Fewer 'illegals,' less unemployment

Let's put this controversy over Arizona law and illegal immigration in perspective.

There are currently about 25 million (10 percent) of the working-aged people unemployed, according to statistics fed to us. Now let's add the other 25 million underemployed (10 percent) based on the stats supplied to us daily.

So for the sake of argument we have 35 million Americans basically out of work or under employed. Now we have somewhere between 20 to 35 million immigrants in this country, depending on what stats you are fed, I mean, delivered to us by the media.

We all agree that Illegal immigration deflates wages and benefits for jobs that traditionally paid higher 10, 20, 30 years ago. Ask any skilled trade, what is left of union workers or a small-business owner like a dry cleaner, landscaper, etc. Now while I am not a master mathematician, but if you remove say an estimated 27.5 million illegal aliens from the work force and country, now wouldn't that overnight lower our unemployment rates, put men and women to work and save their families and homes?

Yes, the illegals are not the sole cause of our current economic conditions, but by enforcing the laws in place to protect the citizens of this country we can put millions back to work immediately. And before that argument starts about illegals doing work Americans don't want work that immigrants do, just Google the story about the supermarket chain in Arizona that had over 200 employees nabbed and then the long lines of American citizens waiting for a chance to interview for one of these so-called undesirable jobs.

Tony Atkins

Wheaton