President Donald Trump is deporting immigrants — 11,000 last month.
Some people are unhappy about that.
Last week a judge ordered a stop to Trump’s removal of Venezuelan nationals. (Deportation happened anyway.)
I definitely want immigrant criminals deported.
Trump says migrant crime is “happening at levels that nobody thought possible!”
But that’s not true.
Researching my new video, I learned that immigrants are actually less likely to get into trouble than native-born Americans.
Texas, the only state that tracks immigrant crime, compares convictions per 100,000 Americans. Score: illegal immigrants, 782; legal immigrants, 535; native-born Americans, 1,422. It’s the opposite of what most of us have heard.
But even if immigrants are less likely to commit crimes, there are other reasons to object to immigration:
1) Immigrants take jobs away from Americans.
2) They freeload off our welfare system.
3) They threaten our culture.
I’ll take them point-by-point.
Tucker Carlson complains, “These new rivals compete primarily with the very Americans most likely to have lost their jobs.”
He’s right. Migrants take jobs from some Americans, and some Americans are out of work. But unemployment is relatively low: 4.1%. It was 8.8% when I was first hired by ABC.
Today, companies complain that they can’t find enough people willing to show up on time and work.
In addition, “Every serious economic study,” says Yaron Brook of the Ayn Rand Institute, shows immigrants “create more jobs than they destroy. You might lose your job, but you live now in a society that has … more opportunities, because many immigrants are entrepreneurs.”
They sure are. Immigrants started Space X, eBay, Instacart, Uber, NVIDIA, SanDisk, etc.
“We benefit enormously from our interaction with immigrants,” says Brook. “Who has the right to stop us from that interaction?! … It’s like saying: ‘I have a right to stagnate and to force all of you to stagnate with me.'”
What about the second point? Immigrants freeloading off welfare? Illegal immigrants actually don’t qualify for most benefits, but some politicians give tax money away anyway. Some give migrants credit cards. Also, immigrants’ kids often attend public schools, hospitals treat them for free (seems cruel not to) and they benefit from public services available to everyone in America.
“The way to deal with that is not to restrict immigration,” says Brook. “Deal with that by restricting the goodies.”
Why not restrict immigration?
“Immigrants are a massive benefit to Americans,” he says.
It’s true.
Trump says, “Legal immigration. I like it. We need people.”
But even illegal immigrants are a net gain. Not just because they harvest our food, do construction, etc., but also because Social Security and Medicare taxes are deducted from their paychecks. That’s money they never get back, because they’re not legal.
As a result, undocumented immigrants pay more into our economy than they get back.
Some Americans say, “I support immigration, but migrants should get in line and obey the laws.”
But for most migrants, that’s almost impossible.
Under our current rules, many would have to wait more than 100 years!
“Legal immigration is unbelievably complicated,” says Brook. “It’s almost impossible to come here.”
Trump proposes selling a type of green card for $5 million.
Maybe that’s a good idea.
Brook says, “Let in anyone with a job offer.” That’s a good idea.
But then there’s concern number three: “We are bringing in peasant cultures,” complains pundit Ann Coulter.
Brook replies, “There are good people in every culture. When (the) Irish came, they were accused of being barbarians. Every wave of immigrants has been accused of the same thing. The fact is … they assimilate quite well, no matter where they come from.”
I push back, “Some are Muslim fundamentalists who bring in ideas we don’t like. Some are socialists.”
“Yes,” Brook answers, “But if we are confident in the ideas that we have, individual rights … capitalism and liberty, we should fight for those ideas. It’s Americans who teach at our universities that the Founding Fathers were terrible human beings.”
By contrast, most immigrants like America!
Let more in.
Photo by Greg Bulla on Unsplash
You should know Biden made the system worse. How? ALL immigrants coming with CBP1, TPS from certain countries, and HCVN mass parolees DO get welfare. Since technically they didn’t break the law, they all got SSNs, and work permits. Since they got SSNs they qualify for ALL types of walfare assistance, and free temporary housing counties, blues states, section 8, and housing through MediCal subsidy programs.
