Keep Them or Ship Them: Viewpoints on Immigration

The United States is one of the most common countries where people from all over the world immigrate to. Why do they choose America? Is it the burgers? Or could it be the Statue of Liberty? Commonly cited reasons for people immigrating to the United States is to find better jobs and a better living situation. Reasons also include better education opportunities, family or trying to escape from their countries due to corrupt governments or crime. There are many who have studied the benefits and the down sides of immigration in the U.S. These scholars have studied this matter for years and have seen the causes and effects the immigration has had in the U.S. They either have seen it from their own personal lives, on the news or from their research. Those who are against immigration believe immigrants will bring crime, unemployment, and bring down the economy. Whereas those who support immigration believe the U.S. benefits from immigrants because they help introduce new ideas and perspectives from different cultures and beliefs, that they are less likely to bring crime and will benefit the economy.

There have been about 1,000,000 immigrants that have entered the United States within each year. Think about how that could benefit the U.S. or how that could make a lot of citizens unemployed. Immigrants have affected the United States through its economy, working conditions of U.S. workers and wages because they impact the increasing amount of goods and uses. They have also impacted the welfare system.  Those who oppose immigration believe this hurts the economy. 

 Those who oppose immigration believe immigrants in the U.S. increase the crime rate. They believe that immigrants that enter the United states either need to learn the law of this country and have a greater knowledge of what the laws are in the U.S. Some of the laws are obvious but most of the immigrants in the U.S that break the law don’t have much care about it as they would in their own countries. Most uneducated immigrants reside in cities because it is cheaper and they believe that is the reason why there is an increasingly amount of crime in inner cities because most immigrants live there. Those who oppose immigration want a safe country. The major terrorist attack in 2001 was caused by immigrants they were also in the United States illegally. Former President, George W. Bush said “…the criminalization of immigrants long predates 9/11.”

Some studies have also shown that immigration hasn’t impacted the crime rate and shows that immigrants are less likely to commit crime. Those who support immigration state, crime is everywhere and immigrants are actually less likely to cause crime because most of them leave their countries to escape from crime. They come to the United States to gain opportunities to progress leading them to stay far away from criminal acts or environments. They’re not saying that immigrants are perfect and don’t cause any crimes but they believe that they state that immigrants don’t have a significant impact on the crime rate.

The greatest opinion about these two viewpoints on immigration is with the exaggerating increase of immigrants in the United States, they have gradually been impacting the economy in the U.S. negatively. Some people believe that immigrants have benefited from working in a rich country where they can get jobs. They strongly believe that most immigrants make more money here than they would in their own countries, because of this, many have entered the United States within the last couple of centuries. Most of those immigrants are unskilled without any education that is higher than a High School Diploma. They think that they compare to citizens who have the same level of education as the immigrants. Most of the unemployment rate in the United States has to do with so many immigrants entering the U.S. and being unskilled and they also believe that they have taken the job opportunities for natives who would have applied to similar jobs. Another opinion they have about the economic effect that immigrants has in the U.S is that wages would drop as well.

They also believe that the United States should enforce immigration policies that will bring in high skilled foreigners to help innovate the United States’ economy. Stuart Anderson and Michaela Platzer believe that something should be done for this cause. They want to find ways to improve the immigrant situation in the United States that will benefit both the immigrants and the natives of the United States.

The opinion about the United States benefiting from immigrants especially unskilled immigrants is that they are a great privilege because the U.S gains new ideas and innovations from others with different beliefs, cultures and perspectives.

 Also stated by the Cato Institute it says, “Immigration gives America an economic edge in the global economy. Immigrants bring innovative ideas entrepreneurial spirit to the United States, most notably in Silicon Balley and other high-technology centers. They provide business contacts with other markets, enhancing America’s ability to trade and invest profitably abroad”

It is said by Becky Akers, “It’s true that immigrants can temporarily reduce wages for Americans whose skills closely match theirs. But falling wages raise profits. And higher profits are the soil from which better wages grow. Seeking those superior returns, investors bring more capital.”  Akers is showing that she recognizes that immigrants can cause wage decrease but ultimately, they will help increase profits which is what helps increase our economy.

