Who Cares?

I support earned citizenship and guest worker programs.In FY2005, illegal immigrants used less than 1% of the entire $115 Billion Medicaid budget (Source: whitehouse.gov and newsobserver.com)One of the most comprehensive studies done, the Harvard study of 2005, concluded that immigrants are "not a drain" on the US healthcare system.The American Journal of Public Health found that immigrants use 8% of healthcare in this country. Undocumented immigrants make up about 1/3 of the total, which comes out to less than 3% spent on undocumented immigrants.A third of all immigrants used no healthcare at all in 2005 (Source: American Journal of Public Health)The cost of healthcare for immigrants (legal and otherwise) was less than half the cost of healthcare for US citizens. ($1,110 per year vs $2,500 per year)The biggest expense in the Medicaid budget is healthcare for pregnant women. (newsobserver.com) I'd like to know who here will argue against healthcare for pregnant women. After all, it is the most expensive part of the budget.As for Social Security:The majority, 75%, of illegal immigrants pay income tax, including social security. (Source: Stephen Gauss, Chief Actuary of Social Security)Illegal immigrants contribute $7 Billion (that's billion with a B) each year into the Social Security fund. This is money that they will never get back because it is contributed via fake SS numbers. (April 5 2005 NYT)Illegal immigrants have contributed over $200 Billion (with a B) into SS and will not receive any benefits from it.Many complain without reason about the incredibly high drain on society that illegal immigrants cause. They are not the source of skyrocketing healthcare costs or the instability in social security. It simply isn't true, no matter how much some of you like to tell yourself it is.Basically, here's why we don't need a new law against immigration. We've already got several, but they're not enforced. People claim that businesses should be fined for hiring undocumented immigrants. Newsflash: They already are! The 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act provides penalties for any business that hires illegal immigrants. Throughout the 90's, this law was enforced, maxing in 1999 with about $4 million in fines. However, since 2000, this law has been enforced less and less each year. In 2004, $188,000 was collected, and in 2005 $0 ZERO fines were levied against businesses for hiring illegals.But don't we need more border agents? This is already a law. The National Intelligence Reform Act, signed into law by Bush, requires 2,000 new agents every year for 5 years. How many did Bush actually authorize in his budget last year? 210. That's right, barely 10% of what the law requires.We don't need a new law that will add bloat and confusion to the current system, we all know there's enough of that. Enforce the laws that are already on the books. Somebody should have a talk with whoever's in charge of the enforcement branch of the government.