What do illegal immigrants really cost america?

Question

This isn't my insinuation of being 'for' or 'against' but with alot of politicians promising to be harder on illegal immigration and such, and citizens protesting against it, I wondered what does their presence here actually cost us and does it really outweigh deportation. I imagine with no card and such you can't really take away too many jobs from anybody or take any college entrance spots. Even non-citizens with work or school visa's can't get loans and so forth under many circumstances so its impossible for an illegal one to get it. So what do you think we pay for? Im not really asking where you stand so much as the logistics of their impact on american society.

I figure their perceived toll on society must be very great if we are the same people who believe imposing democracy on the rest of the world is in their best interest, that we need to give more and develop poorer countries but we don't want to open our own home to help them out in the process. Is this hypocritical?

Answer 1

There's probably some debate about just how much illegal immigrants cost the U.S. government and taxpayers by extension. Consider this: who pays for law enforcement, free clinics and healthcare facilities, fire department personnel, teachers and schools, garbage pickup, blah blah blah...Taxpayers.

Illegal immigrants don't pay taxes. Can't be a taxpayer if you're illegal. So, if you call the cops, go to the free clinic, call the fire department or send your U.S. born kid to school, taxpayers pick up the tab but not the immigrants themselves.

True enough illegal immigrants tend to take the jobs that no one else really wants and for much lower wages. Good for them.

There are plenty of people in the United States and across the entire planet. You get in where you fit in. If they wind up curbing illegal immigration, documenting everyone who comes in looking for a new life, then at least we can place them in less heavily populated areas. Like Wyoming. Let them get their farm on or something.