Numerous countries of the world have very distinct cultures and are typically composed primarily of one type of race, religion, or nationality. For instance, France, Mexico, Japan, China. The United States differs greatly from these countries listed because we are known as the "melting pot." According to Merriam Webster dictionary, the term "melting pot" is metaphor for a society where many different types of people “blend” together as one. However, the United States is also associated with and known as a "nation of immigrants.". This name was given due to the fact that almost every citizen of the country has an immigrant ancestry, with the exception of the Native Americans. In the Francis Walker publication over “Restriction of Immigration …show more content…
The Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA) serves as a gatekeeper for the United States’s borders by determining who may enter, how long they may stay and when they must leave. They provide an annual worldwide limit of 675,000 permanent immigrants, with certain exceptions for close family member (AIC 2016). However, when we take a look at the total number of illegal aliens and immigrants the numbers are far more impacting and put the american workforce in danger for its natural born citizens. The number of illegal immigrants in the United States totaled 11.3 million in 2014, outnumbering the 9.6 million Americans who were unemployed in the same year, according to da from Pew Research Center and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Unauthorized immigrants make up 5.1% of the workforce. This is a problem. We have people that are coming into our nation that was built and united by our founding fathers for other individuals in other nations to flee over into the US and steal jobs right underneath our own citizens feet. In addition, many americans simply cannot compete with illegal workforces in the country who are willing to work for low wages. “American workers deserve decent jobs with decent wages, not unfair competition from imported foreign workers who are exploited to the …show more content…
Under current law, an alien who worked illegally in the U.S. can only become eligible for Social Security benefits by becoming a legal U.S. resident. However, officials at the State Department and Social Security Administration (SSA) are preparing a plan that would pay benefits to illegal aliens who have returned to Mexico. This law exports the poverty out of Mexico and to the US where we are to care for the less fortunate. Social Security was not implemented to serve and aid poor immigrants of other countries that came into the US illegally. The agreement with Mexico is expected to cost Social Security between $78 milion at least rising to $650
The term melting-pot has been used since the 1700s. It has always been a metaphor to describe immigrants coming to America. The melting pot is a fusion of cultures and ethnicities into one larger culture. Americans did not like the idea of immigration to their country, viewing their country as beautiful the way it was. Many thought America would be ruined if too many people immigrated and left their cultural mark on the country. The melting-pot concept on immigration seems to highlight historically how America came to be, but for more current immigration, Americans views are more negative. American attitude towards immigrants in the 1900s was not very favorable. Since they feared them, immigrants were often treated horribly by Americans. Robert H. Clancy says, “Vigorous complaint and more or less bitter persecution have been aimed at newcomers to our shores. Also the congressional reports of about 1840 are full of abuse of English, Scotch, Welsh immigrants as paupers, criminals, and so forth.” (Clancy,
Perhaps, the “Melting Pot” myth gained strength during the Industrial Revolution. With millions of immigrants entering the United States, culture was changing within the United States. Americans set a high standard for there society and everyone wanted to be accepted. There was a social requirement to live in a civil society creating together the “American Dream,” which leads to prosperity. Many immigrants moving to the United States brought with them various traditions of their culture and after moving, they repressed such beliefs and forged ahead with a new way of “American Thinking.” The rituals and traditions of such societies should have brought diversity to this nation’s culture however, these ways would soon become a part of the past. The “Melting Pot” myth heavily influences American society and people believe that everyone no matter what skin color or religious belief is created equal. This belief of the American Way of life is idyllic to say the least. Unfortunately, this myth has been thwarted due to a high level of racial supremacy within the nations past and even present. There are two particular events in national history, which will forever hinder equality: slavery of African Americans and Japanese internment camps during World War II in America. These substantial events shape our society and are only the tip of the iceberg when it
The United States is admitting more than 800,000 legal immigrants a year, with at least 200,000 more illegal immigrants settling permanently as well (National Review 12.13.93). This figure can also be bolstered by the "commuter" immigrants, illegal immigrants which cross the border for a period of time to work in low-paying, labor intensive jobs. These immigrants are creating one of the biggest burdens facing the government of the United States today, unemployment.
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...
The Unites States now, is a place of opportunity, that is assimilated and made up of different races, cultures, religions, etc. in which we once used to call “immigrants”. Within the 1800s and early 1900s, the place we all know and love, “America” was also then referred to as the Melting Pot. The term “Melting Pot” basically referred to the idea that all different kinds of people from a widespread of places came together to create one, and overtime, that’s exactly what happened to our country. In spite of the fact that some people, such as Bourne and Zangwill felt as if this was a substantial event that occurred within this time period, others, like Schultz disagreed and in fact, thought this was a careless idea that would soon corrupt the U.S. and all it had become.
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.
There are over twelve million undocumented immigrants living in the United States. Many came to America to work, go to school, or be reunited with family members who are already residing here. Most migrants want to work and pursue the “American dream”. There are many barriers for residents to achieving success at the work and life balance. The immigrants fall back on public assistance to support them.
