The Effect Of Immigration On Natives

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Introduction The immigration of people into the United States has affected the country socially, politically and economically. In the U.S., whose population is made up mainly of immigrants and their offspring, immigration has recently become a hot button issue because of the increasing number of immigrants coming into the U.S., many of them illegally. One of the biggest critiques that opponents of immigration use to back their opinion is the view that immigrants cause unemployment and lower wages for the natives. There are economists and sociologists that agree and disagree with this comment. This paper will look at what some researchers have found and will try to figure out the effect that immigration has had on the living standard of U.S. workers. Characteristics of Immigrants This section of the report has data on the characteristics of the immigrant population in order to give the reader a better perspective on the issue and to quantify the impact immigrants have on US society. Immigrants now make up 12.4% of the U.S. population adding up to 35.7 million people (Lyman). The immigration rate has been increasing; the foreign born population increased 57% from 1990 to 2000 (ibid). The US Census counts as an immigrant any person born in a foreign country, including a naturalized citizen. Over half (53.3%) of immigrants are from Latin American countries, 25% from Asia, 13.7% from Europe, and 8% from other parts of the world (United States). The education levels of the immigrant population vary widely. The Asian immigrants are the most educated having 62% of their population with some college experience, compared to 35% of US natives. European immigrants were also more educated than natives having 52% of their population with some college education. With 50% of their population as high school dropouts, Hispanic immigrants had the least portion of their

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