Check out this article by Jason Welker about the Economics of Illegal Immigration. It is a refreshing take on an issue that has gotten a great deal of publicity recently. What are your thoughts after reading the article? Is this different from what you have been hearing from both the Republicans and the Democrats lately? Leave your comments before Sunday at midnight.
I always thought politics were stupid anyways; probably because they seem too idealistic. It's just funny how people refuse to see people as materials, even though that is basically all we are. Sure, we may mostly create what is supplied and demanded, but we can also be what is supplied and demanded. From my dad's perspective (republican), he believes we need better boarder control because we shouldn't just let them cross or take them in because they are crossing. Their are limits to everything to keep order and peace, and this, I believe, is one for immigration: no one should have to abolish the 14th Amendment just because boarder patrol isn't even pulling them over until they cross safely. The underground market may not be counted in a nation's GDP, but it counts in the people's standard of living, which influences supply and demand. There are too many details to extremely mess with to where we might as well just let things be as they may because peace isn't necessarily created by rules, even if order is. In reality, we are all just thinking too highly of ourselves in politics because we started out as the land of "free" opportunity, but where will we end? Typically, that is in the reverse. So, here is the thing about immigration: be decent and at least considerate about it. Don't go to extremes with border patrol or just letting anyone in,so be moderate. Let anyone who needs to work in because why should the world have to be unemployed when their isn't full efficiency anyways? Sure, we may have to stretch our resources out to help these immigrants, but they'll help us to. How else can we live without sharing? Politics are still stupid to me in this way, but government is a different story while immigration is annoying. You can't get rid of what you're made of, which are the simplest of terms in this debate. Be realistic like an economist, which is obviously scarce.
ReplyDeleteAmy Krauhs
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Jacob Toy
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In order for the "invisible hand" to work properly, the government should not interfere with the economy, and this includes border control. Why does the U.S. government halt illegal immigrants from crossing our borders? The main reason is due to the belief that aliens are sucking up a significant amount of limited jobs available that should be reserved for U.S. citizens only. However, the aliens are able to accept these jobs with ease since they are willing to work hard a lower price than the Americans. In their home country, generally, there are fewer opportunities, thus working in America at a low wage is still higher than back home. Allowing illegals to cross our borders will teach the native born Americans to work harder and improve our standards to look for higher paying jobs, thus promoting a competitive market.
Emigdio Escobedo
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To understand the concept, we must understand both sides of the economy trend for both illegal immigrants and American citizens. To start, it is understandable as to why American citizens don't like the idea of illegal immigrants taking up American jobs, because it is American money that is given to someone who isn't from the U.S when it could be given to a legal citizen. But the fact is that Americans are greedy and like high paying jobs, but in order to have high paying jobs, you need low paying jobs to produce high paying ones. This is where illegal immigrants come in, they come to this country in search for a better life, and that means getting paid more. These people leave their countries to come and take the lowest and least favorable jobs because if they get payed $2 to $3 per hour that's more than twice the amount that they make back home. I know of this first hand since majority of my family in Mexico lives off of less than a dollar per hour, and they work and work and keep working just to put food on the table. So making what Americans think as excessively little money, immigrants can live happy. So in a way, this helps the economy with cheap labor, thus keeping prices low and affordable for everyone, while opening higher paying positions which citizens can take. Though this is arguable since the american way of being selfish and greedy is what controls companies, then that's a problem brought by the wealthy, not necessarily the illegal immigrants.
Zoheb Hirani
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Yo what up what up homies. First off, I had no idea that immigration rates were actually decreasing!! It's really amusing to know that less people are hopping the border simply because we're not the job hotspot that we used to be. Several studies have shown that while employment among certain Americans is affected slightly, there is no evidence that illegal immigration puts downward pressure on American wage rates. That was very surprising and I think I'm going to have something new to talk about at the dinner table tomorrow.
Alex Duong
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I think illegal immigrant laws should be relaxed and in fact generally be easier for illegal immigrants to obtain US Citizenship. I work with and am friends with illegal immigrants and they are some of the hardest working people I have ever met in my life. They struggle daily to provide for their families, put in 100% work for perhaps 50% regular pay. They take up the jobs nobody wants - which is perfect since these jobs usually are the baseline backbone for the economy. Americans do not want these jobs, so who else is going to happily accept them? These people wouldn't hesitate for bottom-line jobs like this. In fact, they'd work harder than anyone else to move up that chain. Illegal immigrants provide the fuel for the economy whether we like to believe it or not.
