Measures taken by the US Government to Stop Illegal Immigration

The border between the two countries is long and porous, with long stretches in rural and desert regions that are hard to patrol. The U.S. Border Patrol uses cars, trucks, motorcycles, planes and even horses to patrol the border. In isolated areas they also have sensors that tell them when people are traveling between authorized points of entry.

President Bush has promoted a guest worker program that would allow immigrants to work in the country for a limited period, as long as they have secured a job. Amnesty for illegal immigrants is always a hot political topic.

Many people are calling for better enforcement at the borders and at workplaces to stop illegal immigration. Most in this camp feel that law enforcement is at the heart of the necessary solution, both at the border and at worksites known to employ illegal immigrants.

Undocumented Workers Spreading Out

According to the Pew report undocumented immigrants increasingly spread out beyond longtime destinations for foreign-born residents. In 1990, 88 percent of undocumented immigrants lived in six states - California, New York, Texas, Illinois, Florida and New Jersey. In 2004 those same states accounted for only 61 percent of the country's undocumented population. The most popular state is California, where nearly 25 percent of the undocumented population lives. California is followed by Texas at 14 percent, Florida at 9 percent, New York at 7 percent, Arizona at 5 percent, Illinois and New Jersey both at 4 percent, and North Carolina at 3 percent.

North Carolina and Arizona Growing Quickly

North Carolina and Arizona are two of the fastest-growing states in the U.S. overall, with metropolitan areas booming with new construction, restaurants and service businesses. These are job sectors that attract undocumented workers. Employers like them because they are willing to work for less money than U.S. citizens and in the service sector they are willing to take jobs not sought after by Americans. It creates a challenge for those trying to control illegal immigration when employers ignore illegal immigration laws by providing jobs to undocumented workers.

One of the strongest of all illegal immigration facts is that the cost of illegal immigration to the U.S. taxpayer is a major concern and a hot political topic since undocumented workers do not pay income taxes but often avail themselves of social services paid for with tax dollars. Illegal immigration statistics continue to mount in the U.S. and promise to be an election issue once again 2008.