Complaint Review: illegal immigrants from NC Dream Team (North Carolina)

No longer wishing to make complaint about this report on this company. Businesses make mistakes as yes, there was a problem and I yes, no one is perfect, even myself. So I am dropping complaint about this company and going to say I am sorry for making this report.

Between 40 and 50 percent of wage-loss among low-skilled Americans is due to the in-migration of low-skilled workers. Many American workers lose their jobs through unfair competition. An estimated 1,880,000 American workers are displaced from their jobs every year by immigration and the cost for providing welfare and assistance to these Americans is over $15 billion a year - FAIR research.

Immigration is a net drain on the economy; corporate interests reap the benefits of cheap labor, while taxpayers pay the infrastructural cost. FAIR research shows "the net annual cost of immigration has been estimated at between $67 and $87 billion a year. The National Academy of Sciences found that the net fiscal drain on American taxpayers is between $166 and $226 a year per native household. Even studies claiming some modest overall gain for the economy from immigration ($1 to $10 billion a year) have found that it is outweighed by the fiscal cost ($15 to $20 billion a year) to native taxpayers."

$60 billion dollars are earned by illegal aliens in the U.S. each year. One of Mexico's largest revenue streams (after exports and oil sales) consists of money sent home by legal immigrants and illegal aliens working in the U.S. Economists say this will help Mexico reduce its $17.8 billion defecit and may bolster the peso. $10 billion dollars are sent back to Mexico annually, according to the Pew Hispanic Center, reported in an Associated Press article, up $800 million from the previous year. ($9 billion dollars were previously sent back annually, according to a September 25, 2002 NPR report). That figure equals what Mexico earns annually from tourism. This massive transfer of wealth from America - essentially from America's displaced working poor - goes directly to Mexico.
For more information, see this map of remittances to Latin America.
"In the NAFTA era, a staggering 87 percent of Mexico's imports go to the United States, while Mexicans living in the United States send home more than $8 billion annually. [Mexican President] Fox has said he considers his constituency to include the 22 million to 24 million Mexicans and Mexican-Americans in the United States. Mexican candidates now make campaign stops in U.S. cities like Los Angeles, Phoenix and Fresno, Calif." (Mexico's muddle, Ruben Navarrette Jr., March 26, 2003).

Did you know that the man who made the line 'I'll be back' the cult phrase it is today was accused of being an illegal immigrant? In fact, Arnold Schwarzenegger may have actually admitted to a status violation in his autobiography, which in today's time and according to the legalities applicable, would have made him liable for deportation and a possible revocation of his citizenship. Illegal immigration is one of the biggest problems in the United States with almost 11 million illegal immigrants living in the United States as of 2008. A brief overview of illegal immigration facts will tell you how this is a significant decline from the illegal immigration population in 2007 which stood at 12 million. But the fact remains that having individuals, who are unaccounted for, living in a country can lead to several problems which can effect the social and economic framework of a country.

How do you define an illegal immigrant? According to US policies, any citizen of another country who enters the United States and stays there without proper permission and in violation of the immigration policies of the United States is an illegal immigrant. Suspects of illegal immigration are classified under three different categories, non-immigrant visa overstayer (someone who overstays his visa permit), border crossing card violator or a suspect who has evaded the immigration inspectors and border patrol. According to estimates about illegal immigration in the United States, almost half a million people enter the country every year as illegal immigrants. The most common method of entering the country illegally is by hiring professionals who help you cross the border. Facts about illegal immigration will always show that the main cause behind illegal immigration into the United States is the promise of a better economic future. Chain immigration (people who follow their relatives into the country) also contributes to illegal immigration largely. Other than these causes, the unnecessarily long delay in issuing a visa by the United States, and government inefficacy in their own countries are reasons that contribute to illegal immigration problems.

Pros and Cons of Illegal Immigration

While it is difficult to look at a positive to the problem of illegal immigration, there are actually two sides to the coin. In this section we elaborate on the pros and cons involving the situation that is illegal immigration.

Admittedly there are many problems that result from illegal immigration, of which the main problem is the easy transit route that it becomes for terrorist groups looking to enter the United States. Massive crime rise is another problem that has been attributed to illegal immigration as many illegal immigrant purportedly resort to criminal activities when in need of a job. These also lead to huge judicial problems as it becomes difficult to trace them. The increased population of illegal immigrants, combined with the indigenous population of the United States, results in huge stress on the public transportation system and other such public amenities. Also, there is increased financial burden on the state. Several experts have also pointed out to a possible situation where in multiculturalism will be overshadowed by a single ethnic diversity leading to dominance of a single culture. These are just some of the problems that result from illegal immigration.