6th Period
ReplyDeleteI believe that immigration laws should be less strict in this nation, and that it should be easier to obtain an American citizenship. Immigration laws in this country are way too hard on people who come to this country to seek better job opportunities and provide for their families. Many people do not have good opportunities in their own countries so they come to the U.S. because it is the "Land of Opportunity." There are many people who have lived in his country for a few decades and have not been able to obtain and American passport due to a few setbacks. It is not fair for people to work hard, pay taxes, and obey laws if they are not even considered American. The laws are way too strict over this issue. Just because there are some people who take advantage of the immigration system and do wrong things, it does not mean that the laws should become more strict for everyone else. Also, most immigrants work harder than any other working person in the United States. It is not fair for the innocent people to have to face restrictions due to some individuals who cause problems. Everyone should have a fair chance to be an American citizen unless the person is an actual criminal or threat to the nation.
Jacqueline Gann
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My thoughts after reading this article remain mostly the same. It was refreshing to see this issue being talked about from an economic standpoint. I particularly liked seeing that Welker replied to those that had commented on his article, showing that he has thought more deeply about how others would respond to his opinions, showing that he is well educated on this topic. Because of the high level of news coverage about the topic of immigration, or illegal immigration, it is hard not to take notice varied opinions of both the Democrat and Republican parties, however, I do not feel as if this article is significantly different from how those parties argue about this situation, it is just evidence one could use against the other to support their opinion.
Evan Young
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For most people, Immigration is more of a security and social issue more than an economic one. If America wants to pride itself on being a land of opportunity, it must actually offer opportunity to those immigrating. I think if the immigration process were easier, it would actually help the economy. By making immigration easier, we allow for better opportunities. Immigrants will take any job, typically, and many labor/construction/service industry jobs do not require an extensive knowledge of one particular thing, so I think that immigration should be seen more as an economic issue rather than a social one.
Cailin O'Connell
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To be frank, I had not put much thought into immigration as an economic issue in the first place. Frankly, the concept of immigration hurting the economy seemed outrageous to me in the first place. Indeed, the American economy is not a pye of which there are limited pieces, but an ever-expanding market of labor with fluctuating demand and supply. Welker notes this lack of a pye, essentially invalidating any arguments against looser immigration regulations that tie in economic factors. My opinion on the subject was confirmed.
2nd Period
ReplyDeleteWhen I first heard that immigration was a controversial issue, i initially thought that we should just give them the jobs "no one wants to do," taking an unnecessary jab at blue collar jobs. After some thought, I saw that the only issue was people's understanding of the effects of immigration, and some people's exaggeration of the adverse ones. I had thought about immigration as an economic issue but never had U applied the concepts of Microeconomics as part of my argument (more jobs, more money, as I always put it). But reading this article just further enhanced my feelings for immigration in that we just need immigrants to efficiently allocate the supply of the labor market.
Amanda Salmon 2nd period
ReplyDeleteI think immigration is a good thing for the American economy. I think we should encourage immigrants to come and work. Not only do they complete the jobs that other Americans won't do, they also help build our economy and keep it running. However, immigrants who come to work in America should also be in the process of becoming American citizens. They will be able to benefit from the American government and they will be helping the economy. Being able to utilize immigrants is the next step in furthering the labor market. As for politics I feel like I have heard of all this from both sides and hope for some kind of compromise in legalizing the illegal immigrants and keeping the labor market supplied with them.
Kissa Rizvi
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I think that the issue on illegal immigration can be examined in both ways. On the one hand, illegal immigrants can come to the country and take away some of the rights that legal citizens deserve, most notably the various job opportunities. This issue can cause problems because the people that are rightfully living within America are not getting the jobs that they are eligible to get. On the other hand, immigrants need some sort of basis to start a new life in their new country. As the article stated, more immigrants have been going back to their countries than coming to the U.S.; this fact indicates that their intentions may be to first establish their wealth within America and then go back and prosper in their own countries, which has a positive affect on their lives.
