The free rider problem and how it is related to illegal immigration
Introduction
The United States is one of the countries with the highest number of immigrants in the world. This statistic also implies that the number of illegal immigrants may be just as high. Many people enter the country for a series of reasons. Some come to seek asylum from political, cultural or religious persecution, some come to pursue higher education, and others are refugees while a large percentage of the immigrants come to the US to look for better economic opportunities. All the latter categories of immigrants are acknowledged by the government and there are due procedures in the US constitution for allowing such persons into the country.(Beck, 2001) However, there is another reason has may have increased the number of immigrants into the country; this is the free rider issue. Certain individuals may be interested in settling within the US just so that they could benefit from the health and social facilities in the country. The essay shall look at the reality of free riders and how this is linked to illegal immigration.
The relationship between free riders and illegal immigration
Some individuals argue that illegal immigration is becoming a very serious problem in the US. Some of them attribute this to the open border policies that the US has adopted. Others claim that the real reason why illegal immigrants enter the US is so that they could use up the country's resources and then leave it for dead.(Beck, 2001)
These proponents assert that these immigrants have no intention of ever becoming US citizens or upholding the law. Instead, they enter the country to access easily available employment opportunities. Usually, these people come into the country so that they can offer cheap labor for those respective industries or people that need them. In fact, a number of immigrants enter the country in order to pack industry products or do such duties. (Shapiro, 2006)
These proponents also believe that all the latter micro-economic arguments do not hold much water. According to them there is a need to revise the country's immigration laws because of the fact that citizenship is worth very little to these people. Most of them may be merely interested in getting whatever little they can and then send it back to their own countries. Since such individuals are not well documented, then they are usually not obliged to respect the constitution as much as other groups do. (Shapiro, 2006)
Proponents of this argument also claim that many illegal immigrants do not play by the rules. Since they are not US citizens, then they are not required to contribute directly to the country. Additionally, most of them may not offer their services for the betterment of the US.
This school of thought also puts forward the fact that many illegal immigrants are actually flooding the country and causing situations in which locals are running out of work. The following industries heavily rely on illegal immigration
The restaurant industry
Housekeeping
Construction
Truck driving
etc
These proponents argue that illegal immigrants who are coming in for a free ride (through the social amenities in the country) are actually harming locals who may be required to pay their dues while at the same time compete with some of these illegal immigrants. Proponents of these ideas cite a series of statistics to support their claim.
For instance, in the New York Times, it was stated that illegal immigrants who enter the country for a free ride are actually ruining the opportunities for other types of workers especially those ones who may not be illegal. It has been shown that most janitors in Los Angeles get close to nine dollars per hours; in other parts of the country, it could be slightly higher but not so far from this figure. What has happened is that some of these illegal immigrants have ended up dominating the profession.
Most employers these days prefer using such illegal immigrants because they are sure that they will save up on substantial wage costs. However, the overall effect of this rush towards illegal immigrants is that the legal ones are forced to look for other alternatives in other areas of employment. The falling wages and unfair employee practices have caused them to look for substitutes elsewhere. (Shapiro, 2006)
Other reports also claim that free riders who enter the country to enjoy the readily available employment opportunities are actually causing problems in other industries such as in meat processing. This sudden wave of free riders is creating room for worker exploitation by employers and it is also driving many other legal workers out of employment.
The real link between free riders and the economy
Some people believe that immigrants should not have access to public services because some of them enter the country just so that they can benefit from these services. However, it may come as a surprise to many critics that close to sixty seven percent of all illegal immigrants actually pay taxes. In fact most illegal immigrants have to contribute to social services, Medicare and even personal income taxes. Since these people are contributing to the country's revenue, then it would be gross abuse of human rights if those same individuals were prevented from getting access to public services. This reality is in sharp contrast to what some conservative congressmen would like the public to believe. Most of these leaders assert that illegal immigration is an avenue against which the US looses most of its resources and gets nothing in return. In other words, these politicians assert that the illegal immigrants only come to consume services in the US and do not pay for them. This echoes the free ride sentiments held in earlier portions of the essay. Clearly, the free ride concept in this case only applies to thirty three percent of the illegal immigrant population if one bases their assumptions on the above assertions. (Shapiro, 2006)
It should also be noted that the free ride problem is not as severe as some natives make it sound. Even if illegal immigrants came to the US to take advantage of free services, there are very few options available to them currently. The following public services cannot be accessed by illegal immigrants thanks to the Welfare Reform Bill of 1996;
Medicaid
Medicare
Food stamps
Funded hospitalization
Housing assistance (Beck, 2001)
All these services are only acceptable to constitutionally recognized immigrants. In fact education services limited to K-12 levels and emergency medical care are the only viable options to them. Consequently, potential immigrants have nothing to look forward to when coming into the US with the hope of getting free rides. In the end, very few individuals are actually motivated by these free services because they are only granted to the country's citizens and not to them.
