It isn't cheap, unless you're a brainless politician. But it isn't in the trillions, either. Okay, maybe the billions. Multiples of billions. But we probably spend more on gaming these days, right? ;-)
Some figures from the stats (from GAO, which culled them from FBI, ICE and a state reimbursement program) pulled up by investigative report Sharyl Attkisson:
1. One in five federal prison inmates are "criminal aliens."
2. Ninety-one percent of illegal immigrants come from either Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Columbia or the Dominican Republic.
3. For the time period 2011 to 2016, more than 730,000 "criminal aliens" (her words, not mine) were in prison or jail.
4. For the same period, there were 4.9 million arrests of illegal immigrants for 7.5 million offenses.
5. Though no time frame is given, Attkisson says illegal immigrants committed 1 million drug crimes. As well, there were 663,000 "assaults, sex offenses and kidnappings" tied to illegal immigrants. I can't find the source for her figures for that one, other than as I noted above.
6. For the time period 2010 to 2015, the total cost of such activity came out to $15 billion or $2.5 billion annually.
No secret where I stand on illegal immigration. It has to stop and illegal immigrants (other than, possibly, Dreamers -- who I'm guessig we'll have to make some accommodation for as regards their status) shouldn't receive any sort of amnesty or other benefit from the government. We also need to tighten borders and get a handle on legal immigration, allowing in those who have skills and other attributes necessary to becoming a successful immigrant and not a burden on society immediately upon arriving on our shores. I think our immigration policy should be at least as strict as Mexico's or New Zealand's and not quite as draconian as Japan's. ;-)
As to the whole, "Americans won't do menial jobs" thing, I'm thinking the meme is overhyped more than anything else, if the LA Times is to be believed. They'll do the work, of course, But you have to pay them. But we're also in love with cheap everything, including lettuce and a myriad of other products and services, and so we turn a blind eye towards the issue of illegal immigrants and the labor we cynically ask that they supply.
How this garlic farm went from a labor shortage to over 150 people on its applicant waitlist
"Politics is just show business for ugly people."
Some figures from the stats (from GAO, which culled them from FBI, ICE and a state reimbursement program) pulled up by investigative report Sharyl Attkisson:
1. One in five federal prison inmates are "criminal aliens."
2. Ninety-one percent of illegal immigrants come from either Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Columbia or the Dominican Republic.
3. For the time period 2011 to 2016, more than 730,000 "criminal aliens" (her words, not mine) were in prison or jail.
4. For the same period, there were 4.9 million arrests of illegal immigrants for 7.5 million offenses.
5. Though no time frame is given, Attkisson says illegal immigrants committed 1 million drug crimes. As well, there were 663,000 "assaults, sex offenses and kidnappings" tied to illegal immigrants. I can't find the source for her figures for that one, other than as I noted above.
6. For the time period 2010 to 2015, the total cost of such activity came out to $15 billion or $2.5 billion annually.
No secret where I stand on illegal immigration. It has to stop and illegal immigrants (other than, possibly, Dreamers -- who I'm guessig we'll have to make some accommodation for as regards their status) shouldn't receive any sort of amnesty or other benefit from the government. We also need to tighten borders and get a handle on legal immigration, allowing in those who have skills and other attributes necessary to becoming a successful immigrant and not a burden on society immediately upon arriving on our shores. I think our immigration policy should be at least as strict as Mexico's or New Zealand's and not quite as draconian as Japan's. ;-)
As to the whole, "Americans won't do menial jobs" thing, I'm thinking the meme is overhyped more than anything else, if the LA Times is to be believed. They'll do the work, of course, But you have to pay them. But we're also in love with cheap everything, including lettuce and a myriad of other products and services, and so we turn a blind eye towards the issue of illegal immigrants and the labor we cynically ask that they supply.
How this garlic farm went from a labor shortage to over 150 people on its applicant waitlist
"Politics is just show business for ugly people."
Last edited by:
big kahuna: Sep 17, 18 7:01