Confronting Illegal Immigration: Understanding Who Illegal Immigrants Really Are

We previously published a brief history about U.S. immigration ("Our Never Ending War on Illegal Immigration: A Brief History"). As noted, every president since Ronald Reagan in the 1980’s has promised the American People that they would do whatever was necessary to end the onslaught coming primarily from across our southern border. And yet, virtually every one of those presidents lied.

Not only did they not take steps to halt illegal immigrations, most took steps to open the border even further. They’ve cut budgets, restricted enforcement, changed laws to allow for easier immigration, and permitted cities to openly defy federal immigration law.

President Obama even sued the State of Arizona to prevent them from enforcing immigration laws (and in a legal first, allowed a foreign power---Mexico---to join the lawsuit). The end result is that there are now some 11 million illegal residents now living in the United States.

According to a December 4, 2024 study by the Department of Government Efficiency, the U.S. is spending 2% of its budget on illegal immigration. How much is that to American taxpayers? Roughly $150.7 billion dollars.  While President Trump is doing what few before him has done---keep his word on illegal immigration---the question which arises is whether he can reverse decades of subversion to our national sovereignty?

With 11 million individuals illegally living in the U.S. (which, no doubt, has to include terrorist’s cells from the Middle East), just who are these people who knowingly broke our laws to be here? Why did they come? What are their long-term intentions? Are they hoping for amnesty and eventual citizenship or is this just about employment? In this issue, we’re going to take a look at who these people are.

When most of us think of illegal immigrants, a certain stereotype comes to mind. We tend to think of them as Hispanic, mainly Mexican, illiterate, minimally skilled, and so forth, but what’s the truth?

As of 2022, illegal immigrants represented 3.3% of the U.S. population and 23% of the foreign born population. Naturalized citizens make up roughly 23.4 million of the foreign born population or about 49%. Legal permanent residents number approximately 11.5 million people, which is 24% of the foreign born population living the U.S.  Temporary lawful residents (comprising 2 million people) are just 4% of the population. So, where do these individuals come from?

Mexico is the home of some 4 million illegally. Immigrants. Although Mexicans were historically has represented the largest segment, since 2022, that number has declined. Today, it’s just around 37% of “undocumented” immigrants. The majority of those here illegally come to fill temporary agricultural jobs (many return to Mexico after the harvesting season has ended), while some end up employed in domestic and service positions.  

The largest increase in the illegal population has come primarily from the Caribbean (mainly Haiti, Trinidad and Jamacia), Europe (especially southeastern Europe), Asia, and believe it or not, Canada (many of these are of Asian descent).  Central America has contributed a large percentage of illegal immigrants as well, especially the area known as the “Northern Triangle”.

 The “Northern Triangle” is comprised of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.  As of 2022, these three countries represented 1.9 million of the illegal population living in the U.S.(El Salvador 750,000, Guatemala 675,000, and Honduras 525,000).  India, which is typically considered a part of Asia, is responsible for approximately 725,000 illegal residents now in the U.S.

Other countries with large “undocumented” populations in the U.S. include Venezuela (which has jumped from approximately 55,000 in 2007 to  270,000 in 2022), Brazil, Columbia, Dominican Republic,  as well as the Philippines, China, and the former USSR.  

Where do the majority of these people tend to settle? California tops the list with about 1.8 million illegal residents. Following California is Texas (1.6 million), Florida (1.2 million), New York (650,000), New Jersey (475,000), and Illinois (400,000).

In addition, there are several other states with large populations of illegal immigrants, including Washington State, Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, and Massachusetts. The states with the fastest growing populations of “undocumented” residents are Florida, Texas, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Maryland. It’s not surprising that the majority of these states also provided so-called “sanctuary cities”.

Illegal residents, as of 2022, made up 4.8% of the total U.S. workforce (down from 5.4% in 2007). That’s roughly 8.3 million workers. The majority of these individuals tend to occupy the lower rungs of the labor market. Many of the women find jobs working in the hospitality industry in housekeeping, as domestic workers, cooks, or working in factories.

Men tend to be employed in construction related jobs, agriculture and farms (including racetracks), handymen, and odd jobs. Given that they make up 3.3% of the population and comprise 4.8% of the workforce, many obviously work multiple jobs.

Nevada has the largest percentage of illegal migrants in their workforce with 9%. Texas and Florida each have 8% while illegal workers make up 7% of the workforce for California, Maryland, and New Jersey each.

According to a November 24, 2024 Pew Poll, 64% of Americans believe that illegal residents should be offered a pathway to remain in the U.S. The largest majorities favoring a legal pathway for the “undocumented”  are naturalized or native born Hispanics, Asians, and Black Americans.

White Americans are nearly evenly divided, with a slight majority favoring some sort of legal pathway. It bears mentioning that 88% of Trump supporters favor immediate deportation of all illegal immigrants.

Younger Americans (mostly Gen Z and some Millennials) are mostly likely to support a means for illegals residents to remain while older adults (especially Boomers and Gen X) believe that illegals need to be deported and should follow the law if they want to come to America.   

Nevertheless, 96% agreed that breaking the law (in this case, immigration law) should not be rewarded or encouraged. 94%  also thought that allowing illegal immigrates to remain was unfair to those trying to the right thing and follow the law. Lastly, 83% said that illegal immigrants took resources aways from U.S. citizens.

When asked what a possible “pathway to legal residency” might look like, 79% said that a background check was mandatory. 52% said they must be employed. 25% believe that illegal residents must pay a fine or penalty if they want to remain. Not qualifying or solely qualifying for residency is having a “anchor baby” (a child born in the U.S. by a mother here illegally) by a margin of 84%.

