California is home to at least a quarter of all illegal immigrants living in the United States. Clearly, it is the most adversely affected state in this regard, and faces a severe economic burden due to millions of illegal immigrants residing here.

If the problem of illegal immigrants is allowed to remain unchecked, there is little doubt that their numbers will continue to swell with each passing year, and the legitimate economic rights of California’s legal residents and taxpayers will continue to be compromised.

There are a considerable number of illegals in the state with criminal records including rape and robbery. Their contribution to the economy is invisible because they have no legal status to reside or work in California. In any case, many of them are currently unemployed or lack professional skills so they are hardly in a position to contribute and instead become a drain on the state’s resources. For the current fiscal year, it is expected that California will spend upwards of $850 million to incarcerate the roughly 20,000 illegal immigrants in the state’s prison system.

California has begun to deal with the issue using a firm hand. A large number of illegal immigrants with criminal histories are being arrested and detained in local and state jails while awaiting trial for deportation.
State and Federal immigration agents have been conducting sweeps across the state over the past couple of months with several of the raids being the largest of their kind.

There are several voices of dissent however. There are various immigration and human rights agencies that feel it is unfair to keep illegal immigrants in detention, particularly if they are not US citizens or are not perceived to be any threat to the safety and security of the country.

However, the truth is that detentions are the only real answer to discouraging a trend of violent behavior by illegal immigrants with criminal pasts. Detention and deportation can bring this widespread problem under control over a prolonged period of time. It may appear to be a financial burden to keep these illegal immigrants in detention, but over a period of time, the financial benefits of lesser illegals will far exceed the short-term costs of detention.

If any kind of relaxation on laws shown by California, it is bound to send the wrong message to illegals considering engaging in criminal activity. It will embolden them further, and in a way, legitimize their illegal conduct. Law of the land must be respected and justice against those who break the law must be served. Detaining illegal immigrants in California is a step forward in the fight against illegal immigration and must be supported.