Immigration, Illegal

The Lure of Illegal Immigration

The United States is one of the most popular destinations for illegal immigration, for a variety of reasons. Its proximity to Latin America, many countries of which have suffered from waves of political oppression and economic turmoil, is certainly one factor. But the promise of economic opportunity beckons immigrants from farther afield as well, including eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. These economic incentives depend both on the United States’ reputation as a land of prosperity and opportunity and on the willingness of employers to hire illegal immigrants.

Typically, the circumstance motivating illegal entry is one in which the employer is willing to pay a wage that is lower than what he would pay a legal resident but greater than what the immigrant could earn in his home country. A 1970s study of illegal migrant workers from Mexico in Oregon—workers who repeatedly illegally entered the United States for a season of work and then returned with their earnings to Mexico—found that even after deducting the cost of seasonal travel and the much higher cost of living in the United States, the workers earned a minimum of three times as much as they could have earned doing the same work in Mexico. In many developing countries, remittances (the money sent home by immigrant workers) are a significant source of foreign income and a key factor in economic stability.

Sanctions against employers who hire illegal immigrants are fairly mild, especially compared to the consequences to the workers so hired. As a result, being undocumented does not pose the difficulty in finding a job that it might in other countries, where penalties to employers are more severe. Historically, the labor needs of the American economy have made it politically difficult to change this. In the 21st century, the evidence suggests that because of the global financial meltdown, increased border security, and a [Page 1144]more vigorous crackdown on illegal immigration in key regions of the country, illegal immigration is diminishing.

Immigrant rights marchers demonstrate for amnesty in downtown Los Angeles on May Day, 2006. The sign reads, “Today we march, tomorrow we vote.” Illegal immigration, a long-standing issue in the United States, has created immense controversy, especially over U.S. citizens losing jobs to undocumented immigrants.

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