[quote=deadzone]
That said, nobody is arguing that illegal immigrants aren’t receiving entitlements, we all know that they are. You are correct about medical care. The other obvious cases are use of our public schools and in the case where the illegal has children born in the U.S. they qualify for food stamps and other forms of welfare. HOWEVER, the point is, those benefits aren’t the main factor driving the immmigration. Now, the hope of future amnesty may be the carrot and the stick for some, but as CAR points out, most come here to work and send money back to their family.[/quote]

I don’t disagree that their primary driver is to find better paying work. It pays a lot more to be a house cleaner, nanny, or construction worker here even after you factor in the higher cost of living. Low skilled labor gets paid more here and enjoys a better quality of life than most countries. Even things we take for granted like running water and electricity can be luxury items for people in these countries.