10. Immigration. There is an extent to which the argument that undocumented workers from abroad take American jobs is reasonable. The truth of that is hard to refute. It is equally hard to say that immigrants, even those with illegal status, should be sent back to the nations they came from immediately and without any provision for their economic futures. The immigration debate has become more violent as the recession has continued. It may be that the federal government's best course would be to ignore the issue of who has come to America and focus on the economic impact of the migration.
Some states have exacerbated jobless problems due to immigrants, and others are not affected at all. The southern states that border Mexico are those that have had the worst economic impact. Other states like Ohio and Illinois have substantial labor problems that have nothing to do with immigration at all. The most logical solution to the problem is to provide supplemental aid to states that have large illegal immigrant populations to create more public sector jobs -- jobs that the states and municipalities within them may find essential, but that cannot be performed due to the recession.
It may be harder to find a job in New Mexico because of immigrants. That does not mean that there is still not important work to do in some of the state's financially beleaguered regions. The emotion surrounding the immigration issue makes it one of the most difficult unemployment issues of all to solve.