Unskilled immigrants benefit the United States because they “…drive down the costs of goods and services which use a lot of low-skilled labor, such as household production.” The types of labor this refers to are jobs such as nannying, maids and construction which don’t require as much skill, because of this, employers can pay employees less money.

Cato institute believes immigrants also benefit the United States by being enthusiastic to work. Said by Cato, “They tend to come to the United States during their prime working years (the average age is 28), and they contribute to the workforce and make huge net contributions to old-age entitlement programs, primarily Social Security.”

These viewpoints each have their own reasonable facts and sides. They even see the opposing viewpoints of others and acknowledge them, yet still support their ideas and opinions. It is said that immigrants come to the U.S. for better opportunities, and there are people who believe that and strongly have opinions about how it is benefiting the United States or how it can be harming the economy. It’s understanding that people want to defend their country and the opinions of these people have proven that they have found comfort and safety in the United States and have taken time and study if immigrants is something that should be continued or banned. Those who would like it to be banded believe that it has been harmful in different ways and want their country to become a place where the citizens of the United States can be safe, have jobs to provide for themselves and their families. Those who believe that immigrants aren’t affecting also want the same thing for the citizens but they also understand the immigrants and believe that they should be given the same opportunities, as said by Akers, “Constitutional and legal precepts that guarantee all immigrants the opportunity to pursue life, liberty, and happiness in the United States.”

Immigrants acknowledge that there are great opportunities offered in the United States and for some it is their passion to immigrate to the United States because they know they will be afforded better opportunities than in their countries. The discussion about the United States and immigrants from all over the world that enter the U.S. can live together in a land full of opportunities continues today.

Those who have supported immigration are opposing that subject because they believe that the immigrants will benefit from this and their children will be able to receive the help needed to become great U.S citizens. These two opinions each have a point but it is said that not all immigrants use welfare for the right purposes but they are entitled to receive welfare if eligible.

• Akers, Becky and Boudreaux, Donald J. “Immigration Benefits the Economy”. Opposing Viewpoints Immigration, David M. Haugen, Susan Musser and Kacy Lovelace, Greenhaven Press, 2009, 22-25.
• Allport, Alan and Ferguson, John E. “Immigrants Are a Vital Economic and Social Asset to the United States”.  Point Counterpoint Immigration Policy, Edited by Alan Marzilli, Infobase Publishing, 2009, 85-87.
• “CATO Institute: Immigration.” Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context, Gale, 2018. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/ZKVPZE312511475/OVIC?u=byuidaho&sid=OVIC&xid=c82177ab. Accessed 8 Nov. 2018.
• Dalmia, Shikha. “ABOLISH ICE: America’s immigration roundup squad must go.” Reason, July 2018, p. 10+. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A542804750/OVIC?u=byuidaho&sid=OVIC&xid=e92a2a7b. Accessed 9 Nov. 2018
• Doak, Melissa J. “Testimony of Steven A. Camarota, Director of Research, Center for Immigration Studies, Speaking Against Increased Immigration, September 30, 2010.” Immigration and Illegal Aliens: Burden or Blessing?, 2011 ed., Gale, 2011. Information Plus Reference Series. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ1529100315/OVIC?u=byuidaho&sid=OVIC&xid=976ad1c7. Accessed 9 Nov. 2018.
• Lamm, Richard D., and Philip Cafaro. “Reducing Legal Immigration Levels Will Help Workers and the Environment.” Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2018. Opposing
• Viewpoints in  Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/FFTRSM338050218/OVIC?u=byuidaho&sid=OVIC&xid=8be78673. Accessed 8 Nov. 2018. Originally published as “The liberal case for reducing immigration,” Denver Post, 16 Feb. 2018.