It’s been some time since the congress has had a meaningful discussion on illegal immigration. A few years back, there was talk of strict enforcement of existing laws, immigration reform and the building of fences along some of our borders. The end result of all the rhetoric has been an occasional article in the paper telling of an INS roundup of undocumented aliens. Congress has successfully avoided the issue and life goes on for the profiteering coyote as he smuggles in the next batch of aspiring illegals.

One cannot blame the foreigners for sneaking into the USA. The promise of steady work, a higher standard of living and better pay becomes a huge incentive for the many deprived citizens of the world. And, we should all remember that the vast majority of us are ancestors of foreign immigrants. All this by way of saying the immigration problem will continue to increase unless the government acts.

But, the government is frozen. This monumental problem, involving some 12 to 20 million people, is being ignored. In so far as no one knows the actual number of undocumented aliens, it is impossible to accurately project the economic and social cost of the invasion. However, we can observe the heavy burden that has been placed on our school systems, hospital emergency rooms, food stamp programs, housing assistance and Medicaid. The illegal invasion creates a tremendous demand on these social programs and we are unable to cope with the out of control costs.

There is a more insidious price that all Americans pay to support the undocumented workers. Illegal laborers are willing and able to work for a lower rate of pay than their American counterparts. Subsequently, there is a noted increase in the number of illegal aliens that have taken jobs in construction, landscaping, manufacturing and similar service industries which used to pay Americans a living wage for their efforts. The resultant decline in wages has acted like a communicable disease and spread through many other occupations causing a general decline in the American standard of living.  This fiasco is reminiscent of the free trade blunder which mandates that USA workers can’t compete with foreign countries because we honor labor and environmental laws that generations of Americans fought and sacrificed to obtain. These absurd economic policies are destroying the USA.

In these difficult times of high unemployment and financial instability, one can’t help but wonder why our government has been silent on this issue. Unfortunately, our government is an extension of business and corporations. Business see the illegal worker as an unrepresented group to exploit so they may make additional profits and government officials respond by lip syncing a concern while collecting the generous contributions of the deep pocketed lobbyist. Businesses, in collusion with government officials, are intent on destroying the USA for a profit!