that has occurred. >> how much of that is having it close to the previous year? >> i don't know. >> i think we're back in here. >> illegal immigration is the focus of this documentary from trevor warren of spanish fort, alabama he's a third prize winner in c-span's student cam contest.

>> currently in the u.s. >> 10.8 million, between 2000 and 2010, the unauthorized population grew by 27%. >> the reason immigration has become a huge issue in america, one that affects many occupations, industries, and individuals, however, not necessarily in the ways many people think. in my home state of alabama, the passing of the hb-56 law had far-reaching effects in all of these areas. this law impacted many groups and people, not just economically, but socially as well, reflecting not just alabama, but america as a whole. >> well, the issue for farmers is that they have a need for seasonal workers oftentimes. sometimes year round, but seasonal workers to do jobs that often times they can't

find local employees to perform. they have found that since the immigration law has passed that a lot of migrant workers they have depended upon have actually left the state, even some of those that had proper documentation, they left because of fear of being maybe misunderstood, their status being misunderstood, or they didn't understand the law or maybe they had family members that dent have the proper documentation. >> i think one of the things that really became an issue in law enforcement is there is a direct tie between some illegal immigration into the drug cartels and the drug industry in the united states, alabama is a border state. we just happen to border wart. we border the gulf of mexico. but particularly in southern alabama, we are a pipeline for narcotics coming into the . ited states,

interstate 65 has been identified as major drug trafficking arteries coming into the united states. the immigration has become a great concern, because some illegal immigrants either use the drug trade or the drug trade uses them to get them in the united states, and we found a direct correlation with that. initially when alabama passed its immigration law, the immigration law was very tough. it was going to place a lot of requirements on law enforcement and a lot of things that we were going to have to do procedurally in order to enforce this law. ironically, most law enforcement officers disagreed with the legislature in the passage of this law. and the reason is we recognized that citizenship goes to the united states of america, not necessarily to the state of alabama. >> so christians feel we have a responsibility, and we

certainly have demonstrated the neediest of the needy and alabama is a state with a lot of poverty and all, the neediest, those at the bottom, were the immigrants. had had eight or so con gre congratulations that we were versing, hispanic congregations. all of these were con gre congratulations were just devastated overnight. >> there are also many misconceptions about illegal immigrants. for instance, many believe illegals don't pay taxes. reap erican jobs, and american health benefits. >> i think a lot of people believe illegal immigrants because of the misinformation that is out there. you often hear that immigrants take healthcare or public welfare programs. but when you fill out a form, you have to prove your citizenship in order to acquire those type of public benefits.

well, they pay taxes. they pay taxes when they resident a property, when they buy a home, pay groceries, just like any other citizen, they are paying taxes. and a little bit more misinformation that's out there is immigrants do pay taxes in the form of federal income taxes or even alabama state income taxes when you fill out an i-9 form. so even as an undocumented immigrant worker, if u an i-9 form, which most employers do require, they are paying taxes into the system that any other documented citizen does pay. the difference is they never reap the benefits from those taxes being paid into the number is hen a so used for work, they're paying into the system, and it's in the system that they'll never even touch. >> as you can see, ignorance

and misinformation have cloud the the issue of illegal immigration. however, there's still one major aspect that makes this one of, if not the most important issues currently in america. >> the people in southern arizona have had their rights violated by the unending and constant flow of drug smugglers and human traffickers across their property. their homes are being broken into. their rights are being violated. >> a lot of people get involved , particularly in our immigrant community, involved in the drug trade for two reasons. one, a matter of necessity. whether it be money or whether it be trying to come into the united states. number two, a lot of these people are held hostage. they're being forced to do this. there's a tax going on every day on the border with illegal immigrants and with the drugs. what happens in that is people

are getting hurt. people are dying. people are getting killed. law enforcement, citizens, as well as those, of course, who are committing the illegal activity. >> most agree that something need to be done about this issue. but we can't to this alone, and that's why we need you, mr. president. you, the american people, reminded us while our road has been hard -- >> the immigration system in general is broken, it's not workable. >> our journey has been long, but we have pecked ourselves up. >> we need to get a handle on this. we need to strengthen our borders so that the white people across the borders. >> we have fought our way back, and we know in our hearts. >> we've got a leaking boat that all we're doing is just putting bubble gum in the leak. until we revamp and totally

redo that, we're going to continue to take on water, and we're not going to make any progress. >> but for the united states of america, the best is yet to come. >> and i believe you, mr. president, and because i elieve you, i trust you. for now on, when it comes to this issue of illegal immigration, the only way we'll be headed is forward. >> congratulations to all the winners in this year's student cam competition. to see more winning videos, go to studentcam.org. >> next, live, your calls and comments on "washington journal." then "news makers" with california congressman buck mckeon, chairman of the armed services committee. after that, president obama announces his 2014 budget request. >> orphaned at age 11, she

lived with her favorite uncle, james buchanan. years later, he becomes president, and because he's unmarried, she serves as white house hostess. she's the first to be called first lady on a regular basis and is so popular that she sets trends in clothing and children and ships are named after her. meet harriet lane. we'll look at her life and that of her predecessor, jane pierce, along with your questions and comments by phone, facebook, and twitter, "first ladies," machine night, live at 9:00 eastern on c-span and c-span3, also on c-span radio and c-span.org. >> this morning, reuters correspondent jeff mason and usan ferrechio discuss the senate, and the grown-up coming immigration bill. and then we look at the backlog of claims at the department of veterans affairs. and later, scott snyder from the counon