Owning a resident should not qualify as the primary reason to be allowed to remain according to 88% of those polled. (half of those said it should be considered at all). 89% said owning a business in itself shouldn’t be the only reason to qualify for residency.  

Finally, why did some 11 million individuals leave their homes to come to America illegally? There’s little doubt they knew that doing so was an intentional violation of U.S. immigration law, if for no other reason, that their home country has similar, and more often, stricter immigration laws.

The majority of individuals come to America strictly for economic reasons. They’re looking for a job. Even low paying jobs here are viewed as far better than what’s available at home. Often, they leave poor countries with third world economies. There are few jobs for most workers, especially those without a good education or connections. It’s not uncommon for them to send money back home to support their families. There are some communities which depend on this money to survive.

Their home countries often lack an adequate social safety net. To make matters worse, their governments tend to be run by incompetent or corrupt leaders and bureaucracies, making actual reform unlikely. Often they can't even turn to the judicial system or churches (which has historically sided with the wealthy). As a result, many head to the U.S., bypassing other nations  even though some of them have a stronger economy, but due to stricter immigration laws, they are unable to remain.

Studies have shown that few of those who come to America illegally are actually interested in citizenship per se, and they have no interest in becoming part of the great “mixing pot”, often refusing to learn or use the English, adopt to the traditions, values, or laws (which is not unusual even among legal immigrants, depending on others to accommodate them instead).

Increasingly, many of these immigrants come here claiming “amnesty”. However, according to international law, someone seeking amnesty must be fleeing their home country due to persecution for religious, racial, ethnic, or similar reasons.  Unfortunately, economic reasons don’t count. Secondly, they must seek sanctuary in the next closest (and safest) country. That means they don’t get to randomly choose what country they go to.

However, some do come here with the intent of staying permanently.  Pregnant women often use the 14^th Amendment as a means to obtain residency (infamously known as “anchor babies”). While intended for the newly emancipated slaves, the laws states that any child born in the U.S. is automatically a U.S. citizen.  Of course, you can’t deny a child their mother…or father…or siblings…or grandparents, etc. It’s easy to see how it can spiral out of control, especially when dealing with individuals who come from strong extended family cultures.

Others simply try to blend in. Some even try to register to vote, thinking that might be a means to establish residency (and some states now allow illegal residents to vote in local elections). You also have various groups (mostly religious oriented) who aid newly arrived immigrants by providing them with “sanctuary” in a church. They assist them to find housing, employment, and even manipulate the system to get healthcare and other taxpayer benefits, and, of course, in evading immigration officials. They will even help to get their children into public schools complete with a translator at the taxpayer’s expense!

So, there you have it. A factual picture of those individuals who, for whatever reason, have decided to bypass the law and come to the United States illegally. The majority are here strictly for economic purposes, although some do come for legitimate reasons. Determining the difference is difficult, time consuming, and expensive.  Many of their home countries were happy to see them go regardless. They couldn’t afford to provide for them anyway.

Deportation, while providing an immediate solution, is also a temporary one. It doesn’t address the "why" these people are fleeing or prevent them from returning (which is likely) and thus perpetuating the cycle. What are some of the long term solutions? Certainly, addressing our foreign policy is one answer. We can’t be destabilizing countries solely because we disagree with their political or economic philosophy. Promoting increased trade and greater self-sufficiency at home through the development of natural resources as well as greater investment in R&D, especially in emerging technologies, is another.

 However, stricter immigration requirements (such as enforcing laws on employers on employers of illegal workers,  revoking tax exemption status on religious groups adding illegal immigrants and mandatory jail time and/or fines, making more green cards or visas available with improved tracking, requiring a minimum level proficiency in English, and tighter border security are just as important.  

 Thank you for reading "Another Opinion", the Op/Ed blog page for the "militant middle".  Here at "A/O" we truly value our readers. At A/O we seek the facts as they exist, not partisan talking points.  We hope you find our articles informative and engaging. Comments are welcome, provided they are not vulgar, insulting or demeaning.  Another Opinion is offered without charge and is directed toward all independent and free-thinking individuals. We ask, however, that you "like" us on whatever platform you found us on in order to keep our articles available for free to others. Lastly, in order to keep costs down, we depend on passive marketing, and therefore, depend on our readers to please forward our posts along. Below you will find links to the sources we used in writing this article. Thank you. 

 

Illegal Immigration Cost U.S. Taxpayers $150.7b: DOGE

What we know about unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S.

Most Americans say undocumented immigrants should be able tostay legally under certain conditions

Demographic Divides Immigration and Diversity 

Our Never Ending War on Illegal Immigration: A Brief History

Immigration has been an important issue in the United States since at least the middle 19^th century when the U.S. began considering the creation of immigration laws. During the post-Civil War period, the United States experienced an economic boom, and we were expanding westward at breakneck speed. We needed people able and willing to meet this boom head on. Men and women were needed to fill the ranks in factories, lay railroad tracks, bend rivers to our will, level mountains, build cities, work farms, raise cattle and sheep, and provide back breaking labor. The war had laid bare our "Manifest Destiny".

Starting in 1917, President Woodrow Wilson signed the first immigration law. The law included a literacy test, established a tax to be paid by new immigrants, and allowed officials a wide berth in deciding who could be admitted or excluded. The law also contained a “Asiatic Barred Zone”, which was a quota system to limit individuals from certain country entrance into the U.S.

