Is illegal immigration a victimless crime?

Question

And why would amnesty be a good or bad alternative?

I personally think that anyone who says it is, is steryotyping that their are no legal American citizens who are blue collar workers. I personally think that legal blue collar workers won't see a pay raise for years because of all these new illegal immigrants offering to work for half the price. Anyone who knows something about economy can tell you that when theirs a surplus in anything the price goes down. As for a solution to this problem I believe that nothing will happen for a very long time because the owners of the factories that employ illegal workers will just keep on lobying goverment offcials so that nothing will be done so they can keep their cheap source of labor. What's your opinion?

To summarize my opinion I believe that it isn't a victimless crime either. It's A felony!!!!

Answer 1

Hmm...you decide.

http://www.immigrationshumancost.org/text/crimevictims.html
http://www.city-journal.org/html/14_1_the_illegal_alien.html
http://www.usillegalaliens.com/impacts_of_illegal_immigration_crime.html
http://www.usillegalaliens.com/impacts_of_illegal_immigration_sex_crimes.html
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=50441
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A33783-2004Aug25.html
http://usconservatives.about.com/od/theeconomy/a/illegalaliens.htm

http://www.11alive.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=80692
http://www.immigrationshumancost.org/

Answer 2

No, it is not a victimless crime...but people don't seem to get who the real criminals are! The real criminals are the corporations that invite the illegals here, and in some cases smuggle them here just so they can exploit the cheap labor! The real criminals are also the government officials who allow this to continue, and even reward the corporations for exploiting this source of cheap labor, when the government should instead be penalizing them for it, and rewarding them for doing what is right. The real criminals are also the government of Mexico, for allowing conditions to be so poor, that the people feel that they need to take such drastic measures for the promise (often false) of a decent way of life! The whole system is corrupt, but the illegals themselves are just as much victims as the working class people here are! Let us focus the blame where it really belongs, and work from that direction to solve this problem. *sm*

Answer 3

OK, I don't consider illegal immigrants to be criminals in any moral sense. They are not attempting to steal something belonging to another (well, a few do, but that's another matter!). They are attempting to have a fair chance to work for a better life. If we happened to have been born in their circumstances, without possibility of legal migration, we would do the same if we were brave enough.

I don't deny that immigration can challenge the position of natives in parts of the job market - but this is the same with any kind of competition; however, economic theory holds that competition is ultimately beneficial across the board.

In this case, immigration increases the size of the economy, creating more jobs at levels above those open to immigrants, and provides incentives for both individuals and the state to invest in education for a more highly skilled and better paid work force.

Also, the availability of cheaper labour blunts the competetive advantage of imports from lower-wage countries.

Beyond this, I would support the rights of poor people to improve their lives even if I thought it would hurt rich countries. As we are speaking of victimless crimes, what do we have to say about the injustice of global poverty, and the history of empire and colonialism? Criminal and certainly not victimless.

Answer 4

No. There are victims. In most cases the illegals themselves are the victims. They get victimized by the people who smuggle them in for exorbitant fees, who often leave them to die locked up in abandoned trailers. They get victimized by the companies who knowingly hire them to exploit them as cheap labor. And that's just the Mexicans. Most of the Asian and Eastern European women who enter the country illegally come in as slave prostitutes.

And you're right, the people who make money off of illegal aliens will continue to lobby to keep them illegal, while frustrating every move to discourage or deport them.

Amnesty would be a good thing because it would enable those who receive it to report illegal wages or conditions without fear of being deported. And, if those companies no longer have anything to hold over immigrant workers, they'll be less eager to hire them.

I'm seeing a lot of people saying that the problem is the crimes that illegals commit when they get here. That being the case, why not deport 40 million African Americans, who commit 90% of all crimes. Of course, they are also 90% of the victims, but that costs the taxpayers too.

Answer 5

I am a Chief Immigration Officer in the UK. I work in Enforcement. When in the duty office we take scores of calls from the police re this illegal and that offender - some of whom are up to the most terrible of crimes and all of whom commit harm and cost to society. Be in no doubt, illegal immigration is not a victimless crime.
Put it another way. If there was no illegal immigration then my colleagues and I would be out of a job. You, the taxpayers, would save MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS of pounds. Thus you are all victims to some extent.

Thanks for the cash!!! ;-)

Answer 6

Not by a long shot. The first victims are those who have gone through the legal process and waited years to immigrate. Americans become victims of it through higher taxes to pay for schooling and health care for the children of the fence crashers. Also, we become victims of the traffic congestion, the pollution, the extra crime and so forth.
And all amnesty does is to send two messages. The 1st message it sends is that any1 who obeys the law is an idiot. The 2nd message is that all an invader has to do is lay low and wait it out for the next amnesty.

Answer 7

Victimless? Are the up to 50% of illegals that make up the California prison system all in there because they were charged with victimless crimes? What about the medical people who are out of work because of the illegals not paying for hospital services and they are now out of work. How about all the American Children that are not getting a good education becasue they are slowing everything down because the illegal students can't speak english. What about the $80 Billion in tax money we US Citizens shell out to support these illegals. Not even close to a victimless crime. Deport them all now. That is the only alternative I will support.

Answer 8

Illegal immigration is not a victimless crime. Think of all the people who've had their ID destroyed, the crimes they commit, the over crowding of schools and closing hospitals. Have you seen the devastation in our desert land? Not one American is not being hurt by the lawlessness of the illegals.

Answer 9

what pisses me off is that these illegals have the gall to come to our country grab all the welfare and food stamps that they can under 50 different names and drive bmw's, hummer's and the whole nine look at us citizens like they are better than us and our stupid government has the nerve to allow our son's. daughter's, and family go and fight and lose their lives for these pesants and they sit back and laugh at how stupid the government is, look at the scenario all the pilots from 9/11 went to school here, how dumb is that. hell no they should send every single one back that they can find because sooner or later with the way they are taking our resources legally they are going to take over this country just wait if we keep the same dummy's that we have now.

Answer 10

It is only victimless in that there is not necessarily a specific victim of their crime.

There are American citizens who are not able to find gainful employment, partially because of some 5-7 million illegals who currently fill the positions. They are victims.

Statistics show that illegal immigrants are more likely to commit violent crimes than legal immigrants. The people who face pain and death at the hands of illegal immigrants who proceed to other crimes are victims.

There are illegal immigrants who are taking advantage of social security without paying the taxes that fund it. That is social security fraud, and makes those of us who contribute victims.

So, no, it is not a victimless crime.

Answer 11

Definitely not. There are many, many victims. The first victims are the people who are legally trying to fulfill ouw immigration laws. The second set of victims are the Amnerican taxpayers who are footing the bill for healthcare, education, criminal activity, and attempts at border control. That is you and I.