We hear the mantra often: "Immigration is good for the economy." I would like to ask the question, whose economy exactly is it good for? Another common phrase: "Immigrants take jobs Americans won't do." This philosophy led Sen. John McCain to say publicly that Americans wouldn't pick lettuce if you paid them $50 an hour.
Some Americans benefit a great deal from illegal immigration — those hiring workers at wages far below the level at which anyone could reasonably make a living. If you own a hotel, fast-food restaurant, large meat-packing plant, multimillion-dollar farm, large mine or large real estate development company, illegal immigrants are wonderful for your economy. These industries and others have managed to circumvent the forces of the free market by shifting the cost of their cheap, illegal, subsidized labor to the community at large.
Nathan Carter
Salt Lake City