Nevertheless, it paved the way for the Immigration Act of 1924. Originally, the laws were created with the purpose of keeping track of and limiting who was entering the country, their skill level or occupation, level of education, did they have the means provide for themselves until they got established, and country of origin. Eventually other statistics came along and asked questions about age, religion, overall health, or ethnic group to gain a more complete picture of our changing national demographics. America was, after all, a melting pot.

Today, we continue to regulate and monitor who comes and goes from our country, as does every other nation on the planet. Governments worldwide have a duty to secure their borders and an obligation to protect their citizens. It’s the central component to the legal concept of national sovereignty. Without a defined and secure border, it's not truly a nation. It's merely a territory.

America is facing a national crisis. Some even refer to it as a non-violent “invasion" similar to what Europe is currently experiencing (although that situation has become more violent due to an increase in physical assaults, murders, robberies, and rape gangs). While illegal entry into this nation (mainly along our southern border) has been going on in drips and drabs for decades, it’s been since the late 1970’s and early 1980’s that it has evolved into the serious problem is it is now. 

The primary reason for the influx of immigrants, legal and illegal, at least initially, was the social and economic upheavals happening in Latin America (some at our instigation), such as militarily in places like El Salvador, Panama and Nicaragua, or were due to violent hurricanes and tropical storms  hitting nations like Haiti and the Dominican Republic. President Ronald Reagan was the first post-Watergate president to address the issue of illegal immigration.

In 1986, Reagan signed into law the Immigration Reform and Control Act (aka "IRCA"). The law set new minimum guidelines for arriving immigrants and streamlined immigration policy.  It promised tighter border security and established strict penalties for employers who knowingly hired someone here illegally. In addition, Reagan granted amnesty to some 3 million, mostly Hispanic, individuals illegally residing in the U.S. 

In signing the bill, President Reagan made it clear that this was “one and done” and that the U.S. would crackdown hard on illegal immigrants and there would be no further amnesties offered or given. However, what would-be migrants apparently heard was that if they could illegally enter the U.S. and evade authorities long enough, they’d eventually be granted amnesty too. As a result, the flow of migrants crossing the border illegally increased over previous years.

During George H. W. Bush's administration in 1990, Congress modified and expanded the Immigration Act of 1965, which increased immigration levels by 40% and included a provision for allowing family members to join those already here. It also doubled the number of work-related visas and increased the number of applications available to “underrepresented” nations.

 In 1994, under Bill Clinton’s presidency, Congress also pardoned roughly 548,000 illegal immigrates living the U.S. while fining them $1000 (which was waived). This amnesty was renewed in 1997 and again in 2000. Also in 1997, Congress passed the Nicaraguan Adjustment Central American Relief Act (“NACARA”) which give legal status to over one million illegal residents (most form Latin America) who had lived here since 1995. Facing claims of discrimination, NACARA was amended in 1998 to include an undisclosed number of Haitians illegally living here since 1995.

However, President Clinton signed the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (“IIRAIRA”). Critics thought the bill went too far.  Under the bill, immigrants, regardless of the legal status, could be deported if they were convicted of having committed a felony. The new law would also remove anyone who overstayed their vistas, by so much as a day, could be deported and would automatically be ineligible to apply for a new non-immigrant visa. From 1996 through early 2000, deportations went from 50,000 to more than 200,000.

In 2000, the Legal Immigration Family Equity Act (“LIFE”) was passed, giving amnesty to illegal immigrants attempting to obtain permits (aka “green cards”) to work here legally and had married legal or natural citizens. This allowed them to jump to the head of line, thus bypassing millions of other would-be immigrants waiting to gain legal entry into the United States. And who says crime doesn’t pay?

Despite promises to crack down on illegal immigration while running for office, President Barack Obama signed an executive order called the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (“DACA”). This allowed some allowed some 700,000 individuals who had come here illegally while under the age of 18, de facto U.S. citizenship in the form of renewable grants.

In 2013 and 2014 two efforts were made to allow illegal immigrants a path to remain in the U.S. The first was the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013. The bill would also dramatically increase the number of work visa programs from 65,000 to 180,000. In 2014, President Obama attempted to get Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (“DARPA”) into law but failed. This was another efforts to provide a pathway for approximately 3.6 million illegal immigrants to become citizens.

During this same period, dozens of American communities opted to ignore federal immigration laws by declaring “sanctuary” status. What this meant was that they would not cooperate with federal immigration officials is identifying, apprehending, or detaining any non-resident, illegal or otherwise. Not unexpectedly, there were massive increases in illegal migrants which brought huge jumps in demand for government services.

As a result, local taxes were dramatically increased along with demands for more state and federal money. Can you imagine refusing to cooperate with federal authorities while demanding they send more money to help them in breaking the law? Talk about a sense of entitlement!

Under President Donald Trump’s first term, there were several attempts made to curtail the tidal wave of illegal immigrants coming from our southern border, but from Asia (including China), Africa, the Caribbean (many of whom were fleeing areas hard hit by storms and corrupt governments), and the Middle East, which included not just refugees from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, but unfortunately members of Al Qaeda, ISIS, and other terrorists as well.

Trump went so far as to try to contain the influx of migrants attempting to cross illegally by beginning to be a massive wall along the southern border. While nationally, many people supported the concept, which was also locally popular, Trump face widespread criticism from Democrats and some Republicans, various pro-immigration groups (many of whom had strong church ties), and even foreign governments.  In addition, Trump was urged to suspend all border crossings under Title 24 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Starting on day one, President Joe Biden sat about dismantling as much of Trump’s immigration policy as he could by signing the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021. He ended Trump’s travel ban which prohibited unrestricted travel from known terrorist countries like Iran and Libya, started tearing down the border wall, and reaffirmed the legal status of DACA recipients. 

