By Bill Burch - Chairman of the Grass Roots Institute of Texas (GRIT)
Ive talked with people of both sides of this issue and they all agree with this solution.
The first thing to understand is that most of the people who enter the United States illegally risk their lives in this endeavor. Once here they dont want to go back because they have to take this risk again. If they are bringing their family with them then theyre put at risk also.
So where do these people come from? My brother-in-law who is Hispanic retired from the Immigration and Naturalization Service. His last job with the INS was to escort illegal aliens back to their homeland. So he was frequently traveling to Rome London Tokyo and etc. My point is that illegal aliens come from around the world.
http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/statistics/publications/ILL_PE_2005.pdf
The largest source for illegal aliens is the North American Region but the second largest source is the Asian Region which has almost twice as many illegal aliens as the South American Region (third) or the European Region (fourth). The Middle East has very few people who enter the United States illegally according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In fact India China and Korea are the fourth fifth and sixth largest sources of illegal aliens.
Illegal aliens cost American citizens enormously despite what some would have you believe. Here are some of the costs:
1. HEALTHCARE: Illegal Aliens use a disproportionate amount of Emergency Room care for non-emergency healthcare. Because these are not paid by the illegal aliens the cost is past on to the citizens in the form of higher insurance higher prices and for county hospitals higher taxes.
2. EDUCATION: Some illegal aliens children have never attended school before yet our teachers are expected to bring them up to grade quickly. Then there are the age barriers. These and other issues are responsible for much of the lower educational standards we are seeing in our schools. Also this is causing a tremendous burden on our teachers Good working conditions are important in retaining good teachers. All of this is creating an environment of boredom for many of our students and chasing some of our brightest out of school. Taxes are always on the rise to take care of these increasingly heavy financial costs. When these taxes hit businesses they pass the costs on to the consumers. Further by increasing the property taxes this is causing many people to loose their homes and in turn hurts the new construction market (which is a major employer of illegal aliens).
3. CRIME: On average about twelve percent of those illegal aliens who are caught are on the run from their own government for crimes they committed there. Illegal aliens commit a disproportionate amount of rapes murder drug crimes burglaries gang violence and other crimes. It is just terrible to put the lives of illegal aliens before those of U.S. Citizens in America. The cost is lives lost and damaged is just part of the total costs. You also have the need for more prison space and jail space. More police and guards are also needed. The costs of these are put on the backs of U.S. Citizens in the form of higher taxes and well as higher costs for food clothing and other goods and services.
As things currently stand there are no real winners in the current status regarding illegal aliens. This is true of the businesses that want cheap labor the illegal aliens the citizens the various government entities and all business in general.
FIXING THE SYSTEM
A mechanism must be provided to insure a supply of labor where needed. The government has proven that it cannot handle the task of registering millions of people as was shown with the passport fiasco. With between twelve and twenty million illegal aliens in America we do not have the ability to rapidly deport register incarcerate or in troubled times like these employ these people.
To handle the job the government need to turn to employment agencies. The employment agencies that wish to participate could be licensed to register the aliens and give them temporary workers permits. The cost to an employer would be higher than hiring a citizen but if what they need is labor the employer would have a safe source for employees where there are no citizens available.
The employment agencies would be responsible for the health insurance for the workers health certificate criminal background check in their homeland and in the United States transportation to the United States and tuition for the workers children should they come with the worker.
Tough criminal and civil penalties against employers of illegal aliens those foreign aliens who continue to come in illegally and employment agencies who do not comply with the new laws and regulations must be implemented. Without these and strict enforcement thereof the program will not work.
This does not address penalties against illegal aliens currently in the country or anchor babies. I think these should be addressed but in a form that gets the main provisions approved. It also doesnt address a wall along the border. But if the flow of illegal aliens is vastly reduced we may not need a wall. Once again this can be part of the negotiation to get the law passed.
BENEFITS
1. Healthcare: The cost of healthcare should see a significant drop as a result of fewer non-paying patients go to the emergency rooms. This should reduce the cost of insurance and make insurance more affordable for everyone. The cost to the State for the SCHIP program will be reduced as would the cost for County Hospitals.
2. Crime: Crime throughout the country would decrease. This makes America much safer and a much more enjoyable place to live. It also reduces the cost of prisons jails and law enforcement officers. The court cases would be reduced and the support costs reduced.
3. Education: Education for our children would improve dramatically our education system as we smart up" rather than dumb down". This means our citizen workers will be much more qualified workers. The working conditions for teachers would also be improved. More money would be available to the schools without having to increase actual dollars to the schools.
4. Taxes: Taxes for schools hospitals cities states and even the federal government could be reduced. If property taxes are reduced this could lead to fewer foreclosures. Due to the reduction of taxes on businesses this would lead to higher profits and lower prices. This means more business opportunities which leads to an economic upturn.
5. Quality of life: The current illegal aliens would suddenly be free to walk around without fear. Those who had previously been taken advantage of would no longer have a problem. Employment for our citizens would increase as our workers would be beneficial rather than the aliens. Additionally with lower taxes there would be more money for everyone which can be used for improving our quality of life or saving for the future.
Our political and business leaders must understand that they will benefit much more with this system than anything else proposed. With this solution we will be putting Americans first while not forgetting about the illegal workers. May God continue to bless the great State of Texas and the United States of America.
