Illegal Immigration In The United States

Miguel Lopez
Professor Warren
English 101
05/10/2012
Illegal Immigrants in the United States Economy
During economic hard times immigrants are often blamed for taking jobs away from U.S.-born citizens. This recession is no different in that regard. One of the most contentious issues in the immigration debate is that a lot of people believe that illegal immigrants affect the U.S.economy; but in order to judge them we need to know how illegal immigrants contribute to American society.
With U.S. unemployment near 10 percent, many believe illegal immigrants are taking jobs from Americans. But when the United Farm Workers union launched a campaign offering to connect unemployed people to farm jobs, only three people accepted out of thousands of inquiries, farm employers saythey have come to rely on illegal immigrants to harvest the fresh fruits and vegetables on the nation's dinner tables. (Baragona)
Over the past several decades, the farming sector has grown increasingly dependent on a steady supply of workers who have entered the country illegally, these has created a situation where presently half of all crop farm workers are unauthorized and have annual incomesthat are $5,600 less than that of authorized workers working in the same sector. (Ruark)
Thee agribusiness sector has consistently opposed an immigration policy that would result in a legal workforce. Their position is that current hiring practices are crucial for the survival of the industry, as Americans are not willing to do agricultural work and increasing wages to attract native-born workerswould result in significantly higher food prices or a decline in American food production which will move the farming process to foreign countries.
The farm industry sector is highly labor-intensive and contains the highest concentration of illegal workers compared to other occupations in the United States. Hire U.S. citizens’ means that farmers have to increases wages which would push foodprices to unacceptably high levels. (Ruark)
About 20 percent of illegal immigrants work in construction, 17 percent in leisure, hospitality industries, 14 percent in manufacturing and 11 percent in wholesale and retail trade.
In addition, illegal immigrants represent a substantial share of overall employment in quite a few industries, some of which require extensive skills and training. Theymay make up at least 10 percent of the work force in construction, leisure and hospitality, and in agriculture and related industries, according to figures calculated by the Pew Hispanic Center. But in specific occupations like cooking, painting, washing cars, packaging by hand and installation of carpets and floors, they may make up 20 percent or more. (Altman)
Those industries badly needimmigrant labor, far in excess of government quotas for legal immigrants. “We need a million-plus workers added to our work force over the next five or six years, and that is associated with people leaving the work force and obviously the forecasted growth in construction,” said Wayne A. Crew, executive director of the Construction Industry. (Altman)

Many illegal workers risk their lives indifferent types of industries, accidents in these environments are very common and in their situation as illegals they do not have the right for social security. Through the years, the corporations, particularly the meatpacking industry, have used illegal workers and disposed of them as they want to because of the very high injury rates, the meat packing industry is the largest segment of the U.S.Agriculture industry producing close to 100 billion pounds of meat and poultry in 2004 with sales that exceeded 100 billion dollars. Naturalization Service estimates one quarter of the workers in Nebraska and Iowa are illegal immigrants. (Glover)
Today, the wages and benefits are really low and workers are mistreated, forced to work under the most hazardous and unsafe conditions in the nation. In...