The Cost of Illegal Aliens

Most of you have probably heard about the murder of Arizona rancher Robert Krentz. Krentz operated a cattle ranch near the international boundary with Mexico. In the middle of the night he heard strange noises and went to investigate, he was ambushed and murdered along with his dog. Border Patrol trackers traced the steps of the murderer to a point where he crossed into Mexico. This terrible event has again elevated the issue of border security and illegal aliens in the minds of the public.

If it does nothing else it should provide evidence that terrorists and assassins can cross our porous border, commit acts of violence, then reenter Mexico with little chance of being detected or apprehended.

If I were a citizen of Mexico, I would probably try to get work in the US, because conditions in that country are so difficult for the poor; I have sympathy for their plight. However, we can’t continue to stand by as these millions of people break our laws by entering and working here illegally. The cost is simply too high.

Recall the events of May 1, 2006, the time of the big nationwide demonstrations called “A Day Without Immigrants,” thousands of these people publicly demonstrated, calling a general strike for that day. The actual impact on business was minimal and for the most part the demonstration back-fired in large part due to the presence of so many Mexican flags – the public had been unaware of how large the problem was before the demonstration.

Representative Steve King of Iowa’s Fifth Congressional District sent a letter to his constituents in which he said the problem wasn’t with immigrants, but with ILLEGAL immigrants and listed what a day without Illegal immigrants would do:
• There are twelve murders by illegals each day, so twelve people would still be alive.
• There are thirteen auto fatalities caused by illegals each day, so thirteen more people saved.
• There are eight children sexually molested by illegals each day, so eight children protected.
• There are hundreds of hit and run auto incidents committed by illegals each day
• In the border states, it’s estimated that 60 percent of all auto theft is by illegals
• Virtually all drug smuggling across the southern border is by illegals
• The National Park Service reports extreme negative environmental impact caused by illegals crossing parks
• Ranchers and homeowners near the border report continual theft, vandalism, and littering by illegals
• Emergency rooms on the day with no illegals would be able to handle actual emergencies
• Traffic congestion would be reduced, commute times would decrease, fuel use reduced, and pollution reduced.

One other cost that isn’t mentioned, but is very real and for me personal, it the cost of driving without insurance and running from the scene of accidents. I was hit by a driver who suddenly changed lanes hitting the front of my vehicle and doing severe damage to the front end and steering, and damaging the left side and rear of the other car. The driver, a man of about thirty who looked to me to be Hispanic or Native American, didn’t even slow down – he sped away and entered the freeway. Two drivers who witnessed the accident pursued the car, getting the license number and a description of the driver.

It turned out he was an illegal driving a car he had registered in the name of his American girl friend, but by the time the police tracked her down and identified him, he was gone. My truck was totaled, there was no insurance, and he got away, so it cost my insurance company about $8,000 dollars and me about $3,000 to replace my truck, plus the cost and increased workload for the police investigation. The officer told me that most of their hit and runs are eventually identified as being illegals, at least in Arizona.

The cost of allowing the status quo with illegal immigration and the potential for crime and terrorism on a large scale are simply too much to ignore; we must get control of our borders and allow only honest workers to gain entry to our country.