Do Immigrants Benefit America - Essay Example

Do Immigrants Benefit America? The rate of poverty in the world keeps on increasing with every decade. For the prospects of a better future people choose to leave their homelands and migrate mainly to the developed nations. Immigration has been a subject of debate with an increase in hate crimes against the immigrants. It needs to be understood that every being has a right to choose for a better and secure future and this accounts for one of the reasons why people choose immigration as an option (Education for Justice 2006). The ageing population of the developed nations is increasing and hence it can be beneficial for the host countries as well (Hainmueller et al 2007). Immigration also assists in the development and understand of cultural diversities and helps in promoting anti racist sentiments (Rowthorn 2004). But at one time immigration becomes a problem for the host country as many say that it has become a problem for United States as it has reached its peak. Immigration is hereby contended as detrimental for the country in terms of factors which drastically affect the economic status, consumption of natural resources, environmental protection, and sustaining the increased population in the long term. Many point out this argument and this would be further discussed in this essay along with the argument of the proponents of immigration who believe that immigration is helping the countries to prosper in every way. Immigrants mainly belong to the underdeveloped nations where the financial crisis pushes them to immigrate. Policies which include the rules of free trade actually serve as a burden rather than reliefs for the poor countries making them dip into poverty even more. These underdeveloped nations have debts to pay off and much of their income goes into actually paying the interest of these debts. Moreover the developed nations do pledge to assist these countries by providing them aid but these developed countries never reach their set goal. All these factors contribute to the increasing poverty in the world to an extent that it has been reported that over the past three decades 60 nations in the world have sank deeper into poverty. The people living in these countries are left with no options and the final ray of hope for them is immigration. It is the only way for them to lead a better life ahead (Education for Justice 2006). United States of America is a nation founded by people whose forefathers were immigrants to this fertile land. Initially immigration was prompted by search for gold and other natural resources and hence turned into colonization of the newly found lands. Keeping aside the memories of colonization and ethnic cleansing that followed those immigrations; United States can be rightly called as a nation formed by the destiny of immigrants from Europe and far off lands (Gjerde 1999). In the 19th century, immigration was permitted in the United States on the basis of the fact that labor was required in the country and there was no opposition and realization of the harms that could be brought about by these immigrants. This led to a great influx of immigrants in the country. A change in the policy of immigration of the country in the year 1986 when President Reagan put into practice the IRCA reform was deemed eminent then. The purpose of this act was to legalize the immigrants already settled in the United States and the implementation of strong laws to prevent the employers from hiring illegal laborers to whom they used to give lower pays. This strategy was not enacted efficiently and the employers took the benefit and started hiring illegal immigrants providing them with very low pay scales. The consequence of this was the rise in the number of immigrants residing illegally by 8 million by the year 2000 (Couch et al 2004). Within the next decade, that is in the year 2009 it was reported that 10.8 million illegal immigrants were living in the United States (Reuters 2010). There has been much opposition to the policy of immigration and immigrants have to face racism in the host country. The opponents argue that the immigrants actually take up their jobs and the result is lower employment for them. This point has been argued against as it has been analyzed the economic impact of immigration is not great and immigrants serve in to fill many vacant places and assist in boosting the income as a whole. Opponents also present the fact that not all immigrants who actually come to the host countries are actually educated and this results in unemployment for them as well. The net result is an increase in unemployment and crime rate. To counter this, it has been seen that immigrants even adapt to the jobs of lower income which are not taken up by the nationals and unemployment is not a major factor amongst them (Rowthorn 2004). A study done by Federation of American Immigration Reform (FAIR) showed that the government of United States was bearing a cost of $113 billion per year on the immigrants (FOX NEWS 2010). The opponents point out this report and argue that this budget can otherwise be allocated on the civilians of United States for their betterment. Not only this, many of the immigrants who enter the territory of United States may have some diseases of the third world countries which can also affect the civilians of the United States. As a great number of immigrants are entering the territory the population of US would increase to alarming levels which would further cause problems for the government. It is believed by these opponents that these immigrants are a major cause of road accidents in United States because of which many legal civilians are killed (Brown 2007). With these in perspectives, the advantages that policies on immigration in the US focus primarily in according economic benefits, such as increasing the gross domestic product, increased tax revenues, increased consumer spending, and creating investment opportunities which spur greater economic activities in the long run (Ojeda, 2010, p. 1). Immigration can also serve to be beneficial for the countries where these people migrate. This is because the developed nations have more of an aging population which they have to cater. Increased life expectancy and better treatment options serve as reasons for this. Another cause is the decreased birth rates in these nations. This results in low skilled labor and hence immigrants can serve to fill in these gaps. Also the immigrants pay higher taxes comparatively and this can serve to compensate for the amount required to cater to the aged. Thus, immigration serves to promote the betterment of the immigrants as well as proves to be beneficial to the economy of the host nation (Rowthorn 2004). Most of them enter USA to earn a better living there as it is a developed country. The proponents of immigration believe that they have a positive effect on the economy of the United States as these immigrants tend to work a lot for the service sector. A report known as Perryman report of 2008 found that these illegal immigrants were adding up to $245 billion to the GDP of United States. These proponents believe that