As Milwaukee immigration attorneys, we’re waiting for a comprehensive immigration reform bill to pass that will make the process simpler and easier for our clients. In the meantime, though, here are five things you probably never knew about U.S. immigration law.
1. Passing the DREAM Act could add about $329 billion to the U.S. economy, according to the Center for American Progress.
The DREAM Act (it’s really the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act), which would require students to graduate from high school and either complete some college or join the military, could also add about 1.4 million jobs to our economy by the year 2030.
2. Apprehending, detaining, processing and deporting just one undocumented immigrant costs taxpayers about $23,482.
According to the Fiscal Times, U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehended 327,000 undocumented immigrants. If you do the math, that amounts to a cool $7,678,614,000. Remember, that’s in 2011 alone.
3. Undocumented immigrants pay taxes.
In fact, they pay a lot of taxes. In any given year, state and local governments collect between $90 and $140 billion per year from undocumented immigrants, according to the American Immigration Council.
4. Nearly half of all undocumented immigrants in the U.S. have simply overstayed a temporary visa.
There’s a common misperception that a large majority of undocumented immigrants have crossed the U.S.’ borders illegally, but that’s simply not true.
5. More than 20 percent of the undocumented immigrants in the U.S. today are from Europe, Canada and Asia, as well as a handful of other countries.
Almost 2 million are from Central and South America. Nearly all of these immigrants entered the U.S. legally and overstayed a temporary visa.
If you have overstayed a temporary visa, a Milwaukee immigration lawyer may be able to help you. An attorney can prepare and file the appropriate documents, as well as represent you in front of an immigration judge if you are facing deportation.
