Presidential Candidates keep in mind...

On the forefront of the 2008 presidential election, there are many issues facing the American voter. One issue, having taken the backseat to the war in Iraq, is illegal immigration. Though the issue has not been in the media recently, it is still a concern that should be explored before passing judgment about candidates.

The prominence of illegal immigrants in America and the extent to which they impact daily life is astonishing. Almost 12 million people in America are illegal immigrants. 6.2 million come from Mexico, 2.5 million from Latin America, 1.5 from Asia, 600,000 from Europe/Canada and 400,000 come from Africa and other areas. Being that 54% of illegal immigrants are of from Mexico, emphasis in the debate has been placed on Hispanics in particular.

Regardless of citizenship, illegal immigrants are employed in virtually every industry. Some 7.2 million or, 1 in 20 workers, in the U.S. are illegal immigrants. It breaks down to 1 in 4 farm workers, 1 in 7 construction workers, 1 in 8 food preparers, 29% of all roofers and drywallers, and 27% of butchers and food processors are undocumented immigrants.

While many scream “deport them,” it must be understood that deporting these workers would send a crippling shock wave through the economy. The price of produce would sky rocket if 25% of farm employees were suddenly no longer available. The major construction boom that has kept the American economy afloat would slow dramatically, if not cease, if almost 44% of construction workers, including roofers and drywallers, were no longer available. The cost of eating out would be drastically higher if companies lost approximately 40% of industry employees. America’s economy would collapse if all of the illegal immigrants were deported.

The current democratic nominees ranked highest in polls are Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama. Both Clinton and Obama are strong advocates of stopping illegal immigration. The senators support a stronger border patrol and high-tech barriers at the borders. However, the bigger issue is what to do about the current illegal immigrants residing within the United States. Both senators feel it would be detrimental to the U.S. to deport over 11 million undocumented immigrants. Rather, they plan to institute plans that allow such illegal immigrants to come out of the shadows and begin the process towards achieving citizenship.

Leading republican candidates Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson feel much the same as their democratic contenders. Fred Thompson feels that America should toughen its policies regarding citizenship, not allow 12 million illegal immigrants to become citizens. Rudy Giuliani supports a closed border policy and has a history with immigration as a former NYC mayor. Recently, Giuliani made comments regarding illegal immigration as “not being a crime.” His comments pitted presidential hopeful Mitt Romney against him, accusing Giuliani of not taking the issue seriously.

Regardless the actions already being taken, illegal immigration is a serious issue in the United States. War and the current condition of the economy are prominent concerns the American voters have. However, illegal immigrants, processes to legalization, and stopping future illegal immigration should rank as high as the other issues. Americans should weigh heavily the policies of the presidential contenders and their power to affect change with their vote.