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The United States is often referred to as a “nation of immigrants” due to its open policy on accepting new coming foreigners who pursue the American dream. Lately, there has been much talk among citizens and politicians about creating a tighter policy on immigration, arguing that foreigners “endanger” the American way of life by taking work from Americans, using social services, and disturbing the American culture. While many can consider this to be true, they are quite wrong, and are probably relating the subject with another issue, which is illegal immigration.

In truth, immigrants actually aid the American way of life by creating, and not taking job opportunities. They fund social services through tax payments, and they bring beneficial knowledge and abilities to our country. We must be realist and understand that if we are to achieve as a nation, we must learn to accept that we owe our success to the immigrants who enter this country.

A common misconception among Americans is that immigrants take jobs and cause unemployment across the nation. In the August 23, 1997 issue of Time Magazine, a poll stated that seventy-three percent of white and seventy-one percent of African Americans agree, “New immigrants create unemployment”. Nonetheless, John F. Burton, author of “The Economy and Immigration”, states that immigration does not augment unemployment…Foreigners do take jobs, but they also create them. Their basic needs to purchase goods increases demand for products, therefore the demand for labor rises, leading to new jobs and a balanced economy.

Another widely held argument is that immigrants “hurt social services”. According to the same poll, Americans believe that “immigrants use more benefits provided by welfare, medical care, and food stamps then the average American does”. This is widely attributed to immigrants due to confusion with illegal immigration, which is another issue not part of this topic. In...