Illegal Immigrant Problem

Immigration

Debate over immigration and immigration policy is not new to the nation's history. For a long time, Congress debated legislation to control the immigration problem. As immigration rises and hatred grows more laws will be carried out trying to release some of the pressure. Immigrants offer cheaper labor to businesses. Immigrants do not get minimum wage, but instead they get paid lower, this gives the business an edge over other competitors.

Agriculture industries employ more undocumented workers than any other industry in the country because it cost less. Half of California's 700,000 farm workers are estimated to be undocumented. Thirty years ago 50 percent of farm workers in California were immigrants, and now it's 92 percent.

Agriculture is not the only industry that has under paid immigrants. Published by the Chronicle, a list of businesses fined by the INS in San Francisco includes a car rental company, construction firms, restaurants, clubs, a trucker, a travel agency and even a Protestant church. Everywhere today, you see immigrant workers cleaning rooms in hotels, mowing lawns in the suburbs, pumping gas in service stations, doing all sorts of temporary jobs.

These business groups have a lot of interest in immigrants. The immigrant workers provide cheaper labor which cuts costs and get industries ahead in competition. Richard Rogers, district director of the INS in Los Angeles, was quoted as saying: "If we were to increase fines 75 to

80 percent, we would probably have a lot of people out of business."

The new immigration legislation nearly doubles the size of the Border Patrol. While the National Guard and active-duty armed forces personnel are used more and more along the border. Local police forces are also being authorized to enforce immigration laws.

Possible solutions to the problems are helping illegal immigrants get into the country faster such as NAFTA. Some people say to computerize the I.N.S., increase the number of boarder patrol agents, and build a wall around the U.S. from problem countries. We know most of these solutions will work, but it takes time to get things to get passed through

the country.

Illegal immigrants may not like my opinion. I believe that illegal immigrants should deal with their problems in their countries, instead of coming here and creating more problems. If their country has a poor economy, then they should fix it. In the long run it would be good for them and their country. The illegal aliens that are already here should be deported.