 In June 2024 he signed legislation to shut down the border in illegal crossings that surpassed 2500 a day.  Between January 2021 and January 2024, ICE encountered 7.2 million illegal immigrants attempting to enter the U.S. In 2023, there were a record 2.5 million occurrences.  The bill also suspended protection from deportation to anyone unable to provide proof of need for asylum.

It's also worth mentioning that international law states individuals seeking asylum may do so if they are being persecuted due to their race, religion, gender, or ethnic status. Seeking asylum for economic purposes is not recognized as a legitimate reason to be granted asylum. Secondly, the individual seeking asylum must apply to the next closest country, not the country of their choice.

Now that Trump is again president, he has hit the ground running on the immigration issue as promised. With nearly 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. and decades of bipartisan blunders to correct,  thousands of illegal immigrants have already been deported to their home country, despite a lot of gnashing of teeth by their respective leaders.  Apparently, they think that the United States is somehow obligated to accept and provide for these individuals. Ironically, if this happens there, the outcome wouldn’t be so amicable. Individuals caught in their country illegally face an automatic prison sentence as does anyone who aids them in any way.

Some leaders of foreign countries have been openly critical of the United States efforts to exercise this most basic of national rights, while at the same time exercising their right to secure their national borders and protect their national sovereignty.  The media makes sure you see migrants carrying signs which read "We're Human" and "No One is Illegal". No one is doubting their humanity or that people aren't illegal. However, sometimes their actions are. That's why we have laws and courts to enforce those laws. It's the price we pay for a civil society. 

Clearly there needs to be a single universal law regarding the disposition and repatriation of individuals seeking to enter a country illegally which protects the right of a country to secure national borders and maintain its national sovereignty.  It should also include guidelines for dealing with individuals, groups, or associations (and private or religious) who promote the breaking of international and national laws concerning immigration. It should be up to each nation to provide for any exceptions such as a natural or manmade disaster.  

 

Thank you for reading "Another Opinion", the Op/Ed blog page for the "militant middle".  Here at "A/O" we truly value our readers. At A/O we seek the facts as they exist, not partisan talking points.  We hope you find our articles informative and engaging. Comments are welcome, provided they are not vulgar, insulting or demeaning.  Another Opinion is offered without charge and is directed toward all independent and free-thinking individuals. We do ask, however, that you be sure to "like" us on whatever site you found us on in order to keep our articles available for others, and that you please pass our post along. Below you will find links to the sources we used in writing this article. Thank you. 

 

 Historical Overview of Immigration Policy

The Immigration Act of 1924 (The Johnson-Reed Act)

 

Immigration and Immigrants: Anti-Immigration Sentiment

Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Actof 1996

Immigration policy under the Joe Biden administration

The Decline of America May Not Be What We Think

I've been writing about illegal immigration for decades and there still doesn't seem any end to it, but that's on purpose as I'll show you. States along the border with Mexico are being inundated with individuals wanting to come to the U.S., not to gain citizenship, but to obtain---for free--- the benefits available to citizens because they worked and paid into the system through their taxes.

The federal government maintains that it controls the border problem, however it does next to nothing, and worse, it wants states not to enforce existing federal laws concerning illegal entry. Eric Holder, the AG under President Obama, even sued Arizona for doing nothing more than using existing federal laws to halt immigrants from illegally crossing the border (worse, he even allowed Mexico to join in the lawsuit against Arizona as a co-plaintiff).  Now it's Texas.

Some states and cities have declared themselves "open" to illegal immigration under the euphemistic sounding title of "sanctuary". The result has been thousands of individuals heading there and immediately demanding and receiving taxpayer funded government services.

As a result, some of the cities involved have seen increases in crime, homelessness, and a growing demand for public and private services, especially food and medical care. Unable to keep up with the demand, these cities and states have...ironically...turned to the federal government and requested additional federal dollars and aid to cope with the very problems they intentionally created. Did their legislatures, mayors, and governors not think this through?

Currently it's believe that there are some 10 million or more individuals  illegally in this country, The majority of them drawing on services paid for by taxpayers---you and me---that they never contributed  into.  Many have also decided that they have no intention or interest in integrating into society as previous migrants have historically done (other nations, such as Canada and countries in Europe and Asia) face similar problems.

It's as if these immigrants want to keep their  traditions, values, customs, and languages while at the same time relocate to where they can receive "free" resources---food, housing, medical care, child care, transportation, and so forth for nothing. In fact, not just do they "demand" these items (and more), but believe they are actually "entitled" to them!  Worse, they expect us---the citizens--- to conform and adapt rather than them!

Remember, these individuals have not come with the intent of gaining citizenship, few have applied for entry, and few have come seeking asylum. They come because they've been told they would be openly welcomed and provided with freebies simply for showing up. The majority of immigrants are coming north for nothing more than economic reasons---"economic asylum".  Bear in mind that the U.S and United Nations does not recognize "economic amnesty". Even Amnesty International doesn't promote "economic amnesty".

Amnesty can only be granted for ethnic, racial, political or religious  reasons only, and then only if you are in danger of torture, extreme discrimination, imprisonment or death.  Even then international law says they must seek shelter in the next closest stable country...not travel thousands of miles through safe countries and attempt crossing  the U.S. border illegally!

