There are so many things that could and probably should be said about Illegal Immigration as opposed to Legal Immigration it is a daunting task.  It would be impossible for me to elucidate all the problems and ramifications with this issue, but I will attempt to address a few and hopefully, they will resonate with you.  I’m sure you many of you will expand on what I say, and some may be adamant detractors.  I believe it is important to openly and honestly have this discussion in America.  Kicking the proverbial can down the road will not resolve the matter but will exacerbate it.

Before I address the known fiscal costs of Illegal Immigration let me address some moral, social, and national issues involved.  From the point of being a sovereign nation if one eliminates the borders they effectively destroy national sovereignty.  I cannot believe that most Americans if any, would truly want our Republic to go down in flames to an invasion of persons from other countries with no limitations, restrictions, and requirements.  Until the somewhat recent phenomenon advanced by some businesses and liberal politicians, we demanded certain things from those coming to America seeking either asylum or citizenship.  We expected them to assimilate into our society and culture.  We expected them to become Americans.

Of course, we expected people to maintain their cultural heritage but not at the expense or endangerment of America or Americans.  Former President Theodore Roosevelt made an impassioned and reasoned speech in 1907 regarding this issue.  He said, “In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person’s becoming in every facet an American and nothing but an American … There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag … We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language … and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.”  That is powerful!

Some argue that it is less than compassionate and not Christian to deny entry into our nation to those seeking to come.  That sounds noble but when we weight the impact and practical aspects of that policy we find it unsustainable.  We now have an estimated 11-30 million illegals in this country.  Is it in the best interest of the citizens of this Republic to throw open our doors and allow unrestricted flow of people of all skill levels to enter?  What does that do to the American citizen who is now struggling to make ends meet when there are dozens of new people seeking the same job they hold or desire?  If the supply of workers exceeds the jobs available employers can be expected to lower wages to hire the least costly individuals and that hurts everyone.  I am not arguing the rightness of that action but the reality of it.

What happens to the educational system and healthcare, not to mention the increased burden on the courts and law enforcement?  What do you tell those struggling American citizens when there is not enough money to help them because of the subsistence provided to the illegals who cannot care for themselves or have learned to game the system?  Is that compassionate or reasonable?  We have over 400,000 applications for asylum backlogged and some have been in the system since 2014, how do we expand that without doing great harm to our immigration system?  Do we need Immigration Reform?  Absolutely, but we do not need open borders and certainly not illegal and unconstitutional sanctuary cities.  The cost and danger are too great to allow.

But to the actual fiscal costs of Illegal Immigration.  In order to grasp the vastness of this, we must define “illegal alien”.  It would be fair to identify such a person as someone who is in the United States of America without authorization or their authorization has expired.  The United States has no centralized database to track and we largely rely on ‘self-reporting’.  I find that akin to asking a thief to report to the IRS how much he stole and pay taxes on the profits of his criminality.

Taxpayers, in America, payout almost $135 Billion to cover the costs of the estimated 12.5 million illegals and their 4.2 million children now, here.  That is an ever-rising cost estimate and places us on a path of unsustainability.  It is estimated that illegals pay about $18 Billion in taxes and cost $135 Billion. That is a deficit of approximately $116 Billion dollars annually.  Imagine what that could do for American citizens now in need.  We are spending about $1.6 Billion on education for the illegals.  Medical Care is about $17.1 Billion, Federal Justice costs come in at $13.1 Billion and Welfare at $5.8 Billion.  If you extrapolate the number here exponentially the costs become hundreds of billions if not trillions and that is not sustainable.

Before anyone argues that those people will starve if we don’t let them in and as Governor John Kasich argued, God wants us to back the illegals, let me insert a few thoughts.  We cannot solve the poverty problem of the world.  That is a fact.  Is it compassionate to throw open our doors and create an economic condition where not only the new illegal aliens starve but millions of legal citizens as well?  At what point do we realize, as, in virtually every aspect of human life, there must be a line over which we do not cross?  Are you willing to have the government bring illegals to your home and mandate that you are to the house and feed them at no cost to them?  Are you willing to take food, clothing, and medical care from your children so that you can spread your resources out to your family and the illegals deposited at your door?  Do you consider that reasonable?

America fought a Revolution to earn the right to be a Free People with a system of government that allowed each person to pursue their dreams through Free Market Capitalism.  Some of those seeking entry into our country are impoverished and deeply in need and my heart breaks for them.  I am willing and do, give money to help provide food, clothing, shelter, and water for impoverished peoples in the world.  I can only do so much without destroying my responsibility to my family.  America cannot be the policeman of the world or the benefactor of the world and as difficult as that may sound, it is a reality.  Proverbs 19:17 tells us that “he that gives to the poor lends to the LORD, and God will repay him for that deed.”  I believe in Christian charity and benevolence, but I also believe the Bible when it says in 1 Timothy 5:8, “if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

There are a limited number of persons that we can incorporate into our society and economy annually and there are requirements that must be imposed on each of them.  There is a legal pathway for entry into America and there is the route of seeking asylum.  The Illegal Entry is a criminal offense and if we are to remain the Free Sovereign Republic our Laws must be honored and enforced.

God bless you and God bless America!