Since July, 4 1776, the very beginning of the America, illegal immigrants have come from many parts around the world and have affected the U.S. Today, everyone from politicians to regular citizens have taken notice in the topic and are trying to do something about it by supporting illegal immigrants or trying to stop illegal immigrants.

Why they come:

An anonymous 44 year-old Raleigh man left his home from Honduras in 1998 to seek out opportunities in the U.S to get a job, make money and start a new life.

“I came to the U.S because my country had no jobs and no money to support my life. It was hard leaving my home, and it was hard adjusting to America. But it was something I needed to do. I chose America because it gave me money and opportunities, that were not available in Honduras,” said Raleigh immigrant from Honduras man.

In 2016, 11.3 percent of the population of the United States were illegal immigrants according to ProCon.org. They chose to come to America for a chance to gain a new future in the world and start a new way of life.

“Personally we came here because of freedoms, education and some fair form of government. Because of the American dream, security and many job opportunities it lead me to the United States,” said an Athens students from Iran.

Each year immigrants come to America, but not all of them come for the same reasons. Some come for jobs or a new start, others simply come for education and some come for freedom or safety.

Negatives of illegal immigration:

In 2015, 11 million unauthorized immigrants came to the United States. As the years go on, that number rises. The rise in population causes the rise in concern for many political leaders and citizens. Some politicians believe that the rise of immigrants will have a negative effect on the United States.

“The economic impact of illegal immigration in the U.S. is costly and impacts the financial security of the county’s legal residents. This impact plays out in a number of ways.

Illegal Immigration Reduces Wages. Those unregulated workers are often underpaid, which keeps wages lower in a particular occupation and region. Illegal aliens can put a financial burden on local and federal law enforcement. Immigrants on average tend to have larger families than those in the U.S. This difference can strain the resources of local school districts. The arrival of illegal immigrants both in the U.S. and in other countries creates a problem that is often under the radar: a black market for goods and services. Black markets are not regulated or taxed by the federal or state government, which means that the goods and services traded there do not contribute to the tax base. They also can drive up car insurance rates. That’s because some states make it hard for undocumented workers to get driver’s licenses. One study found that drivers in those states pay a higher amount for car insurance because they are surrounded by more uninsured motorists,”said Michael McDonald PhD.

More specifically, the increase of immigrants coming to America is believed to cause the rise in unemployment, a shortage of food and an increase in crime. However, some negative effects of illegal immigration is believed to happen that doesn’t mean these beliefs will come true.

    “We don’t understand why politicians think of us the way they do because we come only to work not to cause problems. We want to work make a little money and go back,” said Raleigh  immigrant from Honduras man.

Positives of illegal immigration:

Others believe the rise of immigrants will help the United States in a positive way. More specifically, illegal immigration is believed to help with wages and employment with different job opportunities and improve the economy and overall society. Illegal immigration is also believed to help the social working of companies and political money.

“Many undocumented immigrants pay taxes, use government services and collect benefits. Most importantly, undocumented immigrants contribute to the economy. Labor economists agree that there are net gains to having a larger labor supply. Some groups benefit more than others do and some may even be hurt by the millions of undocumented immigrants. In 2012, researchers at the Cato Institute estimated that a mass deportations policy would reduce economic growth by around $250 billion per year. Those costs would not be evenly distributed: Those at the very bottom of the income distribution, particularly those without a high school diploma, may even earn higher wages in the absence of undocumented immigrants. But in total, undocumented immigrants benefit the economy,”said Danny Vinik.

What is being done:

 Now, the United States government is becoming more strict on its illegal immigration policies. The Trump administration has strengthened border security and increased the amount of deportation and detentions for illegal immigrants attempting to enter the U.S.

U.S. citizens are reacting to illegal immigration by taking a stance on one of the two sides.  One of the stances on illegal immigration is to strengthen policies, to stop, or limit illegal immigration. The other stance is to be more lenient and allow illegal immigrants to continue coming to the United States for economic, educational or security reasons.

Illegal Immigration has and will continue to be a important topic of discussion for political leaders and civilians as time goes on. The overall outcome will affect everyone in different ways on the way. Until then illegal immigrants will continue to come to America.

“I chose to come here and leave my great life there and start a new

 one in the USA. I chose to have a normal life with freedom in front of a great life without freedom,”said an Athens students from Iran.