So, who is promoting this migration north? Why is the U.S. seen as the only acceptable destination?  

Many of those headed north are coming for economic reasons, so that seems to be a logical place start. The U.S. and some of its allies have instituted sanctions and/or embargoes against Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba. Of those, Cuba's has been the longest, first imposed on March 14, 1958 by President Eisenhower against the Batista Government to prohibit the sale of arms.

In October 1960, following the overthrow of the Batista dictatorship by the Fidel Castro's led revolution, another embargo was placed against Cuba. This applied to everything but food and medicine. The embargo was expanded in February 1962.

In Venezuela, sanctions were imposed in January 2017 by President Trump, for alleged human right violations, but rumors have persisted that it had more to do with Venezuela's suppressing a U.S. led attempt to overthrow the government. Either way, unlike Cuba, the sanctions helped Venezuela's economy to collapse, causing record level inflation, unemployment, poverty, and crime (Venezuela has the highest rate of violent crime in the world).   

The sanctions resulted in freezing $5.5 billion dollars belonging to Venezuela. Also, there was a 65% decline in the number of international banks willing to do business with them, with 99% of them coming between 2017 and 2019. This has resulted in severe shortages of food and medicine which the country must buy abroad.

It's estimated that some 80,000 HIV+ patients were affected along with roughly 32,000 individuals in need of cancer or dialysis medication or treatment. Some 15% - 20% of the population no longer has access to potable water during the height of the sanctions.

High unemployment (the result of many oil related businesses closing) triggered a serious increase in crime, making Venezuela the most violent crime ridden nations in the world. Presently, the crime rate (as of 2023) in Venezuela is 83.76 per 100,000. The majority of the crime is committed by individuals ages 20-30 years old. By comparison, the United States has a crime rate of 47.70%. So, if you want a reason for the exodus northward, there you go. U.S. imposed sanctions.

Economic issues have affected other countries in the region as well, such as the Caribbean island nations of Haiti, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. Their problems are primarily the result of inept governments, rudimentary infrastructure, failed social programs and perpetual poverty. 

The result is chronic unemployment and high crime rates (Trinidad and Tobago are ranked sixth in the world while Jamaica is tenth).  Another key factor, not found elsewhere, is the weather. Due to climate change, the Caribbean has found itself in bull's eye of some of the worse tropical storms and hurricanes on record.

Most of these countries have long depended on the tourist trade to pump money into the economy, but the weather and crime has caused tourists to go elsewhere. As an aside, in 2023, the U.S. pumped $110 billion dollars in humanitarian aid into Haiti alone. Without this aid, we'd see a much larger exodus northward toward the U.S. Compare that with $16 billion in aid (humanitarian and military) to Ukraine in 2023 and $3.3 billion to Israel.  

Brazil is one of the most rapidly growing economies in the world. It is a key member of the economic union know as "BRICs" along with China, India and Russia, among others. Few know that Brazil was one the world's most impacted nations by the Covid-19 epidemic . The economy had been growing at a steady rate of 3.3% between pre-Covid 2001 and 2014. But between 2014 and 2020, the economy shrunk by the same percentage of 3.3%.

However, things bounced back by 2021 with growth rate of 5.5% followed by 2.9% in 2022 and 2.6% in 2023. Despite this, Brazil has seen a relatively high crime rate of 23.6 per 100,000 (ranked 9th in the world). It previously had been as high as 30.8. Unemployment is about 7.8% thus far for 2024, Compare that 2.6% in Mexico. The poverty rate is slightly higher than it neighbors at 24.3%.

Mexico, which has borne the brunt immigration crisis, has the 15th largest economy in the world and the second largest in Latin America behind Brazil. However, for the last 30 years, the Mexican economy has underperformed in terms of economic growth, poverty reduction, and the development of a strong middle class according to the World Bank.  

The  Mexican economy grew at just 2% between 1980 and 2022, though in 2023 it saw a growth rate of 3.2%. However, poverty, while dropping from 43.9% in 2020, still remains high at 36.3% in 2022.

Other countries in Latin America are facing economic difficulties due to a slow global economy (bearing in mind that the majority of these countries are rural and dependent of agriculture, mining, forestry, and tourism, not to mention U.S. and international aid. As a result, many of these countries have expanded their trade interests from one based primarily on the U.S. to one based more on China, as well as Asia and the EU.

However, China's economy has cooled somewhat which has had the expected ripple effect on some of its poorer trading partners.  The result has been something of a unbalanced unemployment rate and largely stagnant poverty levels. Relatively high global interest rate and inflation remains a serious problem in servicing debt and public programs. As a result, we see moderately high unemployment along with a reduction in social programs, adding to poverty.

While "economic amnesty" is not recognized, under other forms of amnesty, an individual must seek sanctuary in the "next nearest safe country" . In Latin America, it appears there is no "safe" country. Just varying levels of poverty and unemployment. So, we see possible explanation for thousands of individuals willing to make the long walk to the U.S..

The next big issue is "who" is encouraging these individuals to come to America. Surely they know that illegal immigrants aren't welcome in America. They must know what they'll face when they get to the border. Are they delusional enough to think they'll be an exception? No doubt the drug cartels encourage these people to sell everything they have to make the long and often brutal journey, as long as they make money.

The cartels, using "coyotes" or guides, charge roughly $200 per person (which is a fortune for most of these people). In lieu of money (or even with it), they are often forced to smuggle drugs or other illegal contraband. Sometimes, they are only able to send their children to friends or relatives until they can raise the money to follow. In many cases, there's no assurance the children will reach their destination or that they'll ever see them again.

