Border Wall
1. Ronald Reagan advocated for “open borders” between Canada, México and the United States. On November 11, 1979 Reagan proposed a “North American accord” where people and commerce would move freely across the borders of Canada and México. [1]
Crime
2. In 2015, 95% of all crimes in Texas were committed by native-born citizens. Only 3.1% of the crimes in were committed by undocumented immigrants. Legal immigrants committed 1.7% of the crimes. [5]
The MS-13 (Mara Salvatrucha) Gang
3. The MS-13 gang organized themselves in Los Angeles in the late 1970’s as “stoners” around the rock music and drugs. They were fans of AC/DC, Judas Priest, Led Zeppelin and KISS. [3, pgs. 13 & 14]
Immigration
4. It is not a crime to be present in the United States without authorization per the U.S. Supreme Court: “as a general rule, it is not a crime for a removable alien to remain present in the United States.” [2]
Taxes
5. In 2014, undocumented immigrants paid $20.1 billion in federal taxes, $11.8 billion in Texas taxes and paid $1 billion to Texas communities. [4, pg: 3]
These inconvenient facts come from my Inconvenient Facts project. Visit the project page using this link.
Sources:
1. Cannon, Lou; “President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime”; Public Affairs, 2000; pg: 404
2. U.S. Supreme Court: Arizona v. United States 641 F. 3d 339; No: 11-182, Argued April 25, 2012, decided on June 25, 2012.
3. “MS13 in the Americas, How the World’s Most Notorious Gang Defies Logic, Resists Destruction”; InSight Crime and The Center for Latin American & Latino Studies; Department of Justice (National Institute of Justice) Funded project; Award No. 2013-R2-CX-0048
4. “Texas Needs The Workers!! – An Analysis of the Economic and Fiscal Impact of Undocumented Workers”; The Perryman Group; February 2016
5. Nowrasteh, Alex; “Criminal Immigrants in Texas: Illegal Immigrants Conviction and Arrest Rates for Homicide, Sexual Assault, Larceny, and Other Crimes”; Cato Institute Immigration Research and Policy Brief No. 4; February 26, 2018