What in your opinion is the root cause of illegal immigration?

Question

In my opinion it's trade agreements.for those who come from South of the border.For those who come on visa's and overstay I'm not too sure other than the fact we don't have a very good tracking system.The Northern border is just plain to easy to breech.So what is you opinion as to the ROOT cause?Of all Three I mentioned please.

BTW...If anyone receives a thumbs down it's not from me.I don't give thumbs down even if don't agree except on rude answers.Which so far I've had 23 nice answers which deserve thumbs up.So thank you for that.

25 out of 25 have answered with nicely put thoughts thank you again.

Answer 1

I agree with you.
But in my opinion, for the immigrants' home country, failed government, corruption, they failed their people, poverty, oppression, depression, starvation, there are more but most seem alike, and also the US, it has made it so they would want to come here. The US made itself attractable to these people around the world. That's life, nothing will ever be perfect. I think it's not fair that people are being bashed now (for immigrating) and people back then are weren't really seen as a "threat." People immigrating now are seen as something negative, when really, they aren't the ones to blame.

And the thing that annoys me is when people demand that they stay or go back and "FIX" their own country. They obviously don't understand what they are saying. It is not easy. those countries are not like America, where we can easily change our society to satisfy everyone/or most for that matter. America doesn't work or function like those other countries.

Answer 2

In the U.S., we put a high value on doing things according to the law. In Mexico (and several other countries south of us), the governments are so corrupt that trying to do things the "legal" way yields very poor results. Legally immigrating or even getting a work visa is much more difficult than even the high risk of illegal immigration. The opportunities to provide and prosper in their native countries are often so elusive as to be virtually impossible. I understand why they would want to come here. They often are treated better here as outcasts than as valid citizens of their own countries.

What is the solution???? Perhaps the US should start making major investments in the training and education of people who would lead the economy and shape policies in the coming generations. If Mexico could improve its economy and opportunities for its citizens to a degree that the need to search for those things here would not be the better choice, then the flow across the border would significantly diminish.

Pro's - Illegal immigration would likely slow, at least from Mexico. That would also likely make it a better place for illegals from further south to stop. If the flow were reduced, it would also be more likely that it could be managed. Currently, its like trying to stop the tide of the ocean. The economic pressure to immigrate is to great to manage.

Con's - The cost to the US. 1) Would it dramatically affect US businesses who would move their operations south to reduce costs? 2) This is a long term solution and the US culture often very short-sighted and want immediate results. This would be a long term program. 3) Messing with other countries economies and policies has not yielded consistently good results (i.e. Iraq, VietNam). This would be very tricky.

We have been looking at addressing the symptoms of this problem for too long. Its time to address the root causes.

Answer 3

There are a lot of people who are for or against illegal aliens without knowing the facts or being affected by it to their knowledge. I live in the San Fernando Valley of Southern California and have to deal with this and am affected by illegal aliens practically on a daily basis.... therefore, I do have a right to say what I think regarding this situation. It is a fact that I have a $1,100 /mo rent for a small 2 bdrm in an almost crappy area of the valley because of overcrowding, which they contribute to... It is a fact that I have to pay about $600 a month for my son to go to a private school because of the crappy overcrowded schools that don't even have English speaking kids, therefore slow down education to accommodate to them. It is a fact that the freeway and streets are overcrowded because of all of the "people" here. It is a fact that when I take myself or my child to the doctor's office, I can't even get somebody who speaks decent English and the wait time is sometimes over an hour and a half. I have more than enough "personal" experience with this to form an opinion. NAFTA isn't the only deciding factor regarding illegal aliens.

Answer 4

Immigration like it was in the past when European immigrants came over or when the African American's were let out of slavery was always about people worrying about losing their jobs which translates to money. Its the same problem now, but under a lot of guises because people like to find different excuses why immigration especially illegal immigration is a bad thing. Most people who can actually be reasonable and rationalize without any bias will come to the same conclusion. But this is really hard to do in todays world because how do you know what do believe or not?

Answer 5

SPP Summit Opposing NAU

This may explain why President Bush is pushing the amnesty agenda. -- Steve

If you have been scratching your head trying to figure out
why President Bush has pushed so hard for amnesty,
here's your "smoking gun."

An effort is underway to create a North American
"framework" that will all but eliminate hard borders between Mexico, the U.S. and Canada. This "framework" includes a "trusted travelers" program that allows "citizens of North America" to move freely within the three countries.

