Overpopulation Due to Illegal Immigrants

Overpopulation in one's nation of origin is a leading cause for the desire to migrate; there exist many cities and rural areas that are overcrowded to an unhealthy degree. Natives that desire a better living environment will leave their respective areas to another country that they deem to be more desirable. Yet, herein exist immigration problems for themselves and for the countries where they intend to illegally reside.

If the immigrants are from an underdeveloped nation where food is scarce and water is scanty, they will seek out residence in an area more suited to provide health and prosperity. Overpopulation proposes many different problems such as, higher risks of contracting diseases, lack of food and resources, threatened water supply, poverty, climate change, and crime. Under these conditions and risks, a better life is invariably sought out and envisioned.

Ironically, the point can be argued that immigrants hoping to escape from the overpopulation existing in their nation of origin are merely contributing to a potential overpopulation in their new country of residence. the following are some statistics showing how their avoidance of overpopulation becomes the evil to their inhabitor:

"Post 1970 immigrants and their descendants have added more than 55 million people to our country; this is the equivalent of absorbing all of Central America in thirty years."

"Immigrants accounted for more than 45 percent of the growth in Colorado's population in the past two years1. An estimated 33.1 million immigrants now live in the United States, about 11.5 percent of the total population, according to the report's figures, based on still-unreleased U.S. Census Bureau data collected in March 2002."

"California has practically doubled in population in the last 35 years. 96% of its growth in the 1990's was due to immigration. California now has 35 million, and is larger than most countries of the world."

However, when one immigrates illegally onto American soil, they are not accounted for as a citizen. As a result, they are not entitled to the same rights and advantages afforded to legal residents of their new host country. More often than not, they will be hired as immigrants with no benefits and very small pay, which usually falls under the national minimum wage.

This immigration problem is either overlooked, or unknown to the immigrants. Yet, further problems arise in the event of work-related injuries. Due to insufficient permission to legally gain employment in the United States, many illegal immigrants seek out employment in project-based opportunities - a trait commonly found in manual, and day labor. Though worker's compensation could provide an injured worker with pay to cover doctor visits, as well as provide treatment for the emotional and physical damage suffered, those opportunities are not afforded to non-citizens of the United States.