Immigration is an issue that is a fiercely debated topic in the United States. Some believe that it is detrimental to the economy as a whole and affects our overall wages in a negative way. Others argue that it actually keeps the economy moving in a positive direction and increases wages over time for people in the United States. On Thursday April 17, 2014 we debated this topic in class in order to shed light on both sides of the argument. Both sides used case studies, articles, quotes and data to prove their case. The United States has been historically a country of immigrants. Since the first British settlers landed on the shores of the eastern United States in the 1600’s, there has been a strong and steady influx of immigrants to North America. They were driven by the promise of a new and better life for themselves and for their families. Over the last 400 years there have been successive waves of immigration that have risen and fallen over time. Historically most immigration has come from the European nations with waves coming to the United States by region and specific countries. In the 1800’s there was a mass migration of Irish, German, British, and French Immigrants. The largest group, the Irish, was escaping the Potato Famine that left Ireland in an awful state of poverty and famine. These groups sought a better life from the poor economic and social times of Europe and were lured to the United States by the hope of land, freedom, opportunity, and jobs. Later improvements in technology in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s led to lower transatlantic fares. Many Slavic people, Greeks, Hungarians, Poles and over 4 million European Jews came over during this time in search of a better quality life, better jobs, and more oppor... ... middle of paper ... ...use the jobs are too physically demanding and tedious, such as field hands, factory workers, or landscaping, or because they just don’t pay enough for the average American. This base of low paid workers is imperative for the economic growth of our country. Many restaurants would not exist if it weren’t for the cheap labor of the people in the kitchen. The fertile California valley would be less productive and more expensive to run if it weren’t for cheap immigrant labor. Wages have been found to decrease slightly for native-born workers in the very short term for specific demographics, but in the long term overall immigration is a net benefit to the economy and to all of the people in it, native born and non-native born alike. It provides the solid foundation needed for a strong and prosperous economy, creating a positive net gain on native wages over the long term.
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Show MoreIllegal immigration has many diverse effects on the United States economy. Some people argue that the negative outweigh the positive, but there is no doubt that immigrants do carry a critical role.
For the longest time people have always wanted to immigrate to the U.S. from their country hoping to start a new life, possibly a wealthy life of which they have always dreamt. Most people don’t know what will happen once they get there, but they have created a picture of how successful they will be and how good they will do in the U.S. This leads to problems, when they enter their new home and figure out that the life they imagined isn’t quite what they expected it to be.
First, immigrants come to the U.S. to work and bring valuable skills which help grow the economy despite the negative views surrounding their part in the U.S. economy. Since the 2008-2009 recession the view on immigration and its effects on the economy has been more negative than positive (Peri, 2012). A study done by Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government found that about 50 percent of American adults believe that immigrants burden the country because they, “take jobs, housing, and healthcare”, while the other 50 percent believe that, “immigrants strengthen the country due to their hard work and talents” (Delener & Ventilato, 2008). Over the past decade, “over half of the increase in the U.S. labor force,… was the result of immigration-l...
Tanner, Michael. "Immigration Does Not Increase Unemployment." Opposing Viewpoints: Population. Ed. Karen F. Balkin. San Diego: Greenhaven P, 2005. Gale. Web. 14 July 2010.
Andrew Sum, an economist and the director of labor market studies at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts argued that if it weren’t for illegal immigrants, th...
In the book “Illegal, Life and Death in Arizona’s Immigration War Zone” by Terri Greene Sterling, one of the major social issues presented is immigration. Immigration is a prominent national issue, and the undocumented population is growing rapidly in our nation because of many reasons, one being that Mexicans can’t afford to live in Mexico because of lack of employment with good pay. They want to escape from poverty as oppression. The minute immigrants come to America they start contributing to the economy. Indeed, a recent study showed that in all their different roles in the U.S, immigrants make vital contributions to the economy. They create an increasingly significant proportion of the workforce (Arizaga, 2006). That is the
I believe Illegal Immigration is bad for the United States economy because if they were wanted for doing something bad in another country and they came to the U.S. they could cause trouble in our country and could possibly injure many U.S. citizens. Some other people would say that illegal immigrants can work on farms and get paid under the table to produce food for the US, but I am opposing this claim because they could be terrorists trying to escape the law in whatever country they came from. I think the U.S. should have a strict immigration policy where they have to have a clean record in the country they came from and they have to be legal with their ID, Social Security, and Passport.
