Welcome to America! According to MPI the Migration Information Source, “The Statue of Liberty, long the symbol of America's rich immigrant heritage, calls out to many foreign-born individuals and families,” come one; come all to the land of opportunities and freedom! Immigration is not a new issue for our country, by far, but illegal immigration in the United States has dramatically increased over the years. The 2007 Economic Report of the President states in Chapter 9, entitled Immigration, “it is unofficially estimated that between 11 and 12 million foreign-born persons reside in the United States illegally; almost one-third of the total foreign-born population and about four percent of the total U.S. population.” There is no doubt that immigrants entering the United States workforce in great numbers during the twenty-first century greatly affected the wages, taxes, and employment rates of U.S. - born workers, but has it created a negative or positive impact on our society? The response to this question differs greatly depending on who is asked. Proponents of immigration believe regardless of citizenship, immigrants have little to no impact on wages, pay more in taxes than they use in services and have a positive affect on the employment opportunities of native born workers. However, opponents strongly disagree and believe illegal immigrants consume more in public services than they ever pay in taxes, drive down wages of U.S.- born workers by accepting lower wages which ultimately results in the unemployment of natives. Regardless of their impact on our society, what is the solution to the ever-increasing problem of illegal immigration?
Immigrants are coming from many different countries to look for better jobs and eco...
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...f Economic Advisers. Washington: U.S. G.P.O., 2005. 93-116. 2005. Web. 7 July 2010.
"Chapter 9: Immigration." Economic Report of the President: Transmitted to the Congress February 2007, Together with the Annual Report of the Council of Economic Advisers. Washington: U.S. G.P.O., 2007. 189-206. 2007. Web. 7 July 2010.
Griswold, Daniel T. "Immigration Benefits America." Current Controversies: Immigration. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. San Diego: Greenhaven P, 2005. Gale. Web. 14 July 2010.
MPI. "A New Century: Immigration and the US." Migration Information Source. Feb. 2005. Web. 9 July 2010.
Newman, Alex. “Immigration News Update.” The New American. (2009): 10-16. SIRS. Web. 2 July 2010.
Tanner, Michael. "Immigration Does Not Increase Unemployment." Opposing Viewpoints: Population. Ed. Karen F. Balkin. San Diego: Greenhaven P, 2005. Gale. Web. 14 July 2010.
Competing for jobs against native Americans, immigrants are not only using valuable government resources from welfare and other programs, but they are also increasing the rate of unemployment. True, the jobs immigrants are tak...
Stern, Gary M. "Taking a Fresh Look at Illegal Immigrants and the Role they can Play in Restoring the American Economy." The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Nov 01 2010: 19-20. ProQuest. Web. 24 Nov. 2013 .
Immigration can be defined as passing foreigners to a country and making it their permanent residence. Reasons ranging from politics, economy, natural disasters, wish to change ones surroundings and poverty are in the list of the major causes of immigration in both history and today. In untied states, immigration comes with complexities in its demographic nature. A lot of cultural and population growth changes have been witnessed as a result of immigration. In the following paper, I will focus on how immigration helps United States as compared to the mostly held view that it hurts America.
In the U. S today, the approximated population of undocumented immigrants stands at averagely 11 million. Therefore, this has created a hot debate in Congress about the action to take over the undocumented immigrants. Those opposed to illegal immigrants suggest that, their stay in the United States effects U.S citizens on the job market negatively . In addition, illegal immigrants are viewed in certain quarters as takers in the sense that illegal immigrants benefit more from public resources than the american-born citizens of the U.S. However, the reality is that immigrants contribute positively to the U.S economy and pay significantly into the system compared to what they send back home.
Nadadur, Ramanujan. “Illegal Immigration: A Positive Economic Contribution To The United Sates.” Journal Of Ethnic & Migration Studies 35.6 20090€: 1037-1052. Education Source. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
Some would say, quotes John F. Kennedy, “Everywhere immigrants have enriched and strengthened the fabric of American life.” Thus, in today’s society, we can say that immigrants are what made America possible—economically and socially. We are in a melting pot era where the impossible was made possible. From the time John F. Kennedy was elected in 1960, making a promise to change the national origins system to unite the nations of all countries equally. Hence, in 1965, under Lyndon Johnson’s administration, Kennedy’s promise came into light, amending the INS—favoring unification of families, not national origins. Although, the unification was made possible, the peacefulness never lasted.
The United States cannot afford to lose the economic gains that come from immigrant labor. The economy would be suffering a greater loss if it weren’t for immigrants and their labor contributions, especially during the 2008 U.S. recession. The U.S. economy would most likely worsen if it weren’t for the strong labor force immigrants have provided this country. Despite the mostly negative views native-born Americans have towards immigrants and the economy, their strong representation in the labor forces continues today. Immigrants aren’t taking “American” jobs, they are taking the jobs that Americans don’t want (Delener & Ventilato, 2008). Immigrants contribute to various aspects of the economy, including brining valuable skills to their jobs, contributing to the cost of living through taxes, and the lacked use of welfare, healthcare, and social security when compared to native-born Americans, showing that the United States cannot afford to lose the contribution immigrants bring into the economy.
Erika, Lee. "U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Laws and Issues." Journal of American Ethnic History. Vol. 20. Issue 2 (2001): n. page. Web. 18 Apr. 2013.
Many people have come to America for a better life and to get away from all the troubles of their homeland. These immigrants, like those throughout U.S. history, are generally hard workers and make important contributions to the economy through their productive labor and purchasing power. America is considered a melting pot of many diffrent ethinic group. Immigrants should be able to enter America with little if any resistance from any border patrol. Immigrants in america take the low paying, hard labor jobs that , unfortunately, some americans don't want.
Recently, the U.S. government has been cracking down on illegal aliens and employers are in danger of raids and lawsuits for hiring illegal immigrants. Many employers either do not require any documentation or accept copies of documents (Rousmaniere 24-25), regarding legalization. Immigrants are desired employees and companies continue to hire them even with the risks. By working for lower wages, they keep the costs of goods and services down; the illegal alien work force helps improve the U.S. economy (Nadadur 1037-1052). However, illegal immigrants can have a negative effect when they encroach on American job opportunities (Carter 8). Some economists argue that illegal aliens actually help the host-country’s economy by adding to the labor force. However, other economists state that too many illegal...
Thompson, Art. “Illegal Immigration Hurts the Economy.” Opposing Viewpoints: Immigration. Eds. David M. Haugen, Susan Musser and Kacy Lovelace. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2009. 30-35. Print.
labor was scarce and relatively dear. A decline in the birthrate, as well as increases in
...he squatter camps of the city which they are living. Moreover slums are also the source of all kinds of social evils such as drugs and prostitution because of the lowest security.
Lynch, R., & Oakford, P. (2013, March 30). The Economic Effects of Granting Legal Status and Citizenship to Undocumented Immigrants. American Progress. Retrieved July 2, 2014, from http://americanprogress.org/issues/immigration/report/2013/03/20/57351/the-economic-effects-of-granting-legal-status-and-citizenship-to-undocumented-immigrants/
Nadadur, Ramanujan. "Illegal Immigration: A Positive Economic Contribution to the United States." Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 35.6 (2009): 1037-052. Print.