On the other hand there are some experts that have actually pointed out the good that results from illegal immigration. Many illegal immigrants fulfill the demand for low wage laborers that exists in the country. One of the irrefutable facts is that they contribute to the tax system by paying not only sales tax but also real estate taxes if they posses real estate. If they are a part of the banking system of the country, then they also contribute to the banking services by paying interests and dividends. While most people believe that the pros of illegal immigration are outdone by the problems caused by it, the promise of a better future as compared to the places they immigrate from, is something that should definitely be considered while tackling the issue at hand.

Illegal Immigration Statistics

In order to understand how big a problem illegal immigration can be, let us take a look at some statistics regarding illegal immigration. These numbers are from the year 2006 and compare changes from the year 2000 to 2006.

Facts about Illegal Immigrant

Native Country
Number of Immigrants
Total Percent
Change in % (From 2000 2006)

Mexico
6,570,000
57%
69%

El Salvador
510,000
4%
9%

Guatemala
430,000
4%
8%

Philippines
280,000
2%
4%

Honduras
280,000
2%
5%

India
270,000
2%
5%

Now that we know which countries most illegal immigrants come from and what the numbers are, let us take a look at some other facts about illegal immigrants.

While experts hold up their contribution to the tax system as a benefit to the country, the fact remains that tax payments from illegal immigrants is equal to only 28% of the total tax paid by citizens.
According to the Center for Immigration Studies, illegal immigration statistics points towards a rise of almost 56% in the population of the country, primarily due to rise in the number of immigrants.
According to the Center for American Progress, an astronomical amount of USD 41 billion is spent on the deportation of illegal immigrants ever year.

Estimates will tell you that almost 40% of illegal immigrants have been held for violent crimes.
Estimates also suggest that cities that have the most inflow of illegal immigrants tend to have an unemployment rate that is twice the rate as in other cities, have a crime rate that is 40% higher, and have 40% more people under the poverty line.

Almost one in every ten people living in the United States is an illegal immigrant. n 2008 7.7 million illegal immigrants were hired by American employers. For every 100 illegal immigrants hired for the job, 65 Americans lose theirs.These were just some of the numbers and illegal immigration facts quoted according to different studies and research papers on the problem of illegal immigrations that continues to haunt the country of United States. The impact of this problem is being felt widely from the increasing costs of education to the rising fear that the country is becoming primarily bilingual. Unless the policies become stricter and certain strategies are applied to nip this problem in the bud, illegal immigration is going to continue being one of the main problems faced by the US.

J, despite your impressive cutting and pasting abilities, you did not address or rebut any of the points I made above.  You did not rehabilitate or even attempt to defend any of the falsehoods in your initial report.  You have found some kind of anti-immigrant listserve or website (ALIPAC? NumbersUSA?) from which you cut and paste talking points without fully understanding them or the underlying issues.  Maybe that is enough for this forum, but it wouldn't withstand scrutiny in any public debate, news discussion, courtroom, or even in a casual conversation on the street. 

I could deconstruct Roy Beck's calculated misinformation campaign, but I am actually happy to watch NumbersUSA take on the undocumented youth movement, it is not a smart move on their part and signals the decline of the anti-immigrant movement as a political force in the U.S.  J, you are a dinosaur, the future of this country will be with those civil rights activists whose photos you have posted with your report.  You are doing their work for them by spreading their message in your own misguided way. 

Dave Bennion

Problems With Illegal Immigration the facts, beware of false information from David Bennion above

While illegal alien and amnesty supporters state complaints from Americans about illegal immigration are some form of racism, there are many very real problems associated with illegal immigration.

We asked a focus groups of citizen activists who are engaged in the struggle to have America's borders secured and existing immigration laws enforced to tell us the different reasons Americans are alarmed about illegal immigration.

Please review this list. More details will be added to each subject in the future. Please contact us if you have an addition for this list of problems caused by illegal immigration.