As early as the 19th century, immigrants have been coming to the US for job opportunities, better living conditions, and education. For many immigrants they see the US as a hope to have a new and better life. Although, because of the increase of immigrants coming to the US, many became concerned about the impact that they make in our economy. Many argues that the increase of immigrants coming to the US are harming the economy because of the fiscal drain that they caused. While others believe that immigration helps the economy. This creates a problem when people only see the negative perspective about immigration without knowing the positive impacts. Immigrants improve the economy by increasing the America’s
Many people today view America as the land of opportunities and wealth, which is why many migrated to America whether if it is for a better life, religious freedom, or an improved economy. Though at times immigrants don’t receive such a warm welcome, they often have to face with discrimination and it is really difficult for them to become accepted simply because they assume that they won’t adapt to the American culture. Another problem they fear is that immigrants are taking their jobs away from born citizens. There are various mixed of different views on immigrants. Immigrants who move to America to start a new life shouldn’t be looked frowned upon especially if some aren’t willing to adapt to certain things, if they don’t affect others or shove religion down people’s throat and if they mind their own business then it shouldn’t be a problem. People don’t keep in mind that the rightful owners of this continent are the Native Americans. Before anybody ever stepped foot in the Americas the Native Americans had already been living here. Native Americans had already settled in their homes, it wasn’t till the Europeans arrived and drastically destroyed the lives of many Natives. The Natives
Those who believe that illegal immigration is harmful argue that it discourages American citizens from seeking jobs and makes employers more dependent and reliant on hiring illegal foreigners (Ruark 1). The illegal foreigner population also allows for employers to offer its workers a low pay and bad working conditions. Immigration-reduction advocates argue that the increase of working illegal immigrants results in an increase in unemployment and low wages for native-born Americans. This is because undocumented foreigners are willing to work for less money than U.S. citizens and to be paid this small amount on a regular basis (Correa-Cabrera and Rojas-Arenaza 303). Those against having illegal immigrants hold jobs believe that America has a responsibility to its people and to protect their economic interests and they feel the U.S. is not doing that (Ruark 1). They argue that the immigration system brings in workers much faster than jobs are being created. According to the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), undocumented immigrants cost the United States “’at least $10 billion more than they contribute to the economy,’” (Correa-Cabrera and Rojas-Arenaza 302). It is estimated that a family of illegal immigrants uses about $2,000 more in services than they pay in taxes (Correa-Cabrera and Rojas-Arenaza
Thousands of foreign nationals travel to the United States each year and no official system in place to track them nor those who overstay their visas. According to the 9-11 Commission, two of the hijackers from the September 11 attacks had overstayed their visas. The hijackers took advantage of a flawed system that allowed them to enter the US legally, overstay their visas, and caused fear.
When it comes to immigration in America, there are always pros and cons to this question, and it is very depressing how the situation takes to extremely lighten. There are two types immigrants in the Untied States (high-skilled and low-skilled workers). The US economy benefits the immigration because the immigrants contribute by taking jobs that American citizens don’t to work at. For instance, they worked jobs that pay low wages, such as job's chauffeurs, butlers, housekeepers, dishwasher, janitors, etc. In the article, Open Border Improves US Economic mention that the mobility of low-skilled immigrant workers also smoothes economic fluctuations in struggling communities. Some companies are benefiting from immigrants by paying them despicable
Although this may be true, it is worth noting the positives that immigration can bring to a population. An influx of individuals helps create new communities that shape a global-style influence. The chance of meeting individuals can lead to new experiences that the host country’s inhabitants might not have or experience. It is also the same for incoming individuals to enjoy the host countries celebrations and cultures. Dealing with criminality, legal or not immigrants in the U.S. are least likely than native citizens to be incarnated (Krogstad, Jens Manuel, et al.) Another positive for immigration is the workforce, and how much they provide. According to the Atlantic, immigrant citizens are13 percent of the population but are 17 percent of
Immigration has both its ups and downs. On one hand immigration stimulates our economy and on the other hand it brings down the economy. Historically, immigrants have come to this country for a variety of reasons, but economic opportunity has always been a draw. The U.S economy has assisted an expanding labor of supply that today includes one point five million immigrant per year, who spend on housing and consumer goods that help stimulate the economy that increases the demand for more
...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.