Illegal immigrants in the United States have long been a topic of debate among policymakers and the public. The reason is that they do not pay taxes; they increase costs for taxpayers and deplete funds intended to help citizens and legal immigrants (legal citizens). They are therefore seen as a threat to the American economy. The true impacts of illegal immigrants on the U.S. economy are discussed through a debate on the economic benefits as well as the economic costs of these immigrants. Negative impacts, discussed first, included the decrease in wage rates of low-skilled jobs for legal immigrants and citizens caused by illegal immigrants, the social services such as education and health care they use and that they add to the taxpayers. Unlike negative impacts, positive impacts reveal the benefits of low production costs, increased sales in the local market, undocumented tax generation, impact on growth and employment generated by illegal immigrants . These impacts, both negative and positive, are analyzed and weighted independently of each other. The discussion actually shows a small net positive impact on the US economy, contrary to common belief regarding illegal immigrants. Illegal Immigrants and the US Economy: Is It That Big of a Problem? on this planet has been characterized by the physical movement of Homo sapiens from one place to another, sometimes over thousands of kilometers, either individually or in herds, voluntarily or involuntarily. This act of leaving one's territory and moving to another country for a reason is known as migration. The motive can be anything such as better...... middle of paper...... job security and a sufficiently low salary. They include picking fruits and vegetables, cleaning homes, hotels and offices, as well as working in agriculture and construction. These jobs are not preferred by many American workers, but they are certainly necessities in society. Illegal immigrants have no choice but to agree to do these jobs for the little money they earn. Therefore, they play a vital role in performing these jobs. The wider situation of low wages and, indeed, low production costs needs to be taken into account. As wages fall, the general population benefits by paying low prices for construction, agricultural products, restaurant meals, and cleaning services. It is estimated that due to illegal immigrants, the wealth of an average American is increasing; although this increase is remarkably small and amounts to no more than 1 percent (Davidson, 2006).