Anchor Babies: Birthright Citizenship Exploited
Anti-American Attitudes
Anti-Semitic Attitudes
Attacks on Border Patrol and Law Enforcement agents
Attacks on Free Speech in America
Animal Abuse Increases
Census Numbers: Negative Impact on Congressional Representation
Civil rights: Devalued by comparison to illegal actions
Child Endangerment
Child Molestation
Closed and Overcrowded Hospitals and Emergency Rooms
Cost of Translators
Consulates issuing Matricular Cards (ID Mexico won't even accept)
Day Laborers loitering and creating public hazards
Depreciated Wages for Americans and Legal Immigrants
Deterioration of Common American Culture
Desecration of the American Flag: Foreign Flags used aggressively
Disrespect for American Laws
Document Fraud
Drunk driving injuries and deaths: Hit and Runs
Ethnic Cleansing and Race Riots
Farm animals with in city limits
Food Poisoning
Foreign Influence on US Politics
Gangs, Graffiti, Drugs, Cartels, Smugglers, and Violence
Gang Rape and unreported rapes
High Birth Rates and Overpopulation
Human Sex Slavery
Identity Theft
Increased Crime
Increased Taxes for Americans
Increased pressures on infrastructure (roads, traffic, water, sewer)
Infectious Diseases
Lost American Jobs
Lost American Sovereignty
Lost Self Governance of American citizens Vs. Globalism and Elitism
Male Chauvinism: Gender inequality
Not Speaking English, loss of common language, Press 1 for English
Overcrowded Schools and Negative Impact on American Education
Overcrowded single family homes
Overcrowded Jails and Prisons
Public Sanitation Loss: Trash and human waste in towns
Racist Groups and Race Based Politics
Remittances: Billions of dollars sent out of the US Economy
Rule of Law: Fundamental principles of America sacrificed.
Separatist Movements: Demands for autonomy
Smear Campaigns and Lies: Dirty Politics
Stolen American Taxpayer Resources: Tuition, Welfare, Licenses
Taking limited seats in colleges at taxpayer expense
Tax payer funds going to special interest groups (example) "LaRaza"
Terrorism Threats and Loss of national security
Trash and Negative Impact on Environment at border
Unfair to Legal Immigrants
Unfair Business Competition for law abiding companies
Unlicensed and Uninsured Motorists
Untaxed Wages
Voter Fraud

Today, with 15 million unemployed Americans, another seven million underemployed and 41.8 million Americans subsisting on food stamps, Senator Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi attempt to pass the Dream Act in order to give illegal aliens a front row seat for a $6.2 billion give-away of American tax dollars.
 
Roy Beck, director of www.NumbersUSA.org gives Americans a clear understanding what this scam act allows. Could you explain Mr. Beck:
 
"When the House and Senate (presumably) vote this afternoon, I think it is important to frame the issue in terms of giving out millions of additional 10-year work permits," said Beck. "You see, even people who don't qualify in the first place or who do qualify for the provisional amnesty but never meet the educational criteria later -- all of them can get a 10-year work permit from the start.  
 
"Here's the way it would work under the latest DREAM amnesty bill introduced in the Senate (and coming up for a vote today): 
 
THE 10-YEAR WORK PERMITS FOR PEOPLE WHO DO NOT QUALIFY 
 
1. Application: The DREAM amnesty begins with illegal aliens filling out applications. They merely have to claim -- not provide evidence -- that they meet criteria of having been brought to the U.S. before age 16 and being under the age of 30 at time of enactment and being present in the U.S. at least 5 years before enactment of the amnesty, among other criteria.   
 
2. Work Permits Given: Upon filing the application, the illegal aliens are given a 10-year work permit to compete directly with the 22 million Americans who want a full-time job but can't find one. 
 
Estimates suggest that up to 2 million illegal aliens could legitimately qualify for the opening application, and perhaps a couple million more might be or look young enough to fraudulently apply. 
 
Those millions would immediately be able to legally compete for any U.S. job. 
 
3. Ten Years of Work Before Education Required: Despite all the talk about how this amnesty is just for people who go to college or serve in the military, the illegal aliens don't have to do much of anything in that regard to have the legal right to work for 10 years. 
 
Everybody who applies and gets the work permits has 10 years to complete two years of college or two years of military. Ten Years! 
 
By the way, despite the fact that some media outlets have taken to referring to the potential recipients of the amnesty as "the best and the brightest" and "stars," illegal aliens can get the 10-year work permit merely by completing a GED and enrolling in a single course in a community college or trade school. 
 
4. When 10 Years Are Up, What's The Chance of Anybody Being Asked to Leave? At the end of 10 years, illegal aliens who have not compiled two years of college or military would finally lose the right to compete legally with unemployed Americans for a job. 
 