Using cartel connected coyotes is very dangerous. Immigrants have often reported being beaten, raped while seeing others murdered. The trip is fraught with other dangers such a injuries and no medical facilities (often the coyotes will confiscate any personal medication), corrupt cops and militias who have to regularly be bribed, as well as the lack of food or fresh water while dealing with the weather conditions and having no shelter other than what they brought with them.  

Aside from drug cartels, there are the various religious organizations, especially Catholic. 57.1% of Hispanics are Catholic. Most are historically highly devout and closely follow the dictates of their parish priest.  In America, Catholics are much more open minded and don't give the same level of credence to the priest's instructions, treating them more like  "suggestions" to be followed...or not at one's own discretion.   

From the 1960's onward, most conservative churches have been dying, especially Catholic, causing many parishes to merge while closing numerous schools and other institutions. In addition, there have been fewer priests and nuns signing up. The average age of a priest in 1970 was 30. Today it's 63. When it comes to nuns, only 1% are under 30 with the average age being 80! 

With the immigration of individuals from mostly Catholic Latin America, it's hoped this trend can be reversed. Thus, they are offered shelter (and presumably legal sanctuary since most law enforcement agencies won't enter a religious institution) once they cross the border, as well as help find housing, a job, help with translations and getting various services at taxpayer expense, and of course, religious services are offered in their native Spanish or Portuguese.  

However, to the chagrin of these churches is that a growing number of immigrants, while taking advantage of the services offered, are leaving the restrictions of the church behind. A good number are converting to Islam faster than any other demographic. In fact, in Latin America itself, Islam has grown by 23% with Shiites outnumbering Sunnis. A smaller, but significant percentage, have converted to Evangelical  Protestantism. So, we find not just Catholic organizations encouraging migrants northward, so apparently are Islamic and Protestant organizations too.

Illegal immigration has become more than a political issue of right versus wrong in terms of following the law. It's become an economic issue as employers seek a cheap work force not dependent on unions and are willing to accept long hours for very little money without complaining, thus forcing the traditional workforce to work for less too.

 Various religious groups are looking to grow their numbers and political clout. Meanwhile, mostly traditional conservative Americans are desperately trying to hold on to an America they see slipping through their hands like Texas sand. Hitler once praised Islam, saying that he wished all Germans were Muslims because Islam makes people compliant to authority.

So why isn't Washington doing anything? Simple. The federal government is on the side of Big Business. They fill their coffers, provide the perks and underwrite their campaigns. Both political parties may pretend to be concerned about illegal immigration, but remember that both the Democrats and Republicans are corporate owned and controlled. In truth, they are only concerned to the level Wall Street is. Meanwhile, Washington and Wall Street will continue to offer smoke and mirrors as our America slowly evaporates before our eyes.  

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Living in a Dystopian America: How Did We Get Here and Can We Get Back?

The world seems like it's in some strange "Twilight Zone" episode. One could almost envision Rod Serling standing off to the side narrating the "peaceful" Antifa and BLM riots, demonizing those who refuse to accept restraints on freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights, or justifying the ongoing fight between teachers, social groups, the courts and parents over the "right" of their children undergoing a gender change...and without their parent's permission or even knowledge!  The parent's refusal could mean the removal of your children from your home and their placement in a state run center.

Since when do third parties and institutions get to dictate the gender identification of children to their parents? As it is, they've dumbed down the quality of education and attempted to indoctrinate them politically. Is the creation of "Stepford" children now the objective of public education?  

We have major cities defying federal laws by declaring themselves "sanctuary cities" for illegal immigrants, and then have the audacity to ask the federal government for additional taxpayer money to deal with the mass influx of immigrants! Many of these same cities have passed laws to allow the homeless to sleep or camp wherever they want. They're free to occupy the city parks, panhandle where they want, and worse of all, they're allowed to use the bathroom anywhere they want---alleys, sidewalks, doorways or wherever.

Drug use and related crime has become rampant. The solution? Distribute free syringes and needles! Some of the homeless suffer from mental illness, so government cuts the very programs which could help them along with making low costs housing harder to find and afford. 10% of the homeless population, or about 67,000 men and women are veterans, and yet more  resources are spent on illegal immigrants than on those who served this country. What could be more dystopian than that?

Government corruption and incompetence has reached record highs while public trust has in its national institutions have reached record lows. Only two in ten Americans---20%--- admit to having any trust in Washington. The mainstream media no longer provides impartial factual news, it provides "informational entertainment", which is a polite way to say partisan propaganda. But perhaps worse of all,  we're so conditioned to it that most of us barely even register a response!

The result is that we are now more deeply divided along more issues than at any time in our nation's history with the exception of the late 1850's; the decade which preceded the Civil War. Wall Street has turned America into a defacto corporate oligarchy. How did it get this way? What happened to us?

I came across a short (21: 48) video put out by "After Skool" entitled "Mass Psychosis:  How an Entire Population Became Mentally Ill" (aka "A Killing of the Mind").  The video, done in conjunction with Academy of Ideas, explores how the ruling oligarchy has managed to manipulate entire populations in order to create essentially a society based on mass delusions which just might help explain how we got to where we are.

 If you are serious about wanting to know how we got to where we are and how we can get out of it, you owe it to yourself and your loved ones to watch this video. The link is below. 

 

Click Here:

Mass Psychosis:  How an Entire Population Became Mentally Ill

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Title 42: A 'Catch 22' for Ending Illegal Immigration?