Jocelyn Dang
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The focus on immigration, coming from the politicians, often fails to mention the economic benefits that immigrants do bring to our economy, which Welker makes some valid points about. Immigrants, illegal or not, do fill the demand for labor, which is what keeps our economy going. However, while our economy may be kept afloat with immigration, the allowance of illegal immigration for the purpose of our economy is not a good enough reason to open the doors of America up to everyone and anyone. The issues that come with illegal immigration is that they do take up space and opportunities that legal immigrants and natural-borns are granted. Yes, I believe that everyone should be given a chance to have the opportunity that Americans have, but there should be some sort of happy medium that gives them a taste of lives in America, while still giving legal immigrants and natural-born citizens priority. There are also concerns expressed by politicians about employment and crime that come with the topic of immigration that make this all controversial. So, in general, I think immigration has its pros and cons, and unless we can find that balance, it'll continue to be a hot topic in debates!
Aadithya Srivatsav
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After reading this article, my views on immigration changed a little. I always believed that the flow of immigrants. especially illegal immigrants, did not hurt or mess up the American society like the Arizona governor stated but it rather boosted the country. They possess hard work ethics and strive to be the best in order to push themselves up in society and indirectly at the same time they elevate our economy due to their higher production possibilities. This is clearly what Obama has been saying as he is pushing to end the deportation of illegals and the opposite of what the Republicans have been saying, who believe that the illegal immigrants are ruining our nation.
Karen George
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This article opened somewhat my eyes to the idea of immigration.When it comes to the topic, I take a neutral stance. Immigration has its pros and cons. It helps our society but adding to the amount of production in the country and can elevate our economy. However, it is also harming our economy by the undocumented money that produced by these immigrants. That part of it can harm our economy and bring our GDP down.
Madeline Alcock
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This article makes a good point about how in no way is immigration an econmic debate. Looking at all the statistics provided in the article, it's clear that by no means is immigration bad for the economy. I also believe that in order to prevent illegal immigrants free riding or receiving services they don't pay for, we should make legal immigrations far easier. Immigrants are no less smart or less hardworking than the average American and therefore I see no reason that people born across an imaginary line should be denied services and help that is provided to their American neighbors. There is not a limited amount of jobs, and more people the more jobs are created only benefitting our diverse and ever-growing economy.
Gabrielle Chaney
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I am not surprised but the increased number of immigrants coming from other countries to the United States. I have seen on television, reports of women and children crossing the border because of the violence and horrible economy in their homelands. I think that they should make the process for immigration easier but I also believe that we should be working to partner with these countries to help there economic problems too. As the land of opportunity I think it is hard to believe that we cannot make opportunities available for people in other countries. Creating jobs, making major factories companies, and starting homemade business that can trade with American goods would provide better opportunities for people in their own country.
Michelle Pacheco
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Immigration can be a pro and con for the economy in America. A pro because you can earn more of some product and a con because there is more people without a job at the beginning. As a personal experience I think that they make you do a lot of stuff just for you to become a citizens and become part of the people in America. When you go anywhere is always hard to be fit in the community when you don´t know anything about it. Yes they are some people that think that is bad for immigrants to have jobs and so and so, but the truth is that they are doing the same thing as you. They are trying to support their families one way or the other, there is always a little more input from people who are not from here and anyone else.
Jenny Simon
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Some people claim that illegal immigrants represent an assault on our sovereignty. If this is true, then it might be the first time in world history that a country has employed its invaders. When illegal immigrants cross the border, there’s a citizen waiting to hire them and benefit in some manner from their labor. The sooner our country realizes that immigration reform should be based upon the views of economists and nonpartisan academic researchers, rather than think tanks and radio show hosts, then Congress will finally be able to help solve this national dilemma.
natalia chudumebi opara
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I think immigration is somehow helpful to the economic, take it on the perspective of more people meaning more workers. If we can manage the job sector and find ways to create new jobs we can combat unemployment. At the same immigration has a downside, it can invite more crimes and overpopulation. We should think of ways to balance this problems first before anything.