"But they also would have sunk 10 more years of roots into their communities, building up an even bigger claim that it would be a hardship to be forced to leave this country," said Beck. "In addition, their advocates in the open-borders groups can say that they aren't really illegal aliens since they have just spent 10 years living and working as legal resident. 
 
"Fortunately for them, the DREAM amnesty allows those who fail to meet any of the criteria after 10 years to file a claim of hardship. The US Citizenship & Immigration Services agency is given the right to issue waivers and allow these illegal aliens to stay. By the way, they can get a waiver if the hardship is to them, or if it would be to a spouse, one of their children or one of their parents. 
 
"In the end, it is not only the 2 million potential qualified opening applicants but millions of potential fraudulent applicants who will get 10 years of legal competition against unemployed Americans. The only way the frauds can lose their work permit is if the government brings individualized cases to prove that they lied on the applications. Want to guess how many of the millions of fraud cases the government would have time to investigate and prosecute -- one by one? 
 
"Are any of the pro-DREAM amnesty supporters thinking about that? 
 
"Aside from all the issues of rewarding or encouraging law-breaking, there is the question about why this Lame Duck Congress at this time of 9.8% unemployment would feel the need to greatly increase the job competition for unemployed Americans." 

J from San Francisco abused the Ripoff Report complaint process by filing a complaint against several individuals--immigrant rights activists--who have no relation to any company or business owner.  This is clearly a political issue, not a consumer issue, and is therefore an abuse of this forum.

In addition to repeating the names of these young activists numerous times in the post--to push this political opinion piece up the google ranks since J feels he doesn't have access to legitimate avenues of political discussion?--the complaint contains numerous inaccuracies.

(1) Domenic Powell is a U.S. citizen.
(2) "J" tells these young people to "go back to Mexico," but presents no evidence that all or any of them are from Mexico.
(3) "J" claims that undocumented immigrants are taking food stamps, free health care, and government subsidized housing.  These are false assertions, as undocumented immigrants are not eligible for Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, or government-subsidized housing.  If undocumented immigrants somehow access those programs, they would likely disqualify themselves from eligibility for a green card, if they at some point became eligible otherwise.  "J" claims that undocumented immigrants "cost our health care system with free health insurance," which is completely false. 
(4) "J" next claims that, though undocumented immigrants are a burden on taxpayers, they also "do cheap jobs for nothing," i.e., they are exploited by employers.  They cannot both be a net economic burden on the U.S. and a net economic benefit.
(5) "J" claims that immigrants "fill our prisons," when actually, first-generation immigrants are substantially less likely than citizens to commit crimes: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1717575,00.html
(6) "J" cites no evidence to support his claim that immigrant students "want to have education on US tax dollars, they want to be put in front of the line in upfront of people that are legally US citizens in
this country applying for college," because that claim is untrue. 
(7) "J" claims that immigrants "take businesses away from honest taxpayers," when actually undocumented immigrants subsidize the social security system by paying payroll taxes into the system and being ineligible to take anything out.  Undocumented immigrants pay sales, property, payroll, and business taxes, and many pay state, local, and federal income taxes.  "J" wrongly implies that undocumented immigrants don't pay taxes. Also, undocumented immigrants paid $11.2 billion state and local taxes last year, while GE paid zero: http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-04-20/local/29470037_1_sales-taxes-tax-revenue-property-taxes
(8) "J" claims that the young people he mentions (excluding the U.S. citizen, we'll assume) should "be deported and apply for citzenship like everyone else" and "go back to Mexico and apply the right way and live in this country like people should, legally."  These undocumented young people are ineligible for citizenship, whether inside or outside the U.S.  No one living outside the U.S. who is not the child of a U.S. citizen can "apply for citizenship."  If those listed who are Mexican citizens, which "J" has not established, do go to Mexico, some will be prohibited from returning to the U.S. for life, and some will be barred for at least 10 years.  Clearly "J" knows very little about the immigration legal system--I am an immigration lawyer and work with these laws on a daily basis. 

While you may say I am an immigration lawyer and therefore biased, I am upfront about my name and occupation, unlike "J."  Sadly, like many citizens who oppose legalization for undocumented immigrants, "J" knows very little about the law or economics of immigration policy, and is working from a set of false assumptions. 

This complaint is factually wrong and an abuse of this forum.  If this type of complaint is commonly permitted on this site, it doesn't say good things about the credibility of RipoffReport. 

Regards,

Dave Bennion