What would happen if illegal immigrants were to be given US citizenship?

With the protests of illegal immigrants in the US recently, I was wondering what you think would happen if the government backed down and gave them what they wanted... US citizenship?

In particular, jobs, economy, further protests, social backlash, etc.?

The majority will fall into the low income and poor in the country, they will then be entitle to keep having children and to have free social programs.

At the expenses of the hard working middle class.

No marge you are mistaken. I can't believe you would say that about people who are related to you in heritage.

These peole are good at managing their money, and the fact that they will now have a legitimate way of making more of it in a much larger field will help this nations economy even more. Manby people are happy doing just what they are doing. Many others will take avantage of social programs to help them get an education. We will have alot of foreign workers now become educated and professional inseatd of being labeled as "fruit pickers and farm workers".

I am not afraid of saying this, but I know illegal immigrants who are in fact in management positions at stores and restaraunts. They own homes (yes a house not an apartments) They pay their income taxes, they provide for their families and they work hard. They are living American, the only difference is they are better at hiding the fact they are illegal. Marge are you trying to tell me these people (and there are millions of them) will give up their homes and careers just to go live in some housing developments and abandon their future. I am sorry but I am going to call that an ignorant remark.

I believe the majority will do well for themselves, not slack off. Slacking off will put them in the same life they came here to avoid. Who really wants to live ina crime infested, drug infested, gang infested housing development? Because I will tell you from first hand experience that this is what is found running rampant in every housing projects in my city, and probably most (not all) in America. People do not liek to live like that except scum. There are those who may live there, but not like it. I am not calling them scum. I am calling the ones who enjoy living their scum.

Marg you practically saying the majority of these immigrants will be happy to go back to the neighborhoods they are trying to escape. I will not accept that.

IMO, what will happen is as soon as they get their citizenship they will demand much higher wages, just like Americans! So i hope the government here doesnt think the low wages are going to be good enough for them.

Which brings me to why dont they pay descent wages to begin with? Heck, i'd pick cotton for $15.00 an hour. Ill even get my own straw hat.

Originally posted by DYepes
No marge you are mistaken. I can't believe you would say that about people who are related to you in heritage.

I am from the Caribbean like Dg when we came to the US we were already citizens I was born American by mean of US territory.

I live in the south and have work with migrant workers through a lawyer in migrant law and through the county school system.

The migrant workers in the south at least in my neck of the wood resided in the areas that no longer relegated for the poor black, most of the residents of these areas are now in state fonded housing.

Illegal immigrants do not qualified for these type of housing.

Yes some has become business people because they came to the country with money to invest mostly in the restaurant business and have education.

But most of the poor areas now in the county have been taken over by the more disadvantage ones that have very limited schooling or not school at all.

In the nine years that I have been in the south I have seen and increase of this trend.

Sorry to sound so harsh but I am talking about the situation in my neck of the wood is more poor than successful, things are not as peacy with these people as many wants to believe.

One big thing is they would have to be given the federally mandated minimum wage. All of the sudden the jobs would dry up as the only reason they are employed now is because business' get them on the cheap.

Also I believe they would get social security benefits from an already soon to be bankrupt system.

Only solution.
1. Build a REAL border security perimeter.
2. Make HARSH penalties for any business found to have illegals working for it.
3. Deport all illegals found to the other side of the security perimeter.

Of course no politician has the backbone to do what needs to be done.


[edit on 1-5-2006 by Apoc]

[edit on 1-5-2006 by Apoc]

We were all poor as people when we came to this country.

Most of us have ancestors that were endentured, poor, of ethnic minority.

So, giving these people legal jobs, making them pay taxes and mostly importantly hope is bad?

I fail to see that.

So they go into the "low income" bracket and "have babies". Thats the sign of a biggot. Face it - thats what you are.

Last century, it was the slaves & segregation. This century, - it's illegal immigrants. Do you know what the two movements have in common? Rights.

The constitution states "All men" not "All Americans".

Either you wake up and support the movement, or accept the fact that if you lived 60 years ago, you may have prefered an all white (or black) school.

No more legal immigrants!

