Immigrants want to come to the United States for the opportunities it provides, be it employment, education, to join family members, or to live in a country that protects freedom of speech, religion and political ideals. For as long as the United States offers economic opportunities for people coming from other countries, people will come here without legal visas and there is only so much the U.S. can do to control this (Norris, 2014). Many people come to the United States out of desperation — to escape war, poverty or political prosecution (Smith, 2006). In 2014, there were 11.3 million unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S., making up 3.5% of the nation’s population and 5.1% of the nation’s workforce (Krigstad & Passel, 2015).
Up until several years ago, it was easier for people, especially those coming from Mexico, to enter the U.S. Increase in border security has made this more difficult with the fine being jail for those to attempt to cross borders illegally (Markon, 2015). As the Department of Homeland Security increases financial resources to protect borders, the rate of illegal immigrant entries to the US has decreased to the lowest level in two decades (Markon, 2015). This crackdown is forcing immigrants to have the proper paperwork before coming to the US or be faced with arrest and jail.

When the US economy is thriving, more illegal immigrants try to cross the borders. However, since the economic decline in 2008, the number has decreased as there were fewer jobs for even legal citizens, making it more difficult for immigrants to find jobs (Markon, 2015). Another factor in what drives illegal immigration is that those entering the US illegally are considered “cheap labor” by our standards. People hire illegal immigrants to clean houses, lawn care, construction and other similar jobs because it will cost a company, or individual, less.

References
• Krigstad, JM, & Passel, J. (2015). 5 facts about illegal immigration in the US. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/11/19/5-facts-about- illegal-immigration-in-the-u-s/
• Markon, J. (2015). Fewer immigrants are entering the U.S. illegally, and that’s changed the border security debate. Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/flow-of-illegal-immigration-slows-as-us-mexico-border-dynamics-evolve/2015/05/27/c5caf02c-006b-11e5-833c-a2de05b6b2a4_story.html
• Norris, J. (2014). How do illegal immigrants impact U.S. economy? Montgomery Advertiser. Retrieved from http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/money/business/2014/07/27/illegal-immigrants-impact-us-economy/13234585/
• Smith, Rev. T. (2006). The root causes of immigration. Justice for Immigrants. Retrieved from http://ccky.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/7_Root_Causes_Immigration.pdf