So you say restrict the goodies? While Trump stopped the bleeding, all who came through Biden programs are still receiving all the resources in blue states and counties.
Dear John, in order to pay social security taxes, Medicare or Medicare taxes don’t they need a social security number? In order to receive a paycheck with those deductions taken out, they need one. If they are illegal immigrants, them to pay those items they have committed some kind of fraud. Having one makes them eligible to receive said benefits. Your argument that they don’t or are ineligible is erroneous. In my 64 years, I’ve worked with, for and beside illegal immigrants and the majority receive their pay “under the table”. No taxes taken out and have eaten at their house where they receive food assistance from the government. I think you’re incorrect when it comes to them not “freeloading” off the system.
As for it being difficult to enter legally, that’s a good thing. As a natural born citizen, it was difficult for me to work full time (sometimes 2 and 3 jobs), be part of a family, raise 2 kids (1 that had special needs), and get the training I needed for my profession. But everywhere I went, every job I worked at, I brought value to the table. Maybe we should require the same thing for people entering the USA.
Stop comparing LEGAL immigration with movement of ILLEGALS (not immigrants, they are criminals). We want LEGAL immigrants that can add to our country, not ILLEGALS who are taking, taking and more taking without adding.
Source: CalMatters
“California’s Medi-Cal shortfall hits $6.2 billion with ‘unprecedented’ cost increases.,” estimated 40 to 50% due to undocumented immigrants.
Being around construction all my life, the companies that hire illegals win more bids and those trying to obey the laws lose work and employees and their company. In construction there are probably not 5% of companies who are law abiding. Either who they hire or how they report earnings. Many of the companies don’t use banks. It is a mess. (Texas).
“Score: illegal immigrants, 782; legal immigrants, 535; native-born Americans, 1,422. It’s the opposite of what most of us have heard.”
782 for illegal immigrants is definitely less than 1,422 for native-born Americans. But, we can live without those extra 782 infractions.
I agree with you, Linh Pham. America needs the larger improvement of legal immigration, not the mediocre improvement of illegal immigration.
Illegal immigrants receive welfare, subsidized housing, free medical care. You may say it is not legal, but no one asks them for proof of their legal residency status therefore it is abused.
They enter the country without proper medical evaluation and not tested/asked about it adherence to American values. For example, many illegals and legals come to this country and profess antisemitic/anti-Israel views. For many, the law of the United States is not supreme over their religious beliefs.
I’d like to know, not sarcastically, how many of those immigrants paying “taxes and social security” are being paid “under the table”.
I think that this article is a common sense response to those saying that all immigrants are not wanted in the United States. I can’t believe that Americans want to work in the agricultural, hospitality or restaurant industries. So, why is it so difficult to relax guest worker programs and let more honest immigrants into the USA?
Every Crime an Illegal Alien commits, is a Crime
that was NOT supposed to happen in America the 1st place.
So Any and All Illegal Alien Crime is unacceptable.
Would NOT happen if laws are enforced!
No ifs ands or buts about it!
As a descendant of immigrants, I have no problem with it. Legally. We should cut through alot of the red tape and ridiculous rules. I know a generous soul who sponsored a refugee and his family. The government would not allow him to work for over a year.
Guy was a trained mechanic! What was the sense of that?! Rework the immigration laws. The rest of your stats, no – sorry they absolutely are given welfare etc without any documentation. I knew a person who got her hospital stay completely paid for because she was undocumented. It happens. What gets me are the people who ignore the mass amnesty that was offered multiple times in the last decade and STILL aren’t citizens. Which suggests they are not fully committed to our country.
using your justification I get caught in traffic that is at a standstill. If I travel down the side of the road the police at a minimum gives me a ticket but if I’m blantant about it (traveling fast or sticking my thumb to my nose as I pass everyone) I go to jail.
Disappointed in you John.
You unfortunately (and uncharacteristically) leave out a lot of data. Look at the experiences of Sweden and Norway. Immigrants do cost a huge amount in resources, and crime has spread from immigrant gangs to native Swedes. It’s not a rosy picture at all.