Immigration

In March 2006 the Pew Hispanic Center estimated the undocumented population ranged from 11.5 to 12 million individuals, a number supported by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO)[2]. Pew estimated that 57% of this population comes from Mexico; 24% from Central America and, to a lesser extent, South America; 9% from Asia; 6% from Europe, and the remaining 4% from elsewhere. The annual net cost of illegal immigrants (after subtracting their tax payments) to the American taxpayer is likely to be more than $45 billion (ac. to Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)). The number of undocumented immigrants in the country has increased more than 40 percent since 2000. Every year, more than a half-million people come illegally or illegally overstay their visas (ac. to Obama campaign). In 2007, a record 276,912 illegal immigrants were deported by ICE (see below) ac. to their 2007 Annual Report, a record high. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection is responsible for apprehending individuals attempting to enter the United States illegally. The United States Border Patrol is its mobile uniformed law enforcement arm, responsible for deterrence and apprehension of immigrants who enter the US without authorization from the government. Activity on the United States-Mexico border is concentrated around big border cities such as San Diego and El Paso, which have extensive border fencing and enhanced border patrols. Stricter enforcement of the border in cities has failed to significantly curb illegal immigration, instead pushing the flow into more remote regions and increasing the cost to taxpayers of each arrest from $300 in 1992 to $1700 in 2002. The cost to illegal immigrants has also increased: they now routinely hire coyotes, or smugglers, to help them get across. -700 miles of the 2000 mile border -Cost was estimated at about 50 billion dollars, but the fence is now costing even more than expected, and there isn’t even an estimate at this time. -Even if the fence was successfully constructed, people could still tunnel under it. Tunneling under the old fences along the border by drug smugglers has been documented, and this practice would only increase with a longer fence. -An estimated 30 environmental laws alone were waived to expedite the process -Environmental impacts: interrupts migration of species; particularly hard on endangered species that rely on that area—ocelots, green jays, ferruginous pygmy owls, jaguarondi; also prevents animals from accessing what is the only source of fresh water for many of them-the Rio Grande. It also cuts a 90,000 acre preserve in Texas in half, undoing decades of work and damaging a valuable piece of rare habitat. “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was established on March 1, 2003, as part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The 15,000 employees of ICE represent the largest investigative force within DHS. ICE enforces the nation’s immigration and customs laws and protects federal facilities.“ “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) strengthens national security and upholds public safety by closing down homeland security vulnerabilities. Created in March 2003, ICE was tasked with closing down our nation’s vulnerabilities by targeting the people, money and materials that support terrorism and other criminal activities. ICE prioritizes its immigration enforcement actions by targeting the greatest national security and public safety threats -- an approach not taken prior to 9/11.” ICE has significantly increased the number of illegal immigrants that have been deported- 276,923 illegal aliens in 2007; record high. ** Improve Our Immigration System- ** Obama and Biden believe we must fix the dysfunctional immigration bureaucracy and increase the number of legal immigrants to keep families together and meet the demand for jobs that employers cannot fill. ** Remove Incentives to Enter Illegally- ** Obama and Biden will remove incentives to enter the country illegally by cracking down on employers who hire undocumented immigrants. ** Bring People Out of the Shadows- ** Obama and Biden support a system that allows undocumented immigrants who are in good standing to pay a fine, learn English, and go to the back of the line for the opportunity to become citizens. ** Work with Mexico- ** Obama and Biden believe we need to do more to promote economic development in Mexico to decrease illegal immigration.
 * Immigration ** Aubrey Faust
 * Useful Numbers: **
 * Immigration enforcement **
 * THE FENCE **
 * ICE: **** Immigration and Customs Enforcement (info from their website) **
 * OBAMA's Position: ** “The time to fix our broken immigration system is now… We need stronger enforcement on the border and at the workplace… But for reform to work, we also must respond to what pulls people to America… Where we can reunite families, we should. Where we can bring in more foreign-born workers with the skills our economy needs, we should”- Statement on U.S. Senate Floor, May 23, 2007
 * Create Secure Borders- ** Obama and Biden want to preserve the integrity of our borders. He supports additional personnel, infrastructure and technology on the border and at our ports of entry.