 

With the end of Title 42, the U.S. Border Patrol has reported  1.33 million encounters with migrants attempting to cross from Mexico into the U.S. illegally in FY 2023. The total number of encounters nationwide was a record 1.8 million. The total number just in April 2023 was 211,401 individuals, which included over 28,738 Cubans, Haitians, Venezuelans, and Nicaraguans, all of which were from countries suffering severe economic hardship.

 What is Title 42?  Title 42 was made part of the Public Health Service Act of 1944 as a means of dealing with the anticipated mass immigration coming with the end of World War II. Its purpose was to restrict and expel immigrant individuals from the United States who presented as health risk to the public at large.

It originally came about in 1893 when Congress passed the National Quarantine Law in response to the Cholera epidemic (the fifth since 1817) and as a means to combat other communicable diseases that often accompanied new arrivals. Prior to 2020, Title 42 had only been applied nationally in 1929 when U.S. ports were closed to ships from China and Philippines due to an outbreak of meningitis.

In March of 2020, President Donald Trump applied the law once again, this time in response to COVID-19 upon recommendation from the Director of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Dr. Robert Redfield. It allowed the U.S. Border Patrol to detain and remove all new arrivals from United States who tested positive and to take appropriate steps to reduce the spread of the disease in detention centers.

Opponents of the law (many of whom also happen to favor open borders or easier access into the U.S.) claimed that President Trump was, in fact, using the law as a means to expel immigrants claiming asylum status in violation of U.S. and international immigration laws. They also like to claim that "no one is illegal", which is true. However, their actions may be. That's why we have laws.

They also cited the law and its application as violation of human rights despite being proclaimed a global crisis by countries throughout the world (according to the World Health Organization, as of December 31, 2020, some 1,813,188 individuals had died of COVID related causes. The U.S. experienced approximately 350,831 deaths).  Under Title 42, the U.S. evicted some 2.8 million individuals since 2020.  

Nevertheless, with the COVID crisis having been declared over, Title 42 was allowed to expire on May 11, 2023. In anticipation of the Title 42 ending, Biden stated that he would do nothing to prevent the law from expiring while also adding that he would aid the U.S. Border Patrol by providing more border agents---1,500 more to be exact, but will that be enough?

Biden commented in a interview with NBC News on May 8, that while the Border Patrol needed more personnel to help combat the expected onslaught of immigrants, he added that he wanted to see substantial reform in our existing immigration laws.

Biden said that he wanted to see a quicker path for individuals who came here illegally as children to become U.S. citizens under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and added that U.S. corporations were pressuring the White House and Congress for continuing and expanding the DACA program. Of note was Biden's comment that we needed more farm workers.

The agricultural industry, which includes farming, fishing, and forestry contributes some $175 billion dollars to the nation's economy. The farm industry employs less than one percent of the total number of workers in the United States, or about 2.5 million individuals on private and corporate farms and ranches. Migrants of the sort Biden mentioned comprise roughly 450,000 of that number.  

Currently there is a shortage of around 141,800 farm workers annually on U.S. farms, which represents a decline of about 75% in recent years. As a result, American consumers are finding higher prices, fewer choices, and shortages at the grocery store.

Meanwhile, many small family farms, faced with higher operating costs, are going out of business, leaving the average consumer more dependent than ever on corporate giants like Cargill, Archer-Daniels-Midlands, Monsanto/Bayer and on foreign imports. 

In fact, the U.S. imports 2/3 of all its fresh fruit and 1/3 of its fresh vegetables from Latin America and China. In 2021, fresh fruits and vegetables accounted for nearly 24% of all agricultural imports into the U.S. which amounted to $39 billion dollars. In February 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said that fresh and frozen fruits rose by 10% in 2022 to $19.3 billion dollars. Good news for China and Latin America!

The trouble with corporations like Cargill and Monsanto/Bayer, who control over 50% of the market, is that they are highly automated and need fewer workers.   High operating costs and lower profit margins have forced many family farms to cut back on hiring farm workers, not to mention that the 60 - 100 thousand migrants waiting to cross over into the United States might not have any interest in working on farms or being employed in low wage service or construction jobs for that matter.  

Opponents of Title 42 argued that President Trump's use of the law was less about controlling the outbreak of COVID as much as it was about providing a legal means to close down the southern border and remove immigrants despite Trump closing the borders with Mexico and Canada. Truth or politics?

The truth is that 189 countries, home to 65% of the world's population, had a complete ban on travel. Another 193 had a partial ban restricting movement into or out of their country (many imposed lengthy quarantine periods). 98 of these countries imposed bans on individuals from specific countries including China, which is believed to have been the origin point of the COVID virus.

As a result, around 91% of the world's population was under some sort of travel restriction.  Thus, Trump's action in activating Title 42 was in keeping with the majority of other nations in order to protect their citizens. It's worth nothing that while Trump closed the border with Canada and Mexico, Mexico was one of the very few countries which refused to close its borders or restrict travel.

The lifting of the Title 42 ban will undoubtedly open yet another floodgate of individuals seeking a new life in America as so many others have before them. The problem isn't individuals wanting to come to America legally. The problem is those who refuse to follow the law like thousands of others do every year. Instead, they want to "cut the line" and bypass all the gates designed to protect them and those already here. Why should they be an exception?  Is there anything we can do to control this, and what about the 11.3 million or so illegal immigrants now living in the United States? 