It should also be noted that it is a criminal act to offer any form of assistance to illegal immigrants even if an institution or organization was a charitable one. For instance, Social workers, priests or other charity programs could face five years imprisonment if found guilty of giving support (monetary, food, shelter or otherwise) to an illegal immigrant. Consequently, very few organizations are willing to help them out. Illegal immigrants actually get very few 'free' things from the state and it is therefore a misunderstanding to think that the major reason causing immigrants to enter the country are so that they can consume these free things.
It should also be noted that Congressmen are fond of passing laws that restrict illegal immigrants from getting any form of access to public services. This is especially the case in health care. For instance, whenever immigrants are interested in getting Medic Aid, they are supposed to show proof that they are citizens. Congressmen assert that this is necessary just so that there are no benefits granted to aliens. (Shapiro, 2006)
It should also be noted that almost all efforts made by the US government to curb illegal immigrants who enter the country for free rides have been very effective. Ever since the 1996, when the US passed stern laws to deal with the immigration problem, the number of illegal immigrants entering the country has drastically reduced. However, another shocking revelation is that the US government began issuing out social security numbers to these illegal immigrants just so that they could be able to pay taxes. Contrary to what people believe, illegal immigrants are not getting free services or benefiting from the country's system without paying for these things. Instead, those illegal immigrants are actually paying for what they do not receive.
One might think that some illegal immigrants may want to escape these legal channels and avoid getting social security numbers. However, statistics ever since that time show that close to seventy five percent of all illegal immigrants have social security numbers and they actually use their meager pay to meet the IRS's tax demands. Usually, these illegal immigrants keep doing this with the hope of gaining US citizenship at some point in their lives. Consequently, one cannot assume that all illegal immigrants are just interested in free rides.
Statistics also show that the overall contributions made by illegal immigrants to the taxation system in the country are also much higher than the amount they consume from the public. For instance, in 2007, it was found that sales tax paid by illegal immigrants cause an excess of eighty thousand dollars more than they use up.
It is indeed an acknowledged fact that there may be a lot of strain created in border communities due to illegal immigrants. However, the problems brought about in those areas are not necessarily as a result of the free ride issue. Instead, the problem is with the way the government deals with them. There is no guest program for illegal immigrants at the border areas. If the government was to create such an opportunity for these illegal immigrants, then there would be minimal strain there. (Shapiro, 2006)
Most politicians utilize the issue of illegal immigration to spread unnecessary fear among members of the population. Contrary to most assertions that illegal immigrants enter the country to milk its resources, the truth of the matter is that these immigrants are actually contributing towards the country's overall development. Most of the free ride fears are actually not based on statistics and facts in the recent years.
Conclusion
The problem of free riders in the country can be examined through two perspectives. The first is that free riding contributes to the illegal immigrant problem and the challenges that are associated with the latter. However, this argument is misplaced because the major problem lies with the unscrupulous employers who opt to break the law by employing illegal immigrants.
The other side of the argument is that laws and regulations in the country actually discourage free riders. Most illegal immigrants are not entitled to basic public services within the country. Consequently, it is not plausible to say that free riders are actually causing the problems associated with illegal immigration as we know it today. Instead, the problem is a result of the poor employment practices existent in the country; Illegal immigrants still play a part in the country' economic growth.
Reference
Shapiro, R. (2006): Illegal aliens and worker abuse, The New York Times, 19th June
Beck, R. (2001): The case against immigration, Norton Publishers
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