Journal Entry #1

Exploratory Journal #1

Lydia Birt

  Gerking, Shelby D., and John H. Mutti. "Costs And Benefits Of Illegal Immigration: Key Issues For Goverment Policy." Social Science Quarterly (University of Texas Press) 61.1 (1980): 71-85. Business Source Premier. Web. 5 Oct. 2014. 

            My first source was written by Shelby D. Gerking and John H. Mutti of the University of Wyoming and is titled “Costs and Benefits of Illegal Immigration: Key Issues for Government Policy”. This article relates to my research question of what should the American government be doing about illegal immigration from Mexico because it outlays the possible consequences of an increase in illegal immigration. The authors attempt to inform the reader of economic costs and benefits of immigration from the viewpoint of an employer and an employee. The reaction of the American public, specifically low-income legal employees, to illegal immigration is an important aspect of the effects of illegal employees on the workforce to consider. Because most illegal immigrants from Mexico are most often poorly educated young males, the jobs they acquire are highly undesirable to most legal citizens. This being said, an increase in illegal immigration would not decrease the wage rate, as the product produced is of the same caliber as one produced by a legal employee. The issue that legal employees would have with illegal immigration is being replaced- however, illegal immigration has proved beneficial for America’s economic system overall. While the skill level of illegal and legal employees may remain the same, illegal immigrants could be coerced to accept a lower wage because they have no other choice. One option proposed to discontinue the hiring of illegal immigrants was a fine given to all employers who hire illegals. However, production costs would increase without the workforce of immigrants as well as the level of the tax with time. The authors asserted that effective enforcement of any taxes or limitations would also have to take place to have any positive effect. Ultimately, less illegal immigration would hurt America’s economic system and would cause more work for border patrol and the IRS. Therefore, this article would be advocating that the government should not pursue any added enforcement in their laws against illegal immigration.

            What I found most interesting about this article was the differing viewpoints from the employees, both illegal and legal, and from employer of illegal immigrants. One issue that was slightly discussed were the poor conditions in Mexico, and how that is a factor that will continue to increase illegal immigration in the United States. Looking at illegal immigration from the view of an immigrant illuminates the reasoning behind their consistent struggle for citizenship in America. This persistence shown could be an asset not only to our economic system, but also the moral foundation of our country. Our constitution offers freedom to those who seek it, especially those willing to put in hard work to benefit America. Illegal immigrants play too big of a part in our workforce to not add to production output, and thus a decrease in illegal immigration would be a detriment to our government. Another important factor is the mood of legal employees who work alongside illegal immigrants. Some still argue that all jobs taken by illegal immigrants are undesirable, but there is a definite crowd affected by the loss of a job taken over by a Mexican worker. Looking from their viewpoint, illegal immigration is harmful to individual American success. However, my research question has to do with the government, and not individual economic status. Which leads me to the last viewpoint- the employers of illegal immigrants. This is a group that definitely benefits from illegal immigration, as they often get to pay low wages for hard work. Their profit is symbolic of the benefits to the American government from illegal immigration, as low cost of production is always preferred. However, looking at all of these viewpoints made me wonder who has more of a say in regards to the legalization of immigration, employees or employers. Our government is a democracy and ruled by the people, and perhaps solidarity of opinion from the public would be the first step in determining the true effects of illegal immigration. The issue could stem from a lack of information and enforcement from the government, and could be solved with some clarity. This source strengthened my opinion that the government would benefit from an increase in illegal immigration and an increase in enforcement of existing restrictions or the addition of new restrictions would only be destructive to the economic and moral make-up of our government. Not only should the government be concerned with possible economic benefits but also benefits to the attributes of our population in correlation with our Constitution.

            My next step in research will be finding out more how illegal immigration affects the American public, specifically those in competition for low-income jobs and employers who illegally employ aliens. Researching their opinions will show me the reactions of Americans to immigration which is important to answering the question of what should the government be doing. Right now I am wondering if solidarity of opinion will affect the government’s actions regarding immigration, and how much the opinion of the public affects voting and policies. Also, I am wondering if the American government benefits from taking resources (people in the workforce) from our border country, and if allowing the legalization of immigration would cause problems with country relations. I want to find out if legalizing immigration or enforcing restrictions would offer more benefits to the government and the people.