The topic of illegal immigration is guaranteed to cause heated arguments both sides of the Atlantic and beyond, but in the United States lawmakers are considering two bills that could impact greatly on illegal aliens and their fiercely disputed effect on the nation’s economy. After Katrina so severely damaged the gaming industry in Mississippi and Louisiana, it was evident that many of the lower paid casino/hotel workers had no legal status and no access to emergency funds. Many were repatriated to their countries of origin with few of their possessions and no chance of claiming wages due.

As with any topic, there are always at least two sides to the argument and valid points that can be made by all. It is estimated that tens of thousands of undocumented workers help drive the economy in Las Vegas, many arriving from California to fill jobs in Nevada’s burgeoning service and construction industries. California is the leading state of residence for illegal immigrants and Mexico is the leading country of origin.

Whilst the lawmakers argue over issues of border control, possible amnesty measures and ‘guest worker’ programmes, the nation seems to polarise behind opposing views of immigration – that the black market economy fuels growth, or that it takes employment from US citizens and is a drain on social services. Like in most arguments, there are several grey areas with statistics to prove a point. For many poor countries, the money sent home to their families by those working illegally in the United States is a vital part of the economy. President Fox of Mexico not long ago made the much-criticised comment about Mexicans doing the jobs that even the blacks in America wouldn’t do.

It cannot be disputed that illegal immigrants do fill many jobs that Americans won’t take. However, this may have more to do with employers being unwilling to offer the pay and conditions required by law for US citizens. Some see the enforcement of immigration laws as a means of compelling employers to improve wages, benefits and job opportunities for the lowest paid American workers.

Yesterday President Bush said that his goal was to expel every single illegal alien from the United States, urging Congress to pass a guest worker programme and increase border security. The practicalities of such a programme, or of policing the extensive Mexican and Canadian borders, are far from clear and, in the meantime, as ‘politics’ rears its ugly head, the estimated 11 million illegal aliens continue to work and contribute to the economies of the United States and many other poorer nations. (E-10.20.05)

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