15
Oct

Could the US use the necessity doctrine to curb immigration? (Part 2)

Published on October 15th, 2012

The US certainly does not have an obligation to admit immigrants into its borders. However, with the economic state of affairs, could we use the necessity doctrine to forgo international obligations in order to "get our fiscal house in order?"

Since the events of 9/11, our national security has been at risk. Our debt is on track to exceed our revenues; each dollar the taxpayer provides the government spends. 23 million Americans are out of work while food prices have increased 20% since 2008 and gas prices are up over 100%. Illegal immigration costs over $113B while welfare costs for all immigrants, in 2008, were over $517B. The interest costs on the rapidly accumulating debt for FY2012 alone are $354B. I understand there are numerous factors that play into the finances of the US. At the same time, the cost to maintain immigrants and illegal aliens is more than the interest costs on our debt. For all intents and purposes, we are in a crisis.

The downturn in our economy created a "global systemic shock that affected many foreign countries…Countries that were highly leveraged in the US experienced an even more severe shock. When the US is in recession, the return on investment in other countries is far worse than the returns in the US…When the demand in developed markets decline that creates social & political pressures in countries that depend on that demand," states Duke University Professor Campbell Harvey. While the US is a major player in the world financial markets, we must be fiscally responsible. Our actions create a ripple effect worldwide.

The costs to maintain illegal aliens and immigrants contribute to the fiscal crisis we are experiencing. Even after many decades in the US, immigrants cannot compete with native households in income and other financial factors. Curbing not only illegal immigration, but immigration as a whole, would allow us to begin the first steps in reducing the debt and repaying our debtors.

Implementing the necessity defense (withdrawing our international obligations) to focus on fiscal matters and curbing immigration would be the first steps to setting our financial house in order. Taking a step back to correct our finances, would allow us to take a step forward and support our international obligations more responsibly.

References/resources:

Welfare Use by Immigrant Households with Children: http://cis.org/immigrant-welfare-use-2011

Interest Expense on the Debt Outstanding: https://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/ir/ir_expense.htm

The Implementation of Monetary Policy: The Federal Reserve in the International Sphere: http://www.federalreserve.gov/pf/pdf/pf_4.pdf

How does the U.S. downturn impact other countries?: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EapQjGjzDos

Immigrants in the United States: A Profile of America’s Foreign-Born Population: http://www.cis.org/articles/2012/immigrants-in-the-united-states-2012.pdf

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