Timothy Krauhs
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This article was defiantly new music compared to all the common noise that being going around as of resent political parties. Immigration has been apart of the American landscape from its discovery by the Europeans. There is no point in stopping immigration because there going to the US because there is higher paying job opportunities then in there native countries. However, I do believe once the US economy reaches the point of wellness that less immigrants will most likely wish to come the US legally rather than illegally.
Chinemerem Opara
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immigration has become a perplexing issue for American. most Americans believe illegal immigrants are putting the economy in a dire situation so they are protesting the deportation of illegal immigrants. statistics has shown that the number of illegal immigrants have decreased due to the recession. my stand point is america is the "land of the opportunity". the government should look for more ways for workers to enter the country, which can increase America's labor force.
Michelle Dang
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I've never really had a solid take on illegal immigration in America, mostly because I feel that I'm not informed enough to come to an intelligent and logical conclusion. But I do think that no human should be considered illegal and find it ironic that a country that prides itself on diversity and being the land of opportunity seeks to drive away people willing to work hard and take any job they can find just to make a better future for themselves. It's refreshing to see the immigration controversy from an economic standpoint, but I bet a lot of people don't like seeing themselves as materialized as the article makes us. Anyways, as Welker said himself, immigration rates are actually going down because America isn't as opportunistic as we thought so this is all way more of a political and social issue than anything else. Americans can't agree on anything these days. Peace out girl scout
Landon Wells
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My thoughts on immigration are pretty standard, offer those who are willing to work and willing to make a better country for others a home so that they can do as such. I also believe that war torn people and refugees should be able to obtain housing from other countries if they are willing to offer them housing. My thoughts after reading this article have not really changed that much, I see that it has stated much of the same opinions that Republicans and Democrats have stated as of lately mostly because I don't know the opinions that they have stated lately.
Ingrid Curtom
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Immigration is one of those subjects that I try to avoid mostly because I dont want to get caught in the middle of it. I believe that people should have the right to come over as they please, as long as they are willing to work. I think that as long as they are open to making their future better then the one they had at their country they should be able to stay as they please, also if they don't do anything wrong such as break any laws that would be super serious, they should be able to stay. My thoughts after I read the article have basically stayed the same because I see no need to change my thoughts just because someone sees something else from another point of view. I dont really listen to what Democrats and Republicans have to say so I dont know what they have been saying lately. So I cant really tell if its different from what they have been saying lately. thankslandon
Ashley Garcia
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i have always believed that immigration should always be allowed to any country as long as the immigrant will be willing to work hard in that country. this article has not really changed my thoughts on immigration.to me personally America out of all the countries should be the last country to try to cast out illegal immigrants since we were technically invading an indigenous peoples land when founding our country .
I believe that U.S. Immigration laws should be relaxed but not so relaxed that we just let anybody who is anybody into the U.S. I'm not saying that we should let everyone who crosses the border in all I am saying is that we should make it a little easier to become a citizen and maybe making the fee to becoming a citizen like $50. After reading this article I still think the same way I did before. I honestly don't care about politics to know what each sides stands for so I don't really know what to say about it.
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I believe that the laws on imagration should be relaxed because of the fact that these imagrents are coming here to work for very cheap the jobs that a lot of people do not want to do. As long as they work hard and pay their taxes, I don't see why it should be so hard for them to get citizenship in the U.S. And no my views do not change after reading this article. And I do not keep up with political debates or politics verywell so I wouldn't be able to answer this part of the question.
ReplyDeleteSamantha Chan
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Illegal immigration is a very controversial subject. As for my opinion, I am sort of in the middle. On one hand, I think that immigration is not as economic as people are led to believe. Most people jump to the conclusion that illegal immigrants are taking away American jobs and causing unemployment. While I do think that illegal immigrants do cause some economic issues, I do not think they are causing as many problems as most people believe. Illegal immigrants are not likely to shatter the economy as much as any other problem in America. While I do think that illegal immigration is not as large of an economic issue as many people are led to believe, I do think that it does have some influence on the economy; however, politics has just as much to do with illegal immigration as economy. You can not pin the illegal immigration issue on just one side.
