Many Americans forget that many of our ancestors were once immigrants coming to America looking for new opportunities, as are the immigrants of today. The existing solutions to illegal immigration, some rather extreme, include legalization or amnesty rather than deporting or imprisoning the illegal immigrants. Although the government receives less tax money from undocumented people and some American citizens are displaced from their jobs, illegal immigration is beneficial because businesses thrive; meanwhile, the whole country and each immigrant will benefit from legalization of the entire illegal population.
Illegal aliens can displace uneducated Americans from their jobs, due to cheaper labor (Porter 1). Victims of immigration include people with little education who can not transition into a job market where many low positions are taken by low-paid illegal immigrants (3). This is apparent because while 22 million American citizens are unemployed, 8 million immigrants illegally in the U.S. have jobs (“Illegal Immigration” 2014 1). Other than illegals taking American jobs, the economy suffers from schools and hospitals losing money to servicing illegal immigrants who do not pay taxes (Masters 1). This charity-oriented attitude also encourages illegal immigrants to come to America to have children because any child born in the U.S. is automatically granted citizenship (“Illegal Immigration” 2012 1). While there are many reasons to rid the country of illegal immigrants, there are many benefits to having immigrants take residence in America.
Since there are many exceptions to why a person is in the country illegally, consequences should not be on one level, but have different punishments based on the type of crime committe...
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...hem eligible for tax payments, benefitting the economy (Silverman 1). It does so by giving the illegal population a green card, so they may eventually become a full citizen. Obama believes it is best to pardon undocumented immigrants, but meanwhile increase border security and improve immigration laws (“Immigration Amnesty” 1).
“We are not going to ship back 12 million people… We’re going to make them pay a fine, they are going to have to go to the back of the line… but they will have a pathway to citizenship over the course of ten years.” -Obama (“Immigration Amnesty” 1). The U.S. should exhibit this value of keeping immigrants in the country, rather than deporting or imprisoning them. While there are downfalls to having illegal people in the country, there are many benefits to hosting them, and the benefits increase with legalization of the illegal population.
Considering the ideas that both authors have brought to the table, I have concluded that in order to make progress in solving the problem of undocumented immigrants, we as a country must decide what’s best for our country. We either look at undocumented immigrants as an asset or a parasite. America is the ‘land of opportunity’ where millions of people want to live there and pursue the ‘American Dream’. We should not let people stop from achieving their dreams. But on the other hand, a quantity of immigrants leave their country because it does not have “stable democracies and free markets” that “ensure economic growth, rising standards of living and thus, lots of jobs”, because the countries of these immigrants “birth rates and native populations fall”.
History has proven that prosperity follows immigrants. Economist showed that the economic boom of the 1950s-60s was led by immigration, and the depression of the 1930s began after they enforced the Immigration Act of 1924. The Immigration Act of 1924 is a federal law in the United States that limited the annual number of immigrants who could be admitted from any country to two percent of the number of people from that country who were already living in the United States. Illegal immigrants usually work in low paying jobs that most Americans refuse to do themselves. According to (Stewart 10), whenever there was a shortage of farm workers, the INS border patrol pretended that they didn’t see the Mexican workers crossing the border. They contribute more money to the government than what they receive in benefits; therefore, they cannot be seen as social burden. According to (Szumski 14), the Orange County Task Force found that illegal immigrants pay $83 million taxes each year and they receive medical services costing only $2.7 million per year. So, they only receive few benefits and many immigrants are drained from hope of better jobs, not by benefit programs from the United States. The limitations of immigration policies are dramatic and far-reaching. Many Americans fear open border polices because of all the stereotypes about illegal immigrants. The motivation and positive aspects of illegal immigrants has become essential to this country. While illegal Immigrants work in fields, clean houses, wash dishes, and labor in sweatshops, millions of Americans would rather sit and ask for money or wait for welfare checks rather than search for a job. According to (Lee 8), approximately 700,000 immigrants are legally accepted to the United States each year. After this small limit is reached, all the others are turned away or cross
...e private sector to find new growth opportunities and create new jobs. Furthermore, America always has been, and always will be a country of immigrants. Despite that rich tradition, Congress has not updated the country’s immigration policies in three decades. However, Congress now has an opportunity to fix the immigration system and improve the economic well-being of all Americans. Failure to address the issue will have severe consequences for America’s future and well-being, and that is why how America reforms the immigration system will determine its future. The current immigration system is outdated, broken, and reveals that Comprehensive Immigration Reform is urgently needed, and is good for America’s workers and the economy. Despite the claims, complaints and the resistance of many, Americans should welcome, accept and support Comprehensive Immigration Reform.
