US Immigration Sample Assignment

Argument Essay - US Immigration

Immigration is a controversial issue in U.S.A and it goes back in 1950s. Immigrants from all over the globe come to enjoy the well-known superpower nation with a dream of molding a better life for themselves. In many cases, the United States has been described as the “melting pot”, this meaning a place of diversity; all kinds of people and cultures together in one country. In order for America to become what it is today, immigrants had to migrate to America from many lands. The story of how all of those Europeans came in and pushed the Natives from their land, to reservations, some up to 1,100 miles away from their homes is a familiar one. The Americans were once immigrants themselves, immigrants that brought over foreign diseases and slaughtered entire colonies. The United States claims to be founded on freedom; freedom that they stole. Americans scrutinize immigrants, when without them out country would not be the same. It is understandable, the fear of over population and illegal immigrants taking jobs and not paying taxes. These same immigrants are blamed for crimes and so called, “abuse of social services,” but there are so many factors that need to be looked at before we allow Americans to jump to these conclusions (Lineback& Neal, 2013).

In the United States, consumer spending is the largest component of their economy. Out of all of the business in America’s economy 71% of that money goes to individuals purchasing food, shelter, clothing and energy. Out of about 38 million im00migrants in the US, 11 million are illegal. Those numbers represent 12 ½ % of America’s Gross Domestic Product (Furchtgott-Roth, 2005). Let us suppose all of the immigrants decided to leave the country, or they were forcefully evacuated. The United States economy would absolutely collapse! Americans would be sent headfirst into their worst recession yet (Kiersz, Andy, 2016). As population grows, the economy grows. In Europe, they are struggling economically because the population is not growing. For example, in Russia the population is actually shrinking along with their economy (Rapoza, 2016). This is one of the worst possible things that could happen to the country.

A strong immigration reform would make it so that those illegal immigrants would pay taxes and no longer be paid under the table. This would decrease our deficit by nearly 800 billion dollars over the next two decades (Wu, Portia, 2013). The 1996 welfare reform bill only allows illegal immigrants to get emergency medical care and k-12 education (Goodman, 2016). It should not be seen as a problem to allow immigrants into the United States, especially considering the fact that many of them work the jobs that Americans do not want, in crops on their hands and knees. Immigrants typically work very hard and often will work for very low wages. Americans are allowed to tour the world as they wish, going to countries to seek a greater perhaps. Why should they stop others from seeking their own in the United States?

There are many “myths” about United States immigration. The most repeated myth is that immigrants steal jobs, when in reality new jobs are created as the population grows. It is not complicated, when more people are added, so are more jobs. Many immigrants actually offer a skill set that many Americans do not obtain. Therefore, they do not steal from the American work force, but instead compliment it. Surprisingly, Immigration is a source of employment and business. This might sound impossible but according to Furchtgott-Roth (2005), there is 50% chance that immigrants will start a business as opposed to native-born workers. Without the work of low skill immigrants, things such as hotels and restaurants would cost more to the consumer. On the flipside, high skill immigrants account for fifty-six percent of engineering PhDs and forty-four percent of physics PhDs in the United States (Planas, 2015). These high skilled immigrants heavily contribute to the United States Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Sectors (STEM), which Is currently in high demand. According to Planas, (2015), illegal immigrants are not eligible for income benefits like social security but they do pay taxes like other citizens. It was documented that illegal immigrants contribute to 10% of the social security trust fund (which they cannot have access to) which is roughly $300 billion and they are not eligible for social security benefits (Planas, 2015).

On the other hand, immigrants in U.S.A have also been considered a national. Many instances of drug trafficking, insecurity and bad behavior have been reported majorly caused by the immigrants. Mexico immigrants for example, have been doing drugs along the U.S.A borders and inside the country (Planas, 2015). The immigrants are here to make easy money and most of them evade paying taxes. In case the immigrants are not lucky enough to secure employment or start a business, many tend to turn to crime to make a daily living. According to Euzentet et. Al., (2004) crime rate has throttled due to high number of immigrants in U.S.A. This national threat calls for a serious attention that must be addressed by the government.

In order to create an immigration system that provides to today’s economic needs the United States must commence by building a strong and effective immigration policies start with a strong, meaningful reform that will assist secures their borders, protects their citizens, enforces their laws and helps the economy grow again. An immigration system that actually works would strengthen America’s national security and economy.

References

Co, C. Y., Euzent, P., & Martin, T. (2004).The export effect of immigration into the USA. Applied Economics, 36(6), 573-583.

Fuchs, C. (2017). Donald Trump: A critical theory-perspective on authoritarian capitalism. tripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique. Open Access Journal for a Global Sustainable Information Society, 15(1), 1-72. .

Furchtgott-Roth, D. (2007). Testimony on the future of undocumented immigrant students. House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security and International Law. Washington, DC.

Griffin, J. L., & Stevenson, R. L. (1994). The effectiveness of locator maps in increasing reader understanding of the geography of foreign news. Journalism Quarterly, 71(4), 937-946.

Padilla-Goodman, A. (2016). When “You” Become One of “Them”: Understanding the Researcher's Identity Dialectically. International Review of Qualitative Research, 3(3), 315-329..

Planas, E., Andreu, J., Gárate, J. I., de Alegría, I. M., & Ibarra, E. (2015).AC and DC technology in microgrids: A review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 43, 726-749.

Planas, R. (2015, February 17). 5 Theories About The Economic Effects Of Illegal Immigration You Shouldn't Trust. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/17/illegal-immigration-econonomics_n_6700148.html.

Rapoza, K. (2016, September 12). Russia Economic Power Shrinking, Losing Market Share. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2016/09/12/russia-economic-power-shrinking-losing-market-share/#18fe51d31c37