegal Immigration on United States Taxpayers. Web.