No wonder the President is pushing amnesty!

On August 20-21, President Bush will join Mexican
President Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Harper for the second Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) summit.

The SPP is what many believe to be the beginnings of the
infrastructure for the North American Union. The SPP's
stated goal is to:

"...Consolidate our action into a North American
framework to confront security and economic challenges,
and promote the full potential of our people, addressing
disparities and increasing opportunities for all."

This tri-lateral agreement already has resulted in regulatory
changes and open borders initiatives that
clearly undermine our sovereignty. The SPP is the one touting the "trusted travelers" program to encourage migration of "citizens of North America."

+ + Petition opposing a North American Union

Today, Grassfire is launching a national petition formally
opposing these and other efforts to create a North American
"framework" and undermine our nation's sovereignty.

I want to rally 100,000 signers before the SPP meetings this
month and have them on hand in Canada as part of a building citizen protest against such efforts.

Please go here for more information and to sign:

http://www.grassfire.org/89/petition.asp?RID=12908401

+ + Exclusive interview with author Jerome Corsi

New York Times bestselling author Jerome Corsi just completed a new book detailing our government's rapid move toward a North American "union." It's called "The Late Great USA."

Corsi agreed to record a special interview "briefing" on the
NAU for our Grassfire team members. Go here to listen to
that interview and to access Grassfire’s detailed backgrounder on the NAU and the NAFTA superhighway:

http://www.grassfire.org/89/petition.asp?RID=12908401

Of course the President denies that the SPP is a precursor to a North American "Union." But there is mounting evidence that the SPP is creating precisely that structure -- all without any congressional oversight!

Will you help me rally 100,000 citizens before this latest
SPP meeting convenes -- in less than two weeks?

Please sign and then forward this message to your entire email network.

Thanks in advance,

Steve Elliott, President
Grassfire.org


edited: On another note... Will you marry me?!! Hubba, hubba.

Answer 6

The main root cause is our minimum wage law. Secondary cause is the taxes on employers.

We have an artificially high minimum wage.... that is FAR higher than what they can make in their own countries.

Employers of illegal immigrants usually don't pay the minimum wage... because the illegals can't complain about not getting paid "enough" (and they are usually really happy to get $5 an hr)

Also.. the employers of illegals avoid having to pay workman's comp and state unemployment taxes.. Thus saving almost 1/3 of the cost of paying a legal worker ... and then there's the employer's "contribution" to Social Security... (almost equal to the FICA withholding for EACH employee!)

Overall.. an employer of illegal immigrant workers can save over 70% of the cost of paying a legal worker.

Crack down on the employers of illegals... and when there's no jobs for illegals.. MOST of them will go "home".

Answer 7

Whether its overstaying or crossing the border, you will never be able to completely control illegal immigration, unless you track every single man, woman and child in America and erect an impenetrable fence around the entire continent (god help Alaska though).
Trade agreements is definitely on the right track, I have heard that there are moves underway to establish a North American Free Trade Association that will include Mexico. With Mexico able to export into the US on an even footing with domestic US producers, you will see the Mexican economy reach a point where it can satisfactorily sustain its domestic population.
When the Mexican people can live at an acceptable standard in Mexico, the motivation to immigrate to the US will be removed.

Answer 8

A wussified immigration system, rendered ineffective by the cries of the farmers who want to exploit the immigrants for 2-3 dollars an hour.

Hell, who WOULDN'T come through the borders if they essentially don't exist at all?

Answer 9

There is no reason for someone not to try to come here illegally. We cater to illegals. We translate ballots into other languages. We allow illegals to send their children to our public schools at taxpayer expense. Our hospitals treat illegals and receive no payment. When someone speaks out against "illegal immigration" they are called "anti-immigrant" and "racist." The US has not learned to defend it's borders. We do not take border security seriously and illegals know this. In conclusion I think the root cause of illegal immigration is that we do not defend our borders and inadvertenlty give illegals lots of incentives to come here.

Answer 10

world globilization
people want more for their money. So corporation move to cheaper labor source like China. When Companies move they also lower people's pay. To keep people satisfied with their lower pay they had to lower the cost of goods. More stuff got outsourced, but the problem was with services that can't be outsources. Illegal immigrants came in and start fulfilling these services.