Out of the 11 million illegal immigrants currently residing in the United States, 8 million of them are currently working. Employers in America who want inexpensive workers, hire illegal immigrants and pay them under the table. Since the system does not have an efficient way of identifying and penalizing these employers, this has been an ongoing dilemma. As a result, the American economy suffers because illegal immigrants are not paying taxes like the rest of the legal citizens. Americans who are citizens consequently have difficulties finding jobs because employers would rather pay under the table so they can make higher profits. In my perspective, the employers are at fault here if they knowingly hire workers who are not eligible to work here. However, if the employer did not know about an immigrant’s illegal status than the immigrant is at fault for cheating the system. These are just some of the current issues related to illegal immigration t...
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. In addition, the contributions associated with undocumented immigrants involve sustaining the solvency of the SSTF (Social Security Trust Fund). In this sense, the use of cost benefit analysis by those supporting immigration restrictions are unfounded and do not reflect the facts on the ground (Nadadur 1037). The opponents of undocumented immigrants believe that having more undocumented immigrants in the U.S is costly; however, there are no solid reasons to prove that undocumented immigrants are a burden to the treasury. Instead, the undocumented immigrants play an important role in boosting the economy and in particular by taking up jobs those citizens perceive as demeaning because the money they earn goes back to the economy through taxes resulting from consumer spending when they send money back home.
“What makes someone American isn’t just blood or birth but allegiance to our founding principles and faith in the idea that anyone from anywhere can write the next chapter of our story.” - President Barack Obama. The United States is the melting pot of the world. The great country of American was built on immigration. Look around, so many people have ancestor that risked everything to come to the United States to make something of their lives, and the lives of their children. If it weren’t for immigration, we may not be where we are today. Immigration reform is the term used in political discussion regarding changes to current immigration policy of a country (Immigration Reform, para. 2). In 2013 the Senate passed the immigration reform bill that would give a path to citizenship to the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. If the government passed Immigration Reform there would be many benefits to our economy, and to the individuals looking for a better future. For example, immigration increases the efficiency of the U.S. economy, it enables entrepreneurs to come to America, it brings increased national security, and immigration reform can reduce the deficit (Furchtgott-Roth, 4
In 2007, the White House issued this statement in hopes to influence a Congressional debate: “Immigration has a positive effect on the American economy as a whole and on the income of native-born American workers” (Pear). This statement relates to the idea that immigrants actually enhance the productivity of American workers and increase their earnings in a significant amount, estimated at $37 billion a year (Pear). This is just one way in which immigrants support economic development in the United States. Since the U.S. is an i...
The United States is known to have one of the most accepting immigration in the world. It has contributed to the country's population growth as well as social change. However, the policy remains to be a controversy because of the topic that is illegal immigration. According to the Department of Homeland security in 2010, there are 10.8 million illegal immigrants residing among the 300+ million Americans. Since then, the number has grown to 11+ million people. The U.S. Congress has always sought to find the solution for illegal immigration, with amnesty being an option. If enacted, an amnesty will give unauthorized immigrants a path to legalization and eventually citizenship. The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) is a prime instance of amnesty, with some 2.7 million people gaining legal status during the Reagan office. With the immigration policy being contested in Congress, a solution to illegal immigration via amnesty should be considered as it may benefit the country's labor force and economy, control the influx of immigrants in the country, and provide the opportunity for the currently illegal immigrants to become productive members of America.
