What is the Harm? (Part I)

Many people think that illegal immigration benefits the United States economically.
Let's examine this.

Paul Krugman, a political liberal, has written two columns on illegal immigration for the New York Times. In each column he specifically made the point that, “Unfortunately, low-skill immigrants don't pay enough taxes to cover the cost of the benefits they receive.”

(Paul Krugman, “North of the Border,” New York Times, 27 March 2006 and “The Road to Dubai,” New York Times, 31 March 2006.)

The employers benefit from exploiting illegal labor at wages below the market rate for legal labor, but consumers don’t even benefit because the price of the goods is no less expensive that it would be if made in China or Mexico, and everybody pays higher taxes to cover the cost of healthcare and other services for illegal workers, not to mention the cost of educating their children.

Illegal immigration benefits employers and burdens the rest of society.
Employers can pay lower wages to their illegal workers- sometimes below minimum wage- and then the welfare system picks up the tab for health care and other necessities that are beyond the means of illegal immigrants at the wages they can earn.

Certain goods and services in the United States may cost less because of illegal immigration, but we end up paying more in taxes and a degraded quality of life because people can no longer earn enough money to live their lives with dignity.