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?
America was founded on change. Past revolutions were fought to make new ways in which to live life in this country. Our families all came to America, at one point, to feed into this definition of being an American. The term melting pot in my mind means structure, meaning what we, as Americans, are made of. It was many ethnic backgrounds that came to make up our country. So as more and more people migrate to America, stand up for the changes they believe in, this country will only continue to get stronger.
Illegal immigration was an issue in the past and is a pressing problem in the present. The U.S. Government has been trying to find a resolution to this issue for years. The United States approved the Immigration Reform and Control Act in 1986, which allowed the American Government to punish American companies that consciously employed illegal immigrants (Nadadur 1037-1052). The United States’ Government Immigration Reform and Control Act has been unsuccessful in controlling illegal immigration. It is estimated that illegal immigration into the U.S. has a yearly interval of three hundred fifty thousand people (Rousmaniere 24-25). It is apparent that the 1986 act was not able to keep a handle on illegal immigration. Illegal immigration continues due to the fact that immigrants only take the jobs available to them, which in turn helps support the United States’ economy, so measures should not be taken to halt immigration.
There are currently 11.7 million immigrants living in the U.S. The United States is now again being named the land of immigrants. The new century has been introduced to the illegal immigrant. They are desperate to get into the American culture and are forced to disobey the laws of government to assimilate themselves in America. People come over because they have family, jobs or want a better life. This may cause some problems for Americans. Certain Americans believe immigration will cause the economy to drop, drop to wages, and job loss due to cheap labor, etc. But no one has thought of a solution for immigration that will work effectively.
Use of illegal labor detrimentally affects the economy, job availability, and the wage gap. According to Michael Telzrow (2007) “The costs associated with uncontrolled immigration and flooding the U.S. job market with low-wage laborers far outweigh any savings to be had.” (p. 27) Americans without higher education are being pushed out by illegal immigrants willing to work the same jobs for lower pay. The economy is being affected by the prolific use of illegal immigrants in low paying jobs. In the 1980’s, the wage gap between low- and high-skilled workers increased between 15 to 25 percent due to the use of illegal immigrants. (Lind, 1998, p. 60) The idea that American workers will not do hard labor for low wages has become a false commonplace argument for the use of illegal
As you know there is a lot of illegal immigration, but how bad is it? “There were 11.1 million unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. in 2014.” (Persaud) that's how bad it is, and the numbers have increased since 2014, a total unchanged from 2009 and accounting for a small percentage of the nation’s population. The number of unauthorized immigrants peaked in 2007 at 12.2 million (Persaud), when this group was 4% of the U.S. population. What about jobs, you might ask. A lot of farmers and restaurants hire illegal immigrants and just pay them under the table and below minimum wage, which is illegal but tax free. According to new Pew Research Center estimates. The number was unchanged from 2009 and down slightly from 8.2 million in 2007. The share of unauthorized immigrants in the civilian labor force was down slightly from 2009 5.2% and 2007 5.4%. Compared with their 5% share of the civilian workforce overall, unauthorized immigrants are overrepresented in farming occupations 26% and construction occupations 15%. In all industries and occupations, though, they are outnumbered by U.S.-born workers. With all of the immigrants working without tax being charged from their checks america is going down the drain… slowly “The U.S. civilian workforce included 8 million unauthorized immigrants in 2014, accounting for 5% of those who were working or were unemployed and looking for work.” (Persaud). The Six states California, Texas, Florida, New York, New Jersey and Illinois are the states that have one of the most illegal immigrants present in them. But some state populations had changed since then. From 2009 to 2014, the unauthorized immigrant population decreased in seven states: Alabama, California, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Nevada and South Carolina. In all of them, the decline was because a decrease in unauthorized immigrants from Mexico. “In six states, the unauthorized immigrant population rose over the same time
Each day at hundreds of points along our southern border, thousands of people from countries all over the world are entering the U.S. illegally”(Dudley). As said earlier in this paper 11.1 million illegal immigrants were in the U.S. last year and of that only 242,255 were deported. On top of that 66% of those 11.1 million illegals have been in the U.S. for at least a decade or more. In 2016 roughly 5 million immigrants came into the U.S. with legal visas. So that shows that the U.S. isn’t against letting people in, it just wants people that do things the right way. Illegal immigrants also show that they have no respect for the U.S. and it’s laws, when they come into the country illegally. They also hurt the economy, when they come into the country illegally and take most of the low-skilled jobs that U.S.’s lower income citizens could use to better themselves and lift themselves out of poverty. When the illegal immigrants do this they are taking jobs that could better U.S. people and it’s economy. When this happens more people must live off government benefits and then the government raises taxes on higher income citizens, causing a strain on them as well. Companies that hire
The age old question that many ask today is “what is an American?” America is continued to be called the “melting pot” of the world. This statement refers to the combination of different cultures and ethnicities throughout the United States. The diversity of America should not take away from the history and foundation it was found upon. ...