Illegal Aliens Essay, Research Paper

Illegal Aliens

There are an estimated 5 million illegal aliens living in the United States. 300,000 are added to this number every year. It is also estimated that over one million transient illegal aliens are in the United States at any time. These estimations would be much higher if nearly three million illegal aliens were not given amnesty in 1986, allowing them to become legal members of our society. There is a list of 3.6 million eligible people waiting to be admitted as legal immigrants into our country; some of them have been on the list for eighteen years or more. Illegal aliens make a mockery of those who respect our laws and our country’s sovereignty by waiting for a chance to immigrate. About half of all illegal aliens enter legally and then remain in the country illegally.

Illegal aliens displace an estimated 659,000 American workers every year, at a cost of $3.5 billion a year. Moreover, the cheap labor that illegal immigration provides depresses the wages and working conditions of the working poor.

Under legal maneuvering invented by the courts, many illegal aliens are allowed to receive welfare without fear of deportation. Other illegal aliens get welfare the same way they get jobs: document fraud. In many cities, false documents can be bought on the street for as little as $40. With false documents, an illegal alien’s “right” to work or receive welfare goes unquestioned.

When you include the cost for displacing American workers, the cost of giving welfare to needy illegal aliens, and the cost of providing them general services, it s estimated that the annual cost of illegal aliens is $19 billion, even after giving credit for their tax contributions.

The PRUCOL Loophole

Some think that illegal aliens cannot receive welfare benefits, but they can, as a result of a provision known as PRUCOL (Permanently Residing Under the Color of Law). PRUCOL means a status that has the appearance of, but not the substance of, a legal right. This is not a status created by legislation, but one created by the courts. When an alien is designated as PRUCOL, it means that he/she technically has no right to be here, but is allowed to stay anyway. And, since the illegal alien is allowed to stay, he/she gets the same rights as if he/she were here legally. The exception is that a PRUCOL alien is not a legal permanent resident and may not apply for U.S. citizenship. This means that the PRUCOL alien may not sponsor the immigration of family members.

Illegal aliens are legible for four federal programs; Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC); Supplemental Security Income (SSI); Medicaid, and Unemployment Insurance benefits.

Each program determines for itself, which aliens it, considers meeting the PRUCOL criteria. In this way, the federal government uses taxpayers’ money to subsidize illegal immigration. Many state governments follow the federal government’s lead, and give benefits to PRUCOL aliens.

Examples of illegal aliens who might qualify as PRUCOL include:

- aliens who have been here for more than twenty years

- aliens who have been granted stays of deportation by the courts

- aliens who are not being deported because of U.S. citizen children

- aliens whom, for political reasons, the government is not deporting.

Illegal aliens and our allowing them welfare and other benefits of an American citizen is a major problem in society today. Not only are they affecting our economy in a negative way, but they are taking away job opportunities and health benefits that Americans are guaranteed because of our taxes. I believe that we have an obligation to help those in need, but I do not feel that illegal aliens should have the same rights that I do, if roles were reversed and I was illegal to Mexico, I would probably be thrown in prison.