With an upcoming election, many social issues are on everyone's radar and hotly debated. One that I have constantly heard through conversation and viewed on social media is that of Immigration. While the United States is comprised as a nation of immigrants, there is a large push or mentality to tighten the borders due to many myths perpetuated regarding immigrants. I will list 5 myths that are typically associated with immigration and provide discussion dispelling each one. I do not want this come off as an opinion piece, so I am taking this information directly from text and sources from my class (i.e. this is not purely my opinion or writing, but actual researched work).
(From: Mooney, Linda, Knox, David, and Schacht)
Myth 1: Immigrants increase unemployment and lower wages among native workers.
Reality: Most academic economists agree that immigration has a small but positive impact on the wages of native-born workers because although new immigrant workers add to the labor supply, they also consume goods and services, which creates more jobs (Shierholz 2010). Immigrants also start their own businesses at a higher rate than native U.S. residents, which increases demand for business-related supplies (such as computers and office furniture) and service providers (such as accountants and lawyers) (Pollin 2011).
Myth 2: Immigrants drain the public welfare system and our public schools.
Reality: Unauthorized and temporary immigrants are ineligible for major federal benefit programs, and even legal immigrants may face eligibility restrictions. Two benefit programs that do not have restrictions against unauthorized immigrants are the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and the National School Lunch Program. Public schools are also not allowed to deny access to education to children of illegal immigrants. Children of unauthorized immigrants, 73% of whom are U.S. citizens, comprise only 6.8% of students in elementary and secondary schools (Passel and Cohn 2009).
Although the states bear the cost of education, social services, and medical services for the immigrant population, research suggests that the economic benefits that immigrants provide the states outweigh the costs associated with supporting them. For example, a study of immigrants in North Carolina found that, over the prior 10 years, Latino immigrants had cost the state 61 million in a variety of benefits, but they were also responsible for more than 9 BILLION in state economic growth (Beirich 2007). Half to three-fourths of undocumented immigrants pay federal, state, and local taxes, including Social Security taxes for benefits they will never receive (Teaching Tolerance 2011).
Myth 3: Immigrants do not want to learn English.
Reality: In 2012, 29% of the U.S. foreign-born population (age 5 and older) spoke English "not well" or "not at all" (Gambino et al. 2014). While children benefit from public school programs that teach English as a Second Language, adults who want to learn English have limited educational opportunities, and there are not enough adult English education programs to meet the demand. The majority of programs designed to teach English to adults with limited English proficiency have waiting lists, with wait times ranging from a few weeks to more than three years (Wilson 2014).
Myth 4: Undocumented immigrants have children in the United States as a means of gaining legal status.
Reality: Under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, any child born in the U.S. is automatically granted U.S. citizenship. However, having children who are U.S. citizens does not provide immigrants with a means of gaining legal status in the U.S. Children under 21 are not allowed to petition for their parents' U.S. citizenship.
Myth 5: Immigrants have high rates of criminal behavior.
Reality: Immigrants are less likely than natives to commit crimes. Because they risk deportation, undocumented immigrants have a strong motivation to avoid involvement with the law. In 2000, the U.S. incarceration rate for native-born men aged between 18-39 was 3.5%, which is 5 times greater than that of their foreign-born counterparts (Bauer and Reynolds 2009).
I hope this helps dispel some of the myths and concerns about immigrants and immigration. We have historically been a nation composed of immigrants, which created the beautiful melting pot we see today.
Sources (In order of appearance)
Shierholz, Heidi. 2010 (February 4). "Immigration and Wages-Methodological Advancements Confirm Modest Gains for Native Workers." EPI Briefing Paper #255. Available at www.epi.org
Pollin, Robert. 2011. "Econmic Prospects: Can We Stop Blaming Immigrants?" New Labor Forum 20(1):86-89
Passel, Jeffrey S., and D'Vera Cohn. 2009. "A Portrait of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States." Pew Hispanic Research Center. Available at www.pwehispanic.org
Beirich, Heidi. 2007 (Summer). "Getting Immigration Facts Straight." Intelligence Report. Available at www.splcenter.org
Gambino, C.P., Y.D. Acosta, and E.M.Greico. 2014 (June). "English-Speaking Ability of the Foreign-Born Population in the United States: 2012." American Community Survey Reports. U.S. Census Bureau. Available at www.census.gov
Wilson, Jill H. 2014 (September 24). "Investing in English Skills: The Limited English Proficient Workforce in U.S. Metropolitan Areas." Metropolitan Policy Program. Available at www.brookings.edu
Bauer, Mary, and Sarah Reynolds. 2009. Under Siege: Life for Low-Income Latinos in the South. Montgomery, AL: Southern Poverty Law Center.
Mooney, Linda, Knox, David, and Schacht, Caroline 2015. Understanding Social Problems. Cengage Learning: Boston, MA.
