Perhaps the most controversial issue in American politics today is the question of whether amnesty should be granted to those who entered the country illegally to work or who work after spent a period without a work visa. Amnesty would mean that these residents would have all the same rights and protections as American citizens and would not be subject to deportation. Black's Law Dictionary defines amnesty as “a pardon granted by government to a group or class of persons, usually for a political crime; the act of a sovereign power officially pardoning certain categories of people who are on trial but have not yet been convicted” (Dictionary of Black Law: “Amnesty”, p.99). For those in the country illegally, the amnesty would mean they would no longer be subject to deportation and would be subject to or eligible to be prosecuted, while also making them eligible to work and receive public assistance. Opponents of a blanket amnesty for illegal residents will also mention how it sets a bad precedent that encourages further illegal immigration and another bad precedent too: a very public signal to those who have benefited from violations of our laws done simply for profit political. that new eligibility to receive government benefits is a key argument against granting such amnesty. A Heritage Foundation study estimated that those granted amnesty would pay about $3 trillion in taxes over their lifetimes, but would then receive more than $9 trillion in government benefits – a difference of more than $6 trillion. dollars (Rector & Richwine, 2014). ). . This deficit will be financed by other American taxpayers: the rest of us. Considering the federal deficit is projected to be... middle of the paper... Once again. Washington Post. Retrieved from: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/14/AR2006091401179.htmlPaletta, D. (2014, April 14). CBO estimates US deficit will shrink more than expected in 2014. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from: http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303887804579501563800875216Plumer, B. (2013, January 30). Congress tried to solve the immigration problem as early as 1986. Why did it fail? Washington Post: Wonkblog. Retrieved from: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/01/30/in-1986-congress-tried-to-solve-immigration-why-didnt-it-work/Rector, R ., Richwine, J. (2013) Special Report No. Heritage Foundation Issue 133 on Immigration: The Fiscal Cost of Illegal Immigrants and Amnesty for U.S. Taxpayers. http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2013/05/the-fiscal-cost-of-unlawful-immigrants-and-amnesty-to-the-us-taxpayer