Migration is arguably one of the most discussed topics in American politics since independence. Proponents of migration believe the practice is critical to boosting the country’s economy, encouraging democracy, and enhancing cultural diversity. On the contrary, detractors of immigration think it is too expensive to sustain, it is creating an unsafe environment for the legal citizens, and it is tearing apart the ancient societal fabric. However, I believe that immigration is necessary and contributes to a better America. Therefore, the government must take critical steps in encouraging more immigration to boost the economy.
Introduction
The issue of immigration in America is not new since virtually the entire population in the country is considered either directly immigrants or their progenies. As such, immigration is one of the hot social and political subjects always debated whether in the mainstream media or Congress. Some of the controversial issues in America has been the benefit of immigrants to the national economy. Some experts have argued that newcomers play a central role in creating wealth and developing the region. For example, some of the first European inhabitants and settlers transformed the country’s agricultural and manufacturing sectors. Even though these early immigrants colonized the area, they still played a central role in introducing the Western-model of economic and political leadership. Most importantly, they paved the way for the American Revolution with the region converted into an independent nation, the modern-day U.S.
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Although these European settlers introduced vital agricultural progress and political systems, a majority of political analysts still think immigrants have destroyed the country. The entry of illegal immigration, especially fostered by loopholes in policy, has been historically attributed to the proliferation of certain vices and crime rates in society, including drug trafficking and terrorism. Some of the reasons associated with this influx of foreigners are related to the fact that American has always respected human rights and encouraged freedom of expression. Even though initially President Bush, a renowned conservative, opted to take a middle ground by allowing immigrants to work on guest programs, President Trump and the opponents of immigration have in recent years have proposed an amnesty structure to fish out all undocumented immigrants. Whichever the case, the debate around immigrants is seemingly not ending soon. In this paper, I intend to air my support as to why I think immigrants contribute to a better America. I will also provide counterarguments to these propositions as well as rebuttals to these counterstatements, with supporting evidence.
Discussion
My position and Arguments
I believe that immigrants have been and continue to be paramount to America, playing a decisive role in almost all sectors of the economy. I agree with Legrain (2007) that foreigners make the country great via cultural enrichment as well as the promotion of the political culture. In terms of enhancing economic vitality and growth of communities, both developing countries (like most African republics) and rich nations (such as the U.S.) stand to benefit from immigration. As workers move from impoverished nations to work in more affluent countries, the former benefit by the remittance made back home while the latter take reap from a versatile pool of talent. The payments made back home essentially boost the local economies and uplifts the living standards of the local communities from poverty ( Borjas, 2014).
Besides, it is essential to acknowledge the fact that immigrants and their descendants were at the center stage of the commercial and industrial developments that shaped the country’s economic fortunes as early as the globalization and industrialization eras. For instance, immigrant slaves shipped from Western African toiled in the mining firms and agricultural zones to ensure that America rose to become the manufacturing giant it is today. Sons of these immigrants have also played a fundamental role in shaping modern American intuitions.
As such, Eduardo Porter in 2017 noted that restricting visitors in America by limiting work permits or visas, preventing citizens from a few Muslim-majority nations, and expelling millions of illegal immigrants cannot make America great again as President Trump perceives. Eduardo thinks that Trump will only manage to impoverish the world and shrink the country’s economy. The journalists argue that the report on immigration published by the NASEM in 2016 estimated that immigrants generated more than $ 50 billion annually to the U.S. economy between 1990 and 2010. Therefore, allowing more immigration can bolster these figures.
Counterarguments
Despite being a win-win situation for both richer and poorer countries, there is no question that an influx of immigrants in the U.S. can significantly dent the structural fabric of the American society as well as its culture. The 2007 report released by Brimelow Peter, a leading editor of the National Review and Forbes magazines, purports that the increasing populations of Chinese, Indians, and Hispanics can negatively affect the existing traditional cultures. There is also the issue of the growing crime rates associated with the influx of foreigners, ranging from terrorism related to immigrants from rebel Gulf nations such as Iraq, Iran, and Syria to drug trafficking linked with neighboring countries like Mexico. The expanding populations are also exerting pressure to the American economy, which are causing an alarming increase in the cost of maintenance prisons, education, healthcare, and many others.
Rebuttal to the Counterarguments
Whereas several opponents of immigration hold the myth that foreigners contribute to higher crime rates, several studies have rejected these claims. According to Moon (2018), there is no connection between an upsurge of the immigrant population and an increase in criminal activity. If anything, Moon thinks that immigration improves security. For example, Moon reports that a study published in 2018 in the Criminology analyzing all the 50 states of America between 1990 and 2014 found no significant relationship between immigration and crime. Another study conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2015 discovered a decrease of crime by 48 percent in the country despite the immigrant population more than tripling between 1990 and 2013. Other researchers have also found no essential connection between immigration and increased economic burden to the state (Flagg, 2018). Studies show a significant benefit of immigration to the economy (Eduardo, 2017).
Summary & Conclusion
I strongly believe that immigration contributes to a better America contrary to what naysayers believe about the social issue. Most importantly, foreigners make the country great by improving the economy, promoting cultural enrichment, as well as encouraging a democratic and all-inclusive political culture. Even though critics of immigration still believe that immigrants are overburdening the economy, increasing crime rates, and tearing the cultural fabric of the American society, it is important to note that no studies support these claims. Therefore, I believe President Trump and other opponents of immigration should design better policies to accommodate foreigners in the country rather than expelling them.
References
Borjas, G. J. (2014). Immigration economics. London: Harvard University Press.
Brimelow, P. (1995). Immigration: Dissolving the People. Alien Nation: Common Sense About America's Immigration Disaster . Random House.
Flagg, A. (2018 March 30). The myth of the criminal immigration. New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/03/30/upshot/crime-immigration-myth.html
L egrain, P. (2007). The Case for Immigration: The Secret to Economic Vibrancy. The International Economy , 21(3).
Moon, E. (2018 Aug 22). Research tells us that immigration does not lead to higher crime rates. Pacific Standard, https://psmag.com/social-justice/research-tells-us-that-immigration-does-not-lead-to-higher-crime-rates
Porter, E. (2017 Feb 7). How to make American greater: More immigration. New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/07/business/economy/restricting-immigration-would-make-america-smaller-not-greater.html
