Immigrants in the United States

1426 Words3 Pages

Immigrants in the United States, both legal and illegal, have faced antagonistic attitudes from the American population also called, ironically, “the nation of immigrants”. This hostile and unfair mindset results from misrepresentations of immigrants by newspapers as foreign-born people have been portrayed as the slumps of the American economy and society. Hence, the newspaper must show realistic images of immigrants, instead of falsely attributing an array of negative impacts to them. In order to achieve this, the press must concentrate on the mission of reporting and portraying realistic images of immigrants. To clarify this proposition, I will examine the existing inadequacy, or the misconceptions of immigrants in the States. This will be followed by exploring the vital role of the newspaper and press in conveying the negative image of the immigrants, and the resolution that could subdue the current problem.

Immigrants in the U.S., both legal and illegal, are claimed by the anti-immigrant groups to be a burden on the American economy and society. A significant amount of Americans believes that foreign-born people negatively impact the local economy by taking away jobs from natives (“10 harmful misconceptions” 4). However, in reality,immigrant entrepreneurs and professionals play a crucial role in job creation in America (Anderson, Stuart and Platzer 5). In fact, enterprises erected by immigrants are worth more than $500 billion and employ around 220,000 people (Anderson, Stuart and Platzer 6-7). Furthermore, on average, 7.1 percent of immigrant-owned companies and firms export, compared with 4.4 percent of non-immigrant firms (Fairlie 12). This indicates that immigrant-owned firms have higher rate of exportation, therefore t...

... middle of paper ...

...ul misconceptions about immigrations. Washington, D.C.: The Equal Right Center, 2008.
Fairlie, Robert W. “Immigrant Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners, and their Access to Financial Capital,” Small Business Association Office of Advocacy, 2012, p.7.
Suro, Roberto. “Promoting Misconceptions: News Media Coverage of Immigration.”. Center for the Study of Immigration Integration. N. Pag. Web. December 2009.
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Yearbook of Immigration Statistics: 2011. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Immigration Statistics, 2012.
United States. Government Accountability Office. Office of Policy and Planning, U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service : Information on Certain Illegal Aliens Arrested in the United States. Washington, DC: Government Accountability Office, 7 April 2005. Web. 05 May. 2014.

Show More
Related

  • The Latino Journey in the United States: Immigrants

    1699 Words  | 4 Pages

    "The Hispanic Population: 2010." . U.S. Census, 1 May 2011. Web. 29 Apr. 2014. .

    Read More

  • The Chinese Experience In The 19th Century

    916 Words  | 2 Pages

    Immigration, the act of coming to live permanently in a foreign country. Throughout the United States’ history, immigrants faced various challenges and especially after 1880. Most immigrants moved to achieve the American dream of having a better life and pursuing their dreams. But, this experience as they moved, was different for every immigrant. Some lives improved while others did not. Immigrants such as Catholics, Italians, and the Chinese were not welcomed into America in the late 19th century and early 20th century because of their differences in beliefs and cultures.

    Read More

  • Undocumented Immigrants in the US and Healthcare for them

    1718 Words  | 4 Pages

    The way the media reports the contribution of immigrants in a difficult economic market can lead to unfavorable attitudes concerning their success. Pair wise comparisons across different ethnic groups showed that less-positive attitudes...

    Read More

  • Immigration: Important to the Success of America

    910 Words  | 2 Pages

    The United States of America has the largest foreign-born population in the world. With nearly thirteen percent of the total population being foreign-born, one may find it hard to imagine an immigrant-free country (U.S. Bureau of the Census). Immigration has been an integral part of the United States’ overall success and the country’s economy since it was established and without it, would have never been founded at all. Although there are some negative issues associated with immigration and many native-born Americans believe to be more of a problem than a solution, overall it actually has a positive effect. Immigrants in America, among other things, fill jobs where native-born Americans may not want to work or cannot work, they contribute to Social Services and Medicaid through taxes and they help provide the backbone of America, especially by working jobs that natives may have not even considered.