Ryan Mathew
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I believe that the US immigration laws should be relaxed but not overly relaxed. If we show more leniency on the immigration status of immigrants we would be generating more money in our economy but for a cheaper price than domestic labor. I want to see that the US economy grows substantially but that we also give a fair and free chance to everyone because we are the land of opportunities
Humam Daas
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I don't know what to tell you Mr. Pye. I like idea of immigration, that one can just his place of origin and go somewhere else to find work. Its a great idea plus we have been doing it for years. But also, they're taking our jobs! It is really a hard decision and it shouldn't be stopped completely because we have been doing it for years. Maybe we can control it a little?
Grace Cha
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I have always believed that the immigration debate has been a political one, but this article reinforced my beliefs. There is actually no real evidence that suggests that immigrants give negative pressure to the people that already live here. It is better if we open jobs for the immigrants than loose them to another country that can make produce. Being an immigrant myself and recently turned a citizen, living life as an immigrant is very difficult in terms of paperwork, airport passing, and college scholarship funds. America is founded by the united brains, labor, and money of other countries. Although there should be regulations for the safety of the people, there should definitely be more balance in the way things are being run.
shawn sabu period-6
ReplyDeleteHonestly i feel like the decreasing immigration shows that U.S. is becoming less attractive and not the country it once used to be.Even though some people may view the decrease of immigrates as a good thing, but looking at in a an economic standpoint, it means less workers, which means less production in the factories.
Frankie Smith
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I didn't (and still don't) have much of an opinion on illegal immigration in the U.S. If anything, my opinion before reading the article goes along the lines of "hey, more workers who work for less. Cool." After reading the article, my opinion didn't really change. There is a huge belief here that illegals come to this country and take jobs Americans need to support their families when really no one is taking these jobs as they can take them except for illegals, who work harder and for much less, too. So I don't really care for illegal immigration much but I don't see much of a problem.
Gerard Barrientos
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Personally, I have always understood that work that has come from immigration is by no means "stealing work" from "original Americans." The truth is, the reason why these minimum-wage jobs are often taken by minority immigrants is simply because of the fact that these immigrants are more eager to take the job than others. In the Land of Oppurtunity, I find it only natural that those who are willing to work harder than other should be given the ability to get pay, not those who decide to skimp out on it.
Reuben Kuruvila
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Something that intrigued me was the fact that more immigrants are leaving than entering the U.S., yet I still hear complaints all the time about illegal immigrants taking over the jobs that Americans "should" have. In my opinion, this just shows how lazy and foolish Americans are that immigrants can take jobs from them. If anything, Americans should not have to worry about illegal immigrants if they were harder workers. One of the core reasons that immigrants are so useful to the economy is that they work for more than they are paid, whereas Americans tend to be paid more than they are worth. Resolving some of these issues are sure to help the anger and resent towards immigrants.
Tiffany Smith
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This article was very interesting to read and i was surprised at the decreased amouts of people immigrating to the US and the increased amount of people leaving. Politics lead the american people to believe that illegal imigration is this huge problem that is taking jobs from the american people but in all actuality it isnt true. I never really belived that illegal immigration was as big of a problem as everyone made it out to be and this artical proves my suspicions
Elyssa Buntzel 4th p
ReplyDeleteThis article was an interesting take on the large issue of immigration onto the United States. I feel as Texans we always see immigration a little differently, and sometimes with a greater negative bias, because we feel as though it is in our own backyards. This article laid out uncommon facts that many Americans over look or intentionally ignore. The idea that more immigrants are leaving than entering or that most apply for minimum wage jobs is not new, but it is looked over.
Keanu Florence 4th Period
ReplyDeleteOverall I believe that if an immigrant can come to America and make an honest living they should be able to stay. However, if they are to stay in America they need to pay taxes and all the things that other American people do. I believe that where we lose money is when they do not contribute to our economy in all categories.
Twinkle Joseph
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Illegal immigration is very controversial. I believe that immigration should be allowed with regulation. Immigrants can contribute a lot to society and therefore should be allowed to stay. They are only hoping for better living situations and want the best for their kids just as citizens in America do. However, there should be regulation because obviously people will misuse the opportunity to come to America.