In 2013, nearly 1.7 million immigrants entered the United States -- a nation built with the blood and sweat of the millions of immigrants who came to it -- in search of a better life, one free from tyranny and oppression. However, only nine hundred thousand of these immigrants entered the country legally, vesting their time and resources into the legal residency “green card” program -- the very first step to full citizenship (Monger). The other seven hundred thousand immigrants entered the country illegally, exploiting security failures on the US southern border, and policy failures in Washington, DC (Morgan). While a large proportion of the undocumented population poses no immediate threat
Illegal immigrants in the United States (US) have long been a topic of debate for policymakers and the public. The rationale about them is that they do not pay taxes; they add to the costs of taxpayers and use up funds in resources meant for assisting citizens and legal immigrants (the legal citizens). Therefore, they are perceived as a threat to the US economy. The true impacts of illegal immigrants on the US economy are discussed by debating over the economic benefits as well as economic costs of these immigrants. The negative impacts, discussed first, presented the decreases in low skilled jobs’ wage rates for legal immigrants and citizens instigated by illegal immigrants, the social services such as educations and healthcare that they utilize and add to taxpayers. Then contrary to the negative impacts, the positive impacts reveal benefits of low production costs, increases in the local market sales, undocumented tax generation, impact on growth and employment brought forth by illegal immigrants. These impacts, both negative and positive, are independently analyzed and weighed against each other. The discussion does show a slight net positive impact on the US economy in contrast to the normal belief about illegal immigrants.
Whether it may have positive effects or negative ones, there’s no question that illegal immigration is an issue that cannot be ignored. And the problem isn’t necessarily finding a solution to help slow or prevent illegal immigration. It’s figuring out which solution will work the best for us. We will always encourage foreigners to come to our country, just as long as the proper steps are taken to do
The issue of immigration must be dealt with rationally, not emotionally. Facts, figures, and statistics must be studied by both sides in order to reach a decision most beneficial to our nation. Our lives are enhanced by the new jobs created by immigrants, the social service funds bolstered by their tax payments, and the valuable technical skills and knowledge brought with them. These benefits far outweigh any negative effects and prove the value of immigrants as they pursue the American Dream in our "nation of immigrants."
There are more than 12 million immigrants in the United States, to try to deport all of them is an idea that many see as impractical and impossible (Pawlick, Finley). Seeing as immigration is not a problem that can be solved by deportation, allowing these immigrants to obtain a citizenship is the best way to insure their future as well as native-born citizens. Immigration has always been a very controversial topic, however it is a responsibility as educated Americans to see that these “illegal aliens” serve the country more when granted citizenship. Many of these hard working immigrants, both legal and illegal, pay taxes, and contribute to programs such as social security ( Immigration Policy). Yet, there are many immigrants who cannot live their lives freely due to fear of being caught. However by granting these immigrants amnesty, it is encouraging thousands of immigrants who live above the law to come out of the shadows and pay their contribution to society as well as receiving the
Contrary to popular opinion, illegal immigrants do not contribute to the U.S. economy. Instead they cost more by using government provided services, taking jobs from native workers, and reducing wages by competition with native workers. Proudly a nation of immigrants the United States attracts people from all over the world because we are a nation of laws. (Demint) For centuries immigration has been indispensable to the health of our nation, as it will be for our nation’s future success. (Demint) Although this is true, immigrants should still come to our nation lawfully and not burden our nations loyal and already overburdened taxpayers more with fiscal costs. (Demint) Foreign born people residing in the United States at the time of a population survey who were not U.S. citizens at birth in 2012 were reported to be 4.2% born in Africa, 29.2% born in Asia, 11.8% born in Europe, 52.2% born in Latin America including South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean, 2.0% born in Northern America including Canada, Bermuda, Greenland, St. Pierre, and Miquelon. (Migration) The top three countries from which illegal immigrants were reported to have been originally born in are Mexico, India, and China. (Migration) With illegal immigration becoming more common by the years you can only imagine how much those numbers have increased. Having illegal immigrants in the U.S. and how to deal with the productive and government fee-conflicting immigrants can cause much controversy on whether they hurt or help our economy. Pardoning the offense against our government to those who break the law and putting them on a path to become citizens of our law-based nation would be unfair; also it would just impose more unacceptable behavior and major...
The United States of America, being a country founded by immigrants, is known all over the world as the land of great opportunities. People from all walks of life travelled across the globe, taking a chance to find a better life for them and their family. Over the years, the population of immigrants has grown immensely, resulting in the currently controversial issue of illegal immigration. Illegal immigrants are the people who have overstayed the time granted on their US, visa or those who have broken the federal law by crossing the border illegally. Matt O’Brien stated in his article “The government thinks that 10.8 million illegal immigrants lived in the country in January 2009, down from a peak of nearly 12 million in 2007.”(Para, 2) While some argue that illegal immigrants burden the United States of America and its economy, others believe that they have become essential and are an important part of the US, economy.