    Read More

  • Immigration in America Today

    3584 Words  | 8 Pages

    Every year, hundreds of thousands of immigrants, legal and illegal, from around the world, come to the United States. These immigrants come because they want a chance at a better life; others are refugees, escaping persecution and civil wars in their home country. Many people believe the United States is the best place to go. There is more freedom, protection, and benefits, which seems like a good deal to immigrants. But the large number of immigration is affecting the current citizens of the United States. Taxpayers are forced to pay for the welfare and schooling for many of these immigrants, some who are illegal aliens. Some citizens believe that immigration can be hazardous to the environment. Others blame crime, poverty, and overpopulation on immigration. About sixty-eight million immigrants have been added to the United States since 1970, and it is estimated that 130 million people will be added over the next fifty years. The government has tried somewhat to restrict immigration but the laws are still too lenient. Nearly every other advanced country in the world is moving quickly towards stabilized population or has already achieved it. The United States is moving towards it very slowly. This country would have to reduce immigration down to 255,000 a year to do this (Beck 1). If nothing is done to stabilize the immigration to this country, what will become of population in the next decade? The population will continue to grow even faster - not due to births, but to massive immigration to this country. Immigration can become a serious problem to this country if the government does not produce stricter laws.

    Read More

  • Illegal Immigrants in The United States

    781 Words  | 2 Pages

    For many years, people from all over the world have come to the United States seeking a better life for themselves, their spouse, their children and even their children's children. However, not every immigrant comes into this country legally and many of these illegal immigrants are poor, uneducated and may be carrying contagious diseases. They may arrive here via human trafficking, smuggling or other methods. There is one thing we know for sure that many of them choose to remain silence when they become victims. The three main reasons they become invisible victims are they are not aware they are victimized, they don't know the right way to ask for help and they are afraid to be fired or even deported.

    Read More

  • Immigration and Nativism in the United States

    2109 Words  | 5 Pages

    In the United States, the cliché of a nation of immigrants is often invoked. Indeed, very few Americans can trace their ancestry to what is now the United States, and the origins of its immigrants have changed many times in American history. Despite the identity of an immigrant nation, changes in the origins of immigrants have often been met with resistance. What began with white, western European settlers fleeing religious persecution morphed into a multicultural nation as immigrants from countries across the globe came to the U.S. in increasing numbers. Like the colonial immigrants before them, these new immigrants sailed to the Americas to gain freedom, flee poverty and famine, and make a better life for themselves. Forgetting their origins as persecuted and excluded people, the older and more established immigrants became possessive about their country and tried to exclude and persecute the immigrant groups from non-western European backgrounds arriving in the U.S. This hostile, defensive, and xenophobic reaction to influxes of “new” immigrants known as Nativism was not far out of the mainstream. Nativism became a part of the American cultural and political landscape and helped to shape, through exclusion, the face of the United States for years to come.

    Read More

  • An Argument Against Racial Profiling

    1120 Words  | 3 Pages

    U.S. Department of Justice. "A Resource Guide on Racial Profiling Data Collection Systems." December 2000. U.S. Department of Justice. Web. 18 June 2015.

    Read More

  • Immigrant Labor in the United States

    1273 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Effect of Illegal Immigration on the US Economy

    892 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Four Stages of Culture Shock Faced By Immigrants

    1688 Words  | 4 Pages

    The. Kessner, Thomas and Betty Boyd Caroli, “Today’s Immigrants, Their Stories.” Kiniry and Rose, 343-346. Print. The. Portes, Alejandro and Ruben G. Rumbaut, “Immigrant America: A Portrait.” Kiniry and Rose, 336-337.

    Read More

  • Immigration in the United States

    1133 Words  | 3 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • The United States and Illegal Immigration

    1096 Words  | 3 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Immigration Laws

    1304 Words  | 3 Pages

    Vaughan, Jessica M. “Aliens Who Overstay Their Visas Are a Serious Security Threat.” Opposing Viewpoints: Immigration. Eds. David M. Haugen, Susan Musser and Kacy Lovelace. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2009. 182-193. Print.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Immigration In America

    1029 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many individuals have ambivalent feelings concerning the escalation of immigrants into the U. S every year. However, despite all those ambivalent feelings some individuals heavily believe immigrants should not be admitted as a vital part of society, and there are those who think that they should. One individual who believes that immigrants are an essential part of society is Debra Miller who

    Read More

More about Immigrants in the United States

Open Document