Twinkle Joseph
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Illegal immigration is very controversial. I believe that immigration should be allowed with regulation. Immigrants can contribute a lot to society and therefore should be allowed to stay. They are only hoping for better living situations and want the best for their kids just as citizens in America do. However, there should be regulation because obviously people will misuse the opportunity to come to America.
Tojo Malayil
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I believe illegal immigration isn't as bad as people say it is. I feel as though immigrants can contribute to the american economy in ways that it would benefit the economy. They are trying to move from a poor living quality into a better living quality. I also believe that the government should know who all is in the country.
The argument that Jason Welker put forth in the article is good, and as a result, my views have changed quite a bit. I was originally against illegal immigration because I didn't know too much about it and I just sided with what I've always heard. But, after hearing both sides of the argument, I don't know what side to choose. Increased immigration would be a big boost to our economy. After all, immigration played an enormous role in the growth of America since its creation. But brief research showed that unemployment rates were slightly higher in every state that are on the outskirts of America, except those bordering Canada. But even though many Americans complain that illegal immigrants are stealing their jobs, these immigrants are only taking jobs that Americans aren't too eager to do, such as jobs that require manual labor. After all, the only reason you and I are here is because our parents or predecessors immigrated here, maybe a decade ago or even a century ago. We give these immigrants the same opportunities that were given to us.
ReplyDeleteThe argument that Jason Welker put forth in the article is good, and as a result, my views have changed quite a bit. I was originally against illegal immigration because I didn't know too much about it and I just sided with what I've always heard. But, after hearing both sides of the argument, I don't know what side to choose. Increased immigration would be a big boost to our economy. After all, immigration played an enormous role in the growth of America since its creation. But brief research showed that unemployment rates were slightly higher in every state that are on the outskirts of America, except those bordering Canada. But even though many Americans complain that illegal immigrants are stealing their jobs, these immigrants are only taking jobs that Americans aren't too eager to do, such as jobs that require manual labor. After all, the only reason you and I are here is because our parents or predecessors immigrated here, maybe a decade ago or even a century ago. We give these immigrants the same opportunities that were given to us.
ReplyDeleteI see it differently because my parents are immigrants. So called stealing rights is not as easy as it seems, especially if your parent do it the legal way. Many opportunities were denied to my parents when they were permanent residents. Becoming a citizen didn’t even make it that much better. I’ve listened to so many English tapes and helped my dad apply to numerous jobs that immigrants are “stealing”, Ha! I know for sure my mother will return to Haiti, but because she saw America as an investment for herself and my siblings and no longer feels the same way. American citizens who are not getting these jobs should be responsible for themselves. Is America as diverse in thought as we claim to be?
ReplyDeleteAs a child of an immigrant, I cannot side with stopping immigration. People are saying that immigrants are stealing their jobs but who are the ones getting up at 5 o'clock in the morning seeking jobs and working? Most of these immigrants are doing manual labor and people complain but I don't see them working their butt off in the hot sun without complaining. And of course people want to come to America for a better economic opportunity. I think that if we had our own families, we would try and go to a better country because we would want the best life for them. Also, most of us are decedent's of immigrants who came to America and had people who wished they would have stayed in there country, but they did anyways which led to us being here. So no, I do not agree with kicking and stopping people from coming to America- we cannot be hypocrites.
ReplyDeleteKoby bay
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After reading the article, I feel much the same as I did before I read it. I still feel the whole immigration system is very broken in its current state and needs to be heavily reformed in order to make the system operate better and more efficiently. While I know immigration is key to success of countries in our globalized world, I feel that the more people that applied themselves and try to do it all legally would result in a better system with less illegal immigrants and more legal workers which helps everyone. However people these days are very impatient and can't seem to wait the necessary time in order to immigrate legally to America and other first world countries.
Erin Keir
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After reading the article I agree with the comments the author is making. Being an immigrant myself, trying to become a legal resident of this country was harder than it takes anywhere else in the world, or even to be an illegal immigrant. It took my family and I almost two years to become residents. I agree that illegal immigration is not an economic debate but rather a political one because of the fact that immigration, whether legal or not, benefits the countries economy. If people are willing to work then why not let them? especially if your own citizens are not willing to. I personally believe that many things in the United States need to change and the immigration policies are definitely one of them.