There will, no doubt, be ample numbers of unscrupulous businesses willing to hire those who slip thorough illegally, employing them in dismal sweat shop conditions for less than poverty level wages. There will also be those organizations (mostly religious) who will defiantly break U.S. immigration law to smuggle people across the border, even if it means working with criminal drug cartels to do so, not to mention hiding them and assisting in "playing the system" at taxpayer expense  because they don't believe the law should apply to them.

While adding more agents on the border is a step in the right direction, ultimately they will continue to come as long as there is a demand. Thus, the most effective way to stifle illegal immigration is to crack down on those hiring, aiding, and sheltering them.

American and Mexican efforts at curtailing the corruptive influence of the drug cartels has been, at most, ineffective. Many remain just as powerful and just as ruthless as they've ever been despite the absence of colorful characters like Pablo Escobar and Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. Some operate with near impunity within the United States either directly or through various gangs.

They use their assorted drug related connections to smuggle individuals across the border and into the U.S. at $3000 or more a head (no refunds). Others bypass the cartels and come on their own. Some link up with religious or similar groups who provide hideouts from law enforcement. They also help to find safe places to live, work, and ways to work around the system, which includes getting taxpayer based assistance for nearly everything from daycare or school for their children to healthcare and utility assistance.

Unscrupulous employers often take advantage of the situation and the individuals with offers of a job. These jobs are typically very low paying "piece" work in miserable work conditions. They receive few amenities most everyone is used to such as restroom or lunch breaks, and of course, no benefits. The places they work in are often unsafe and miserably hot or cold. As an aside, organized crime is often associated with these type of operations, especially in large cities.

Of course, being here illegally, it's not like they can complain to a union or OSHA.  A few, however, may be lucky enough to find work at legitimate employers willing to look the other way or maybe they can lie their way into a job, but they'll forever be looking over their shoulder out of fear of the authorities.

One key way to cut back on demand is by actively going after these low life employers and imposing hefty fines on each illegal immigrant they employ and suspending their business licenses beginning with their first offense.  Repeat offenses should bring longer and longer automatic jail time along with increasing fines. The goal is to make it unprofitable to engage in this sort of work.

The same should apply to religious and other organizations as well. In addition, their tax exempt status should also be revoked. The fines and suspension of business licenses should extend to companies who employ any of these individuals. Fines should also be imposed on those assisting in any way.

Cities and other municipalities who harbor illegal immigrants under the euphemism of "sanctuary cities" should automatically lose any federal dollars and other assistance. Several have instructed their law enforcement agencies not to cooperate with federal authorities in the arrest or re-arrest of illegal immigrants suspected of a crime. We currently have cities who not only openly defy federal immigration laws, but have actually asked for more federal assistance to deal with the influx of illegal immigrants! Now, that's brazen!

When it comes to labor shortage on farms, there are several things that can be done. First, make it easier for would be workers to apply for a work visa (aka "green card"). We want to make it easier on both the employer and potential employee.

Next, extend the length of employment at the discretion of the employer based on industry. Some jobs, like dairy, poultry, or beef are year around work while others, like fruit or vegetables, are seasonal. Allowing tax credit for hiring seasonal workers (migrant or not) to small farms is another way to help keep the family farm going.   

Additionally, provide for a English languages classes. It benefits no one if they can't be understood. In   Czarist Russia during the 1860's and 70's, student intellectuals called the "Narodniks" would go to the countryside to teach the peasants how to read and write. Colleges and universities could offer similar programs to help migrants learn to read and speak English in exchange for class credit hours.

The next thing that can be done is offset the cost of hiring workers. In many cases, these individuals lack transportation, so the employer has to pick up the cost. The creation of co-ops and working with unions such as the United Farm Workers could be a way to cut down on the expense of transportation.  Lastly, open up avenues for these individuals to stay and become citizens if that's what they want to do. If they want to work, so why not let them stay?

Lastly, of course, is reforming existing immigration laws. President Ronald Reagan was the first to offer amnesty in 1986 to the estimate 5 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. The result? More came in the hopes of another amnesty program, and they will keep coming. Amnesty isn't the answer. 

The U.S. must make it clear in as many way as possible (including the use of commercials on Latin American radio or TV) that illegal immigration is not acceptable and they will be deported. If they want to immigrate, contact the nearest U.S. embassy to do it correctly. Return immigrants at the expense of their native country by offsetting the foreign aid we send them. Require new immigrants to speak, read, and write a minimal amount of English as well as have a basic understanding of our laws. It will only make their life easier.

Secondly, we need to stop meddling in the internal affairs of other nations. Many of the immigrants on our southern border are there due to sanctions or embargoes imposed by the U.S. Government. Stop it. Not everyone wants to be like us or even do business with us. The sanctions and embargoes only makes their lives unbearable (not the government's) and forces them to come here.  

We also need to stop installing or propping up corrupt governments. Many of these tinpot dictators take the aid we send and use it as bribery or sell it. Their corruption contributes to immigrants fleeing to our border. We also mustn't forget that 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck or that we have the widest wage inequality of any industrialized nation in the world. Why?

COVID may be over, but there will be others like it. Illegal immigration and the problems it brings aren't going to go away.  As Albert Einstein once said, "insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result". If that's the case, we're being led by the insane..   

 

If you want to know more about this article's topic, please check out the links below. If you enjoyed the article, please consider passing it along to others and don't forget to subscribe. It's free! Lastly please be sure to "like" us on whatever platform you use to read anotheropinionblog.com. It helps with the algorithms and keeps our articles in circulation. Thank you! 

 

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