Myths and lies of illegal immigration Articles By Kathy McKee; January 4, 2004; published in The Sonoran News Because the pro-illegal alien lobby has a bottomless pit of money and can hire PR people to spin (and fabricate) anything any way, there are an undue number of myths and lies that the public (and many politicians) has bought into. The FACTS are: 1. It is NOT racist to call these people "illegal aliens" In fact, "illegal aliens" is the only term used in federal laws and regulations to describe criminals (and they ARE criminals) who come into our country illegally. They are not illegal immigrants, not undocumented immigrants, not migrant workers, and not day laborers - they're ILLEGAL ALIENS. 2. Mexico is NOT a poor country. It has the fifth richest economy in the world, and by sending its teeming masses to our country, that status keeps on rising. Mexico has more resources per square mile than the U.S. and plenty of money to take care of its own people. Why should the taxpayers of this country subsidize Mexico's corruption? 3. Illegal aliens are NOT necessarily coming here to work. Lou Dobbs recently reported that 33 percent of our prison population is now comprised of non-citizens. Plus, 36 to 42 percent of illegal aliens are on welfare. So, for a good proportion of these people, the American dream is crime and welfare, not coming here to work. 4. Illegal aliens are NOT doing work Americans won't do. What jobs won't Americans do? In most states, Americans still clean their own houses, do their own landscaping, clean hotel rooms, work in restaurants and fast food places, paint houses, DO CONSTRUCTION WORK, work in airports, etc. - just like we have the past 200 years before "our" government allowed these people to invade our country. There are 18 million Americans who cannot find a job, so illegal aliens who are coming here to work do so at peril to American workers. 5. Illegal aliens absolutely do not contribute more than they cost. Certainly the millions in prison and on welfare aren't contributing a dime to our economy, and the ones who are working often are paid in cash with no deductions for taxes at all. The ones who use fraudulent social security numbers and qualify to pay taxes and social security have so many deductions for dependents that they pay little if any taxes. We have seen them pay less than $100 in taxes and get back $4,000 refunds (thanks to earned income tax credits and multiple dependents). The Center for Immigration Studies estimates that the average Mexican illegal alien costs U.S. taxpayers a whopping $55,000 each. Some bargain, eh? 6. The economy does NOT depend on illegal aliens. Sure, greedy CEOs (making $50 to $150 MILLION a year) and business owners depend on illegal aliens, but due to #3, #4 and #5 above, the only thing illegal aliens are contributing to is the collapse of our economy and making the rich richer. 7. Without illegal aliens, the price of agricultural products and other goods and services will NOT soar. The definitive study on this subject is the University of Iowa's "How Much Is That Tomato?" The study concludes that 'since labor is such a small component of the end-price of agricultural products (which includes price to the growers, transportation costs, processing /storage costs, grocers' profit, etc.), using minimum wage workers instead of illegal aliens would increase prices of agricultural products by approximately 3 percent in the summer and 4 percent in the winter ... hardly the making of $10 heads of lettuce, $25 hamburgers, $1,000 per night Days Inn hotel rooms like the pro-illegal alien lobby claims. 8. Consumers are NOT benefiting from lower labor costs. Again, it's CEOs and business owners who benefit from taxpayer subsidies for their illegal alien workers. The Big Three automakers say they moved so many jobs to Mexico because their labor costs are 80 percent less than in America. Anybody notice the price of new cars spiraling downward under NAFTA? So, before you believe the prevalent pack of lies perpetuated by the illegal alien lobby, which makes billions off this government-sanctioned criminal activity, ask yourself who's saying this garbage and look at what they have to gain. Citizens Against Illegal Immigration, just like Protect Arizona NOW, is an all-volunteer, totally grass-roots organization of citizens who are making nothing and have nothing personal to gain from their efforts to fight this corruption. Whose side are you on, and what are YOU doing to save your state and country from this evil? McKee is the state coordinator of Citizens Against Illegal Immigration, as well as director of Protect Arizona NOW. A former Quaker Sunday School teacher and Volunteer of the Year in a large metropolitan area, she has a 35-year record of charity work and philanthropy largely benefiting minorities.
yeah... only difference between Americans and Mexicans is... Mexicans' religion is work. Americans' religion is welfare. Oh, and as far as work goes, Mexicans show up. Americans call in sick and go on vacations. But, who knows if you could call those facts being "vital" or "essential." I know I wouldn't do what Mexicans do. And they couldn't do what I do. So, I guess it's all fair in love and war. x
This is the number one myth being touted. The simple fact is that the corp. world desires to do an end around around US labor laws, and have found willing accomplices in the illegals.
Theodore Roosevelt's ideas on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN in 1907. "In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people." Theodore Roosevelt 1907
Exactly! Exploitative US Corps (and probably corps in general) want free labor and to pay no benefits. Mexican employees supply the closest thing to that. x
I am vehemently against illegal immigration but just out of curiosity: If you conservative, republican/libertarian Ayn Rand loving free-traders believe that corporations have the right to freely cross the border in search of better/cheaper labor and just as freely bring back accross the border goods and services manufactured overseas without any obstacles, tariffs or limitations, if you believe in all that why do you not believe in the right of labor to freely cross borders in search of better opportunities and profitable employment? Why all of a sudden all those "Globalization" and "The world is flat" concepts you've been talking about for years go down the toilet the moment immigration and border issues are concerned. How is it consistent that businesses and goods can freely cross borders but individuals can't.
Not all conservatives are big on globalization. In fact I believe globalization goes against the very essence of being conservative. I agree with Vehn's post that immigrants need to adapt and love where they live and call themselves American. I'll go one step further. If you put down the American people or the American workers or the American products you ARE NOT American, you are a trader.
So are we to assume that immigration concerns only work? What about our culture? Agree with above post re: Roosevelt.
You draw a false comparison. Personally, I have always been a bit dubious about the supposed wonders of globalization. If running a huge trade deficit is such a good thing, why don't other countries try to do it? Are we the only ones clever enough to see what a neat trick it is? But there is a vast difference between bringing in goods and bringing in people. Goods are consumed. People stay, bring in their relatives, collect welfare, clog ER's, create crime and gangs and end up going to the streets in mobs flying mexican flags to try and intimidate our legislators and citizens. The economics columnists from the NY Times and Washington Post both wrote columns admitting that you do not create wealth in a country by importing poverty, which is exactly what our immigration "policy" does. It's very clear what's going on here and it is ugly. Democrats see a vast pool of poor, uneducated people who fit their party's voter profile. Republicans fear a backlash from the hispanic groups, and their corporate backers like the cheap labor. Voters on both sides are heavily against illegal immigration and amnesty schemes, but they are being ignored.
Oh I see, so it's fine to sacrifice free trade/market concepts for the sake of our culture but doing it for the sake of our middle class which is being destroyed by free trade and outsourcing or putting minor restrictions on WalMart's health insurance practices for the sake of the working poor is a real terrible idea, right? How fair, how consistent, how humane!!! BTW Arnie what culture are you concerned with, the culture of immigration prevalent in this country?