Immigration: Costs and Benefits Every year, hundreds of thousands of immigrants, legal and illegal, from around the world, come to the United States. People choose to immigrate to America because there are a vast number of opportunities and they are in search of a better quality of life. Supporting them self, as well as, family in their country of origin; legal and illegal Immigrants are looked down upon by society and are thought to be the cause of some of the burdens that our nation suffers from. Taxpayers are forced to pay for the welfare and schooling for many of these immigrants, some who are illegal aliens. Other citizens believe that immigration contributes to crime, poverty, and overcrowding.
The United States became such a reference place of where to go, that it was soon referred to as the “melting pot.” Immigration can affect politics, economies, and social encounters. It is also very important to keep immigration in mind because it can bring joy and help nations; however, having too many immigrants can have devastating effects. Immigration is good for the world and it should be allowed everywhere. One of the best things immigration brings to the table is the amount of cultural diversity that comes along with it. Without immigration it would be harder to get to know other cultures because the only other way would be through traveling; however, not everyone can afford to travel around the world.
“It is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope” (Henry 228). Due to the high taxes, many Puerto Ricans moved to the United States looking for hope of a better and a more stable place to live. According to a census in 2012, “the departures of island-born Puerto Ricans have contributed to an uptick in the number of island-born Puerto Ricans living stateside, to 1.4 million in 2012”(Cohn, Patten, and Hugo). This emigration is due to various reasons like: job- related, family matter, other, etc. The primarily reason is the job-related because with all the unemployment and high taxes, people moved to look for a better job under stable circumstances.
Anh Nguyen Date 4/17/09 ENG 101 Vietnamese Immigrants in America According to the 2000 Census, there are currently 1,223,736 Vietnamese Americans. Vietnamese immigrants become a part of American society, and they are likely to belong to groups classified as ethnic minorities in the U. S. For many years, Vietnamese immigrants have come to America for pursuing the freedom life, for more opportunities and economic prosperity. It’s amazing how Vietnamese coming to America with nothing but hopes and sorrows have formed a new ethnic group on the American scene. However, along with the journey adjustment to American life, these newcomers encounter the differences in culture and profound generation conflict in their families. “Despite their stunning success, the Vietnamese have not adjusted to America without costs and difficulties” (Freeman 18).
They also come in pursue of giving a better educational opportunities to their young children. Also immigrants are more likely to create jobs and pay taxes when they live in the United States which helps the economy grow stronger. Although there are many negative conceptions about immigrants these individuals should have the opportunity to migrate to the United States for a better life. Many of the immigrants that migrate were left with no other option but to enter illegally through the border because in there countries they suffered from poverty, crime, the lack of education and opportunities. In the article “Rethinking El Salvador’s transnational families” by Leisy J. Abrego writes about a young boy named Daniel and his struggles living in El Salvador while his father is in the United States looking for work.
Many native-born Americans saw immigrants as a threat to society and to the economy. Even though they were better off in the United States many immigrants still experienced hardships. Other Americans made organizations, houses and societies to help immigrants. Immigrants were inspected when they passed through the check point at Ellis Island in the New York Harbor. Any disease, defect or weakness shown would get them sent back.
Founded on immigrants the United States is proud of her extremely diverse population. However, is it time for the United States to consider closing her borders to immigrants – legal and illegal for the greater good. Is the very thing that made this country strong going to be her demise! Immigrants legal or illegal entering the United States daily are causing several important concerns in areas like national security and financial hardships. Strong arguments exist on both sides when immigration laws are on the table surrounding their influence on terrorism, health care, economics, and employment.
The United States of America is a nation that thrives on diversity and acknowledges the necessity to offer opportunity in order to sustain equality. This country was built from the hard work of immigrants from all over the world to build what is America today. Many people arrive to the United States from their homeland countries both legally and illegally and it has never been such a concern until now. Immigration legal and illegal has pulled in plenty of eyebrow raises, media reports, and arguments on wither it places a positive or negative stain on the United States. Some believe that America benefits from immigration, while others blame immigration for all economic and employment crisis.
(source 5) Very few came with the sole purpose of starting a company. instead, immigration is predicted to leave American workers better off. This has been concluded by the the Congressional Budget Office, which issued a report concluding that the immigration bill would add six million workers to the American job market by 2023 and nine million by 2033 – increasing the labor force by 5 percent. (Congressional budget office, source
America offers many ways for a person to potentially become great. It gives struggling people all over the world an opportunity for a better life. This country was built on immigrants who sought opportunities, political & religious freedom, and many other principle rights. Sooner or later in this debate we need to set aside the question of whether it's good for America and look at the point of view of the immigrant. Think of a place where you could be killed for practicing your beliefs.