Immigration in the United States

Immigration in the United States can be a controversial issue; many people say this phenomenon is irreversible. Millions of people are tempt to leave their homeland and cross national borders to improve their quality of life. Unauthorized immigration has been a major political issue in the U.S. Many of these immigrants come here with nothing more than their bodies. The truth is America has always struggled with the issue of immigration, both legal and illegal. Americans claim that the immigrants are destroying the American culture, way of life, and are responsible for a big part of crimes and drug trafficking. This issue has a bad impact in the education, business, social services and poverty but also has some advantages. The low paying labor jobs case is an example, Americans refuse to do it. Would Americans fill these jobs, at a higher wage, if foreigners were not available? Honestly, there are many different perspectives of the American Dream and the point is whether to treat illegal immigrants as victims, criminals, or as potential U.S. citizens.

They generally know the language less well and are less familiar with the culture. They often work harder and for longer hours. The argument is that the illegal immigrants are taking jobs away from American workers, hurting the economy. In many parts of the United States native-born workers still do the jobs. When employers say immigrants "take jobs Americans don't want," they really mean that immigrants "take jobs Americans don't want at the wages I want to pay." Policing the places where immigrants work can reduce the number of illegal immigrant living in the United States, because it can reduce the number of jobs open to them and also eliminate a principal reason for coming. Despite government efforts to control immigration, the United States population includes millions of illegal immigrants who choose to turn a blind eye to the law and become U.S. residents without official permission.

According to the Wikipedia, "Most illegal immigrants live in families where the adults are undocumented, but the children are U.S. born. An estimated 13.9 million people, including 4.7 million children, live in families in which the head of household or the spouse is an unauthorized immigrant". The children of these immigrants will soon enter the labor force and begin paying taxes, supporting their kids' education.

Americans are less opposed about immigration than they have been before, according to a new poll by NPR, the Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. People may just want a fresh start, why deny them of that?

Illegal immigration is an on-going issue, which is of much importance in the United States today. There are people on the U.S. side who speak no English, read no U.S. newspapers, and watch no U.S. television. Perhaps the most telling way to assess the immigrant contribution is to ask what would happen if the influx stopped or if those already here left the country. How does illegal immigration affect U.S economy? Immigrants increase the supply of labor in the economy, and for a change America provides them with a higher income and quality of life.

What do American citizens feel about illegal immigration? In Washington State, the Elway Poll showed that Washington voter’s biggest concern was that illegal immigrants use services, yet do not pay for taxes. Is not possible to predict the role of immigration in America’s future but if this tax problem doesn't reach an end, the economy is going to suffer a decline soon.

An advantage about immigrants, according to the site http://www.newsbatch.com/immigration.htm, is that "Studies have indicated that because most immigrants occupy low-paying, low-skill jobs, their presence is complementary. Because of their contributions, the overall economy is stronger and the wage level and standard of living of most native workers is higher than would exist if they were not present. In particular, the high concentration of undocumented workers in the agricultural industry keeps food prices relatively low." This is something considerable, the immigrants in this case can complete what people really need, low prices on food.

According to the site http://www.nytimes.com, the fast food business has spread all over the nation and is now served at restaurants and drive-through, at stadiums, airports, zoos, high schools, elementary schools, universities, on cruise ships, trains, and airplanes, at K-Marts, Wall-Marts, gas stations, and even at hospital cafeterias. Eric Schlosser wrote the book "Fast Food Nation" and according to him, Americans spent more than $110 billion a year on the fast food. Americans today spend more money of fast food than in higher education. This growth of the fast food industry demanded workers, and the people that want to take these jobs are immigrants. "McJob, a low-pay, low-prestige job that requires few skills and offers very little chance of intercompany advancement." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McJob). McDonalds makes billions and billions of dollars every year by selling things for such a low price and making a very large profit. Eric Schlosser, presents the harsh realities of the unfair labor practices of the fast food industry. Fast food corporations employ more people than other corporations in the world. They prefer unskilled workers that have absolutely no experience. Americans think that Non-English speaking workers take jobs away from American people because they will work for cheaper wages. When Americans prevent immigrants from taking those jobs, producers and consumers suffer the consequences.

Especially since the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, Americans have attempt to find a elixir for the immigration issue. Visa process has become so hard to attain in order to visit, study, and work in the United States. Most international arrivals to the U.S are expected delays because of the immigration process they have to go through.

International borders have always been centers of conflict, and the U.S.-Mexican border is no exception. One of the most controversial political issues of today is that of illegal immigrants from Mexico. Americans need to recognize that migration from Mexico to the United States is here to stay. So they need to realize, as Wayne Cornelius expressed in the LA newspaper on Mexican immigration "These migrants pay into the Social Security trust fund millions of dollars that they will never collect, as well as state income taxes, and even property taxes for which they will receive relatively few benefits." This is a point of view that many Americans don't know about it. When they are trying to exterminate Mexicans, they should think concerning the benefits.

The United States takes on most of the deficits that illegal immigration causes; having to deal with the abuse of social services by non-citizens. The United States had long been the world’s chief receiving nation for immigrants. The continued influx of illegal immigrants promotes disrespect for the law. Also population increase which results in the overcrowding of cities.

United States had witnessed the transformation from American Indian to a rich array of ethnic and racial population. Immigrants give America the chance to know the culture of many countries. They bring in their religion, culture and ideology.
Without any restrictions the country would be overflowing with immigrants, but if completely prohibited the country would lose its diversity and much of its low-income work force.

Immigrants help build this country, the government must make sure that the rights of the immigrants are respected, in order to improve not only their lives but also the economy of the whole country. A diverse population with countless ethnicities, races and creeds is what makes America special.....immigration statistics must be studied by both sides in order to reach a decision most beneficial to American nation. International migration is a practical element of modern societies, rich and poor, that resolves the uneven distribution of people and opportunities.