Donald Trump’s Stance on Illegal Immigration

Donald Trump has been a lot in the news lately. He has specifically been in the news because of his anti-immigration rhetoric. He categorically called Mexicans as anti-social elements and stated that they have an adverse effect on the American society. He made these statements despite knowing that Latin Americans form a sizable number within the voting population. This makes one feel that the white American voters must be feeling severely threatened by Latin Americans, otherwise, why would they elect what appears to be a racist President!

Several debates were conducted amongst experts, and almost all of them considered Donald Trump’s decisions to be crazy when considered from a humanitarian perspective. However, the idea that illegal immigrants were detrimental to the economy was not really rejected by anybody. Critics were offended that Donald Trump was equating criminal elements of illegal immigrants with a particular ethnic group. However, there is near consensus that immigrants contribute to a lion’s share of all criminal activity, particularly towards the Southern border.

In this article, we will list down the negative effects that immigrants have on the economy of the United States or of any economy in general.

Why Immigration Affects the Lowest Class

Illegal immigration is like inflation to some extent. It hits the lowest rung of the society first and the hardest. The people that cross over illegally from the border are usually unskilled. This means that they can only work low-end jobs.

Hence, the low-wage workers suddenly face a lot of competition. Also, since the illegal immigrants are not subject to minimum wage or taxation laws, they can afford to drop their wages lower whereas a lawful American citizen would face legal trouble if he were to do so. As a result, the lower rung of the American society that is already in turmoil is further pushed into even bigger troubles.

Donald Trump has also targeted high-end technology workers like the ones using the H1B too! However, these immigrants enter the country via lawful means and they don’t actually contribute to any crime as such. They may be taking away relatively fewer middle-class jobs, but the true menace is actually faced by the people of lowest social strata.

How Immigration Affects the State

Illegal immigration has a huge effect on the state. The entire spectrum of cause and effects is complex and therefore beyond the scope of this article. However, we will touch a few important points.

• Increased Law Enforcement Spending: States like Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona have higher crime rates than their counterparts Washington and California. This is because the southern border of the United States is porous. This means that criminal elements can move in and out of the United States very easily. This has created a law enforcement nightmare in these states. Cities like Laredo, Texas have suffered heavily because of their sister cities in Mexico. Nuevo Laredo in Mexico is the murder capital of the world. To prevent the spillover of this drug crime into America, the government has to increase their spending drastically. If a wall can indeed keep these anti-social elements out, building a wall maybe a cheaper and more effective alternative.

• Increased Entitlement Payments: As discussed earlier in this article, increased immigration hits the lowest strata of the society first. This means that a large number of people in lower-end jobs are unemployed. Hence, the state has to pay entitlement payments like social security and Medicare to them. Also, this increased unemployment further perpetuates the cycle of crime. Hence, the state loses a significant portion of its funds to problems that can be resolved, if the immigration issue is fixed.

Who Will do Our Jobs Argument ?

There is a lobby of people who believe that the low-end jobs done by illegal immigrants can only be done by them. The logic is that no American would want such menial jobs. Hence, the immigrants are contributing to society by doing the work that Americans did not want to do anyways. Therefore, if illegal immigration is curbed, it might affect the American society somehow, since these jobs will not be done!

Nothing could be farther from the truth. There are several other countries which are developed like the United States. In those countries, a large number of these menial jobs are automated. This frees up the work force which can then be used for more productive purposes. The technology for automating menial jobs is already developed and is cheap to use. The functioning of the United States will not in any way, be affected by excluding illegal immigrants. To the contrary, the economy is likely to get many benefits.

Verification Process

Donald Trump’s immigration policy may not be as crazy as it sounds. There are several economic advantages to getting rid of the immigrants. More importantly, America will send a message that the only way to stay on their shores is to come via a rigorous immigration process. This will weed out the anti-social elements. At the same time, the hard working people that want to add value to the American society will still be welcome on its shores!

Authorship/Referencing - About the Author(s)

The article is Written By “Prachi Juneja” and Reviewed By Management Study Guide Content Team. MSG Content Team comprises experienced Faculty Member, Professionals and Subject Matter Experts. We are a ISO 2001:2015 Certified Education Provider. To Know more, click on About Us. The use of this material is free for learning and education purpose. Please reference authorship of content used, including link(s) to ManagementStudyGuide.com and the content page url.