Immigration Rhetoric vs. Economic Reality

Against a background of chagrined Americans, there is a hypocritically heated debate as to the disposition of the approximately 12,000,000 illegal immigrants from Mexico. This is a rhetorical debate as nothing CAN be done but feign indignant outrage. Any major expulsion or attempted repatriation would be economically disastrous; not to mention politically. The economic equation is not one-sided but the forces to integrate the illegals are very strong. On one hand, our schools, jails and hospitals are being abused and/or burdened and many, if not most, are working for cash. On the other, illegal immigrants have expanded the lowest strata of our labor force, gobbled up our vacant housing (apartment) and swelled our corporate profits.

It is often lamented that immigrants are doing work that American won’t do. Of course this is absurd but that illegals are doing it for less money is, however, quite true. This coefficient of labor has dramatically suppressed wage inflation while increasing productivity. The capitalist trend is for higher corporate profits, not keeping workers happy with high wages. This helps partially explain why inflation has been kept contained with employment so high. This isn't good for individuals vying for higher pay but it is good for business. Rhetorical question 1: What would happen if all that labor left?

The recent surge in housing has been substantially powered by illegal immigrants looking for a place to call home. In what seems like a facilitating "blind eye", there has been an unusual confluence of cheap money and easy lending standards allowing many former apartment dwellers to “move on up” to their own residence. Ironically, many illegal immigrants are involved in the semi-skilled construction trade and helped build all those new houses. Of course the housing patterns of illegals are not typical with many reports of several families sharing apartments. Rhetorical question 2: What would happen if all those tenants left?

Simply by living here immigrants contribute to our economy. Everyone wears clothing, consumes food and gas etc. Consumer performance is 70% of the economy's horsepower and slight variations cause major repercussions. Much of the rest of the world’s populations are shrinking. Almost as if it was planned, our population got a 3-4% bump of working age adults. Our continued prosperity, if not survival, depends upon a growing and reasonably homogenous population. As our replacement rate is a mere 2.1 (per 2 adults), the steady wave of illegal immigrants has increased our population in much shorter order than it would have otherwise expanded. Among other things, an expanding population shores up the future of a mathematically impossible Social Security system. But only if subject to payroll taxes. Rhetorical question 3: What would happen if all those consumers left?

The questions are rhetorical because the illegal immigrants are not leaving. This is not an editorial - I am not qualifying the migration economically. I am trying to shed insight as to why the government is seemingly unable to stop millions of people from entering our country and, once here, avoid detection and repatriation. Part of the strategic balance of prosperity is keeping the lowest common denominator happy and encouraged to pull the cart. As the ultimate rhetorical question I ask: What would happen to the security of America if the population of an already struggling Mexico was increased by 12%?

I am vehemently and unequivocally against anyone flagrantly violating our sovereign laws and borders by smuggling themselves into our country.