it is because of these immigrants that the service sector of United States is booming. The wages that the some immigrants take from their employers is quite less as compared to the wages written in the constitution and this is because it gives an edge to employers. The proponents believe that immigration can create a lot of jobs which naturally other citizens of United States would not be willing to take. It is because of their courtesy that all the sectors of the United States are working in an organized manner (FOX NEWS 2010; Illegal Immigration). Illegal immigrants also belong to Asia, Mexico and Caribbean and this serves to provide for bilingual education in the country. Bilingual education can serve to be very helpful for the United States owing to the fact that it is a global power and such advancements can prove to be helpful for the country. The jobs that the Mexican and Muslim workers do in America are not usually taken by the legal citizens of America (Duignan 2004). The benefits that the illegal immigrants serve to provide for the host countries around the world cannot be denied. To begin with, it is very well known that the ageing population in the developed countries is rising and these nations have to provide for these people. The statistics from the Administration of Aging uphold this fact. According to these statistics, in the year 2009 the number of people aging 65 years or above was 39.6 million. This accounts for 12.9% of the total population residing in the country. It has also been predicted by The Administration of Aging that there will be 72.1 million people in this category by the year 2030 which clearly indicates that the aging population will approximately double by then (Administration of Aging 2010). The reasons that account for this data is that the treatment modalities have increased and the life expectancy rates have also improved. Another essential contributing factor is the reduction in the birth rates in the developed nations. Thus this reduces the number of skilled labor available and this gap needs to be filled. It is here that these illegal immigrants serve to be beneficial. They work longer hours and take lower wages and hence fill in the gap resulting due to low birth rates and increasing aging population. Thus, this explains one aspect of the benefits that are provided by the illegal immigrants towards the economy of the host country (Rowthorn 2004). The emergence of cultural diversity that results due to immigration cannot be ignored. It leads to the appreciation of different cultures and religion. Thus, it broadens the mind of a person and increases his understanding of the world. The immigrants also get an opportunity to get exposed to the culture of the host country and to understand and become a part of that culture. In a similar way, the citizens of the country also come across the different cultures of the world and they get a close picture and understanding of these cultures. Thus immigration works towards promoting unity and provides for an opportunity to learn the viewpoints and ideas of the world. It brings different people together. Hence, it helps in increasing the knowledge and improves understanding of the people (Hainmueller et al 2007). The federal government has continually evaluated, reviewed, revised immigration policies depending on factors that impact, not only the economic status of the United States, but more so, the way of life of every citizen. Although current policies seem to be partially effective in restricting the entry of aliens subject to laws and regulations, it has been apparent from data and information that the influx of illegal aliens continues to persist. The policies on immigration were designed to ensure that a restricted number of foreigners are admitted and granted lawful entry to the United States for clearly defined reasons. As indicated by the CBO (2006), the goals reflected by the immigration policies in the US depend on the following factors: (1) to serve as a tool to reunite families where applicants have relatives previously residing in the country; (2) to fill employment vacancies deemed to need specific skills not eminent in current US labor pool; (3) for political, religious or racial asylum where people from originating countries face risk and threats of persecution; and (4) to encourage entry of culturally diverse people from regions of low immigration status to the US (CBO, 2006, p. vii). In assessing the issues at hand, the federal government has continually exerted efforts to ensure that immigration to the United States would be beneficial, not only to the immigrants, but also to the US citizens, and the economy, as a whole. Unprecedented levels of illegal immigration noted in the past years have led professionals to conclude that revisions need to be instituted in the current policy to prevent the continued entry of illegal aliens. Immigration is hence a very broad issue. With legal immigration there is also the opposite which is known as illegal immigration which has its own complexities. It lays down an impact on the economy of the host country and it affects the life of the immigrants for years. This affect on the immigrants is not only economical but also social as well as cultural. In today’s world, when human mind has broadened and it is realized that all human beings have equal rights, it should be realized that if a person opts for immigration for the prospect of a better future, hindrance should not be created for him. This would be unjust with him as well his opportunities for a better life would be taken from him. However, if the United States would continue to allow entry of immigrants at the current level, eventually it would not be perceived as a land of milk and honey, even for the citizens whose welfare it aims to safeguard. References Administration of Aging. “Aging Statistics.” 2010. Web. 01 December 2010. Education for Justice. Looking at Root Causes: Why do Immigrants Come to the U.S.? 2006. Web. 01 December 2010. Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Immigration Policy in the United State. 2006. Web. 01 December 2010. Couch, Jim F, Douglas Barrett, and Peter M. Williams. "Special Report -- Immigrants and America - Total Amnesty for Illegal Aliens?" The World & I. 19.2 (2004): 26. Print. Top of Form Duignan, Peter. "Special Report -- Immigrants and America - Do Immigrants Benefit America?" The World & I. 19.2 (2004): 20. Print. Gjerde, Jon. "New Growth on Old Vines: the State of the Field: the Social History of Immigration to and Ethnicity in the United States." Journal of American Ethnic History. 18.4 (1999): 40-65. Print. Hainmueller, Jens, and Michael J. Hiscox. "Educated Preferences: Explaining Attitudes Toward Immigration in Europe." International Organization. 61.2 (2007): 399-442. Print. Illegal Immigration. N.d. Web. 02 December 2010. Illegal Immigration Costs U.S. $113 Billion a Year, Study Finds. Ed Barnes. FOX NEWS. 2010. Web. 03 December 2010. Ojeda, R.H. Raising the Floor for American Workers. 2010. Web. 03 December 2010. Rowthorn, R. The Economic Impact of Immigration. A Civitas Online Report. 2004. Web. 02 December 2010. Read More