The political debate on United States immigration policy begun more than a hundred years ago remains alive today because the economic and cultural impacts of continue to be disputed. Nowhere can the day-to-day impact of immigration be more evident that in Texas where illegal workers cross back and forth daily. Unauthorized workers are an enduring component of the Houston work force despite attempts by the Immigration Department to restrict their migration into the city. In 1986, Congress moved to reduce unauthorized migration by eliminating U.S. employment opportunities for unauthorized workers. Soon after the IRCA began levying fines on U.S. employers who hired unauthorized workers. Despite this since a commitment by many employers had been made to over 1.5 million unauthorized workers amnesty was granted to those could show U.S. residence since 1982. The debate on illegal immigration grows though primarily through three concerns. First, the lifting of discriminatory quotas and restrictive ceilings in 1965 resulted in substantial growth of migration to the United States, a radical change in origin countries, and a decline in the average skill level of immigrants (Wong 1985; Portes and Bach 1985; Borjas 1990). Second, the Immigration and Reform and Control Act of 1986 provided amnesty to undocumented immigrants residing continuously in the Texas and the rest of the United States since 1982. Third, the INS apprehended about one million illegal immigrants near the Texas-Mexican border. .
A unique problem has occurred in Houston in that many illegals are not accounted in the payroll nor they documented by companies or individuals by whom they are employed. This allows the company to write these workers off as miscellaneous items and in some cases as tax write-offs. Controversy over the economic impact of immigration centers largely on concerns about employment opportunities and wages arguing that it can lower wages along with taking jobs from resident workers of the United States (e.