What would happen if illegal immigrants were to be given US citizenship?

They would become democrats and we'd kick shrubco all the way back to Texas, that's what would happen.

Question: Why didn't he have this little problem solved when he was gov there?

Answer: Because he didn't have a clue how to deal with the Mexicans living on the border (both sides), they have their own little mafia and he was probably in on the payola too. < my conjecture/end sarcasm.

I truly believe that giving amnesty is about as harmless as tooting in the wind and it's the right thing to do. But the republicans will fight (at least) 10 million new citizens every step of the way.

Beginning with exhorbanent fees and red tape to bamboozle the brightest of them. That process is already in place. Google 'immigration procedures' or visit www.ins.gov sometime (if you can get thru) and see if you can figure it out.

Alot of which is outsourced/contracted out too and the lawyers are chasing the ambulance too--the small business peeps that are supposed to be scarfing up on these opportunities. The "how to become a US citizen/we'll take your money" business crowd ala Carlyle Group as their business model.

This maybe simplistic, but I think people will continue to do the jobs they do, become even more productive and life will go on. Whichever way you make of it.

Originally posted by crisko
We were all poor as people when we came to this country.

Most of us have ancestors that were endentured, poor, of ethnic minority.

Yes you are right. . . but our nation was young and our government system was build to accommodate the growing migration.

So, giving these people legal jobs, making them pay taxes and mostly importantly hope is bad?

I fail to see that.

Not it would not be a bad thing. . . if the majority were people with higher education, but we all know that the reason they are taking advantage off is not only because the are Illegals but also because they are under educated.

Also the prof of the so called Babies or Anchor babies to have a tie to America is very truth California has been struggling with this problem of women crossing the border to have their children in America soil, 69 hospitals in souther California had endure closing because the amount of illegal women having babies, the tax payer had to pay for the care of these womens and their children.

So they go into the "low income" bracket and "have babies". Thats the sign of a biggot. Face it - thats what you are.

Deny ignorance that is a very miss informed guess.

Last century, it was the slaves & segregation. This century, - it's illegal immigrants. Do you know what the two movements have in common? Rights.

Yes they do it means talking advantage of human being in pursue of cheap labor now is corporate power behind the slave workers.

The constitution states "All men" not "All Americans".

Miss conception, it means that everybody has the right to be Free.

Either you wake up and support the movement, or accept the fact that if you lived 60 years ago, you may have prefered an all white (or black) school.

Funny but once these people get their amnesty, more than half will fall in the poor and disadvantage minority.

They will required, welfare support and social services because businesses will take their business over the border to keep paying wages under the American minimum, when the migrant become Legal and demand minimum wages it will be bye bye businesses and these people will join the unemployment lines

Wake up and smell what corporate American is doing.

Is all about cheap labor.

Ok you allow the illegal immigrants already in the US to become citizens automaticly. What happens five years down the road when you have another 11 million illegal immigrants in the US? All you would be doing is putting a patch on top of something that has been patched so many times that no one knows what was originally there. This is the danger of any issue where politics is involved. The trend in politics when there is an important issue to be resolved is to come up with a quick fix that placates as many people as possible. The logic is to leave the hard stuff for the people who come after you leave office. What is needed is to start going after the businesses who employ illegal immigrants. People think that everything is going to be resolved by granting citizenship, it isn't. Actually things may be made worse. Think about it. These people are working these jobs because they can't get anything better due to their immigration status. If they become citizens, one of two things will happen. One they will be able to leave these jobs for better ones because they will no longer be illegals. I don't really have a problem with that, but now that low paying job is open and who is going to fill it? Another illegal brought in over the border, that's who. Number two is the worst of the lot. What is to stop the employer from firing his now legal workers and getting more illegals to take their place?

Originally posted by JIMC5499
Another illegal brought in over the border, that's who. Number two is the worst of the lot. What is to stop the employer from firing his now legal workers and getting more illegals to take their place?

Exactly I agree with you, right now because the issue is so hot all central and south America have their eyes in the US and many are coming acrossright now in hordes to take advantage of what the congress may do.

