Illegal Immigration in California
 Due to the close proximity to Mexico,
California has become a popular
destination to cross the border. Increased number of border patrol agents and
new technology has made it more difficult to cross the border in
California. As
a result, more illegal immigrants have decided to take the riskier route through
Arizona’s deserts. However, the increased border security does not hamper the
hope of the illegal immigrants getting across the border. There are many illegal
immigrants who still opt to cross the border through California. Go down to
Tijuana, Mexico and neighboring Mexican cities and it is not difficult to find
groups of illegal immigrants around the border with few belongings if any. The
majority of the illegal immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border are from Mexico but
among them can be found Central Americans and other ethnicities. Regardless of
where the illegal immigrants come from, they all share the same dream which is
to reach the United States and improve their lives. They stand around the border
patiently waiting for the right opportunity to come along while closely keeping
a watch on the U.S. Border Patrol Agents and their movements. Chances are that
illegal immigrants will not be successful in their first attempt to cross the
border so it may take them various attempts. To increase their chances of
successfully crossing the border illegal immigrants may also use the services of
a “coyote” or human smuggler. The services of the human smuggler can run in the
thousands per illegal immigrant that they successfully aid in crossing the
U.S.-Mexico border.
It is estimated that there are currently about 12 million illegal immigrants in
the United States. In California alone there are said to be 3 million
illegal
immigrants. Those supporting illegal immigrants argue that the state of
California along with other states has benefited from the arrival of immigrants
due to the lower cost of labor and their contributions. The lower labor cost
allows businesses to more effectively compete with firms both at the domestic
and international level. Illegal immigrants tend to have a reputation for being
hard workers and will take on the jobs that Americans would normally not take
on. The purchases of illegal immigrants contribute to an additional number of
services needed which usually translates into the creation of new jobs. On the
other hand, anti-immigration groups claim that illegal immigrants take
jobs from
the American people. In addition, they claim that illegal immigrants have
lowered wages overall because they increase the labor supply for unskilled work
and are generally willing to take less for their labor. Critics of illegal
immigration bring up that many illegal immigrants do not pay taxes and are a
financial burden to the state of California. Counties as it is are already
struggling to provide services such as healthcare and education. They are on a
budget and find themselves having to provide services to illegal immigrants and
their families as well. Another argument is that the children of illegal
immigrants take up resources when it comes to education and make the education
system worse than what it already is. A study done by the Federation for
American Immigration Reform (FAIR) found the cost of
illegal immigrants in
California to amount to $10.5 billion annually. This figure includes the cost of
incarceration, health care and education of illegal immigrants.
As long as the economic and political situations do not improve in the home
countries of illegal immigrants, they will continue to
cross the U.S.-Mexico
border. Illegal immigrants will pay the thousands of dollars asked by coyotes or
human smugglers. They may even be able to pay off a corrupt U.S. Customs and
Border Protection officer so as to avoid having to cross the border with the
guidance of a coyote. Others will find different ways of crossing the border
such as sneaking into trucks or amongst cargo. Then there are those who will
enter the U.S. legally but intentionally overstay and violate the terms of their
visas. While a significant number of illegal immigrants in California are
Mexican, others include Central Americans, Asians and Europeans. The increased
immigration of foreigners has changed the demographics of the United States and
will continue to do so. While some argue that the answer to illegal immigration
is to deport all of them and improve the border security, the answer is not that
simple. Many illegal immigrants have made California and other states their
home. Some have even started their own families here and have assimilated well
into American culture. Part of the assimilation process has been to legalize
their status and learn the English language which leads to a greater number of
opportunities. For some of the illegal immigrants, the opportunities may be
limited but they are generally more than what would be available in their home
countries. For many of the illegal immigrants their ultimate goal is to become
U.S. residents and possibly citizens.
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