This blog contains posts and comments written by students in Dr. Tufte's economics classes at Southern Utah University.
2/15/2005
What To Do About The Increase Of Illegal Immigrants
What shall we do about the increase of undocumented immigrants? According to the article migrants no more there has been an increase of 300,000 undocumented immigrants in the past decade (http://search.epnet.com.proxy.li.suu.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&an=14940443.) The article says that this increase has been partially influenced by the increase of the Border Patrol. Because of the heightened securtiy, immigrants that do make it across are less likely to return home to visit. Thus we have, in a sense, locked these undocumented immigrants in. So I propose that we keep the Border Patrol where it is at, while at the same time finding those who employee undocumented immigrants and fine them. I know there are those out there that say it gets the product to the consumer cheaper, but if you can produce a cheap product while giving a better lifestyle to your employees isn't that even better? How do you accomplish these two goals? I suggest that the companies build a plant in mexico, or in this case buy farm land. This would allow those immigrant workers to stay in mexico,and obtain a farily decent paying job. By doing this they can purchase the things they need at a cheaper price and do not have to worry about the poverty line, or being seperated from their families. If we can make Mexico, their homeland, more desirable by relocating some jobs there it would make everyone better off.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
-2 for a poorly formatted link and spelling errors in Sam's post.
This is a fairly common opinion, and one on which - until fairly recently - economists didn't have much else to say.
But growth theory has results that show that wages are influenced not only by individual characteristics but also by the aggregate level of technology that surrounds the worker. So you can increase your wage simply my migrating to a place with thicker technology (say from Cedar City to St George to Salt Lake to San Francisco). This creates a big incentive to migrate, and all the border patrols and fines in the world won't change this.
The solution is (roughly) to make Mexico richer by increasing its level of technology. The reason that this doesn't appear to work is that even though Mexico is closing the gap with the U.S., it is doing this so slowly that the problem persists. Everywhere in the world where there is migration there is also a steep gradient in wages and technology.
I think we should lock the border up tight. America wasn't built into the powerful nation that it is today because everyone wanted to run back to England when times got tough. America was once very third world too, poverty stricken, and quite honestly a tough place to live. But because of strong willed people who decided to stick it out and make where they lived a better place to be America slowly developed into a strong nation. I believe the same can happen for Mexico. If made to stay where they already are. Mexicans would not have the crutch of hoping for a better life in America instead they would fight for a better life in their homeland, and in turn bring the level of living in Mexico to a standard worthy of its citizens.
Post a Comment