Yesterday in the news it was shown the hundreds of illegals crossing at that moment life and it's not going to get any better.

You are also right, many migrants once they become legal or get amnesty may move to better jobs that is nice an dandy but also we have to see if our nation have the needed amount of jobs openings for them taking in consideration the unemployment in the US now and the need for jobs with college education I doubt that these migrant turn legals will be filling those out.

Then what its going to happen with the ones that can not get a better job due to lack of education?

If they lose their jobs because farmers can not afford minimum wages, somebody else will fill the void.

While the legal migrants will be joining the welfare and unemployment lines.

Sad but truth.

A very interesting point this thread has brought up, and one which I admit I had not considered, is what will happen when the illegal immigrants gain U.S. Citizenship and start demanding higher wages. A very likely scenario is those that they work for let them go and hire an illegal immigrant to replace them.

We could be facing a skyrocketing unemployment rate - and since they are now U.S. citizens, they would be entitled to unemployment benefits, which could strain the economy even further than it already is.

With the potential of hundreds of thousands of people looking for work, the job market could get very tight, causing people to seek unemployment benefits for longer periods of time.

I wonder why this issue has not been addressed by our government? Or perhaps it has and I just missed it?

Just another thing I need to evaluate as I work towards a decision regarding this issue.

These are the problems as I see them:
1. The illegal immigrants will have to get at least minimum wage. That's what make them so attractive to employers now; they get them for fractions of what legal citizens make.
2. Because of this, I have to believe employers would prefer educated, english speaking workers (sorry for generalizing).
3. This will push them into the unemployment lines becoming even more of a burden on the social security system that just can't handle much more.
4. To handle this added burden, taxes will need to be raised to accomodate them.
5. After becoming unemployed, they realize that it's much easier to sit home and collect unemployment (and probably more beneficial to their pocket books).
6. They call home and tell others how great it is to live in the land of the "free" - free money, free health care, free education....
7. More immigrants cross over illegally and we go through this process again and again.

Sorry, the only answer in my book is to send them home. They have disrespected our laws should NOT be rewarded for that. There is no good that can come to our society by giving them a free ride.

And before anyone tries to call me racist, etc. let me tell you I believe in immigration. It's what makes our country great but I believe only in LEGAL immigration!

[edit on 2-5-2006 by mecheng]

Hey, there's a reason they're called illegal immigrants, it's because they are breaking the law; read: illegal.

If we could support it, I'd be all for it, but to me it seems that it'll turn into a sinking ship with all the rats hopping into the last life raft: the raft looks like salvation, but as the situation gets more dire on the ship, more rats will hop on, eventually causing the raft to sink quickly following the ship, and then all the rats will suffer.

Originally posted by DCFusion
I wonder why this issue has not been addressed by our government? Or perhaps it has and I just missed it?

You didn't miss anything, they haven't addressed it. Here is the reason plain and simple. The majority of illegal immigrants are of Hispanic descent. The legal Hispanic population of the US is probably the most coheasive of any ethnic group. Many of these illegals have relatives who are legal US citizens. As a result of this there is almost what you would call an in place support structure for Hispanic illegals. In many areas Hispanics make up the majority of the population. The Politicians who represent these areas will do anything to keep in the good graces of the Hispanic population. These "vote whores" are the ones that keep anything meaningful from being done.

I am not against immigrants. The neighborhood that I live in has had several Hispanic families move into it in the last few years. I have gotten to know them and consider many of them as my friends. Rounding up all of the illegals and deporting them is not a viable option, neither is declaring amnesty and making all of them citizens. I do believe that the US borders should be secured. My idea would be sort of a comprimise. I'd give a one year grace period, during this time those who have family in the US could be granted green cards and begin the process of obtaining citizenship. Those without family, but could show that they were gainfully employed would be granted foreign worker status and would move to the top of the line for obtaining green cards. Anyone with a criminal record or who didn't meet the previous qualifications would be deported. Anyone caught crossing the border during this period would be deported. After the year is up, any business employing illegals would be siezed by the government (think drug forfieture program) and it's owners and management prosecuted.