Immigration - Research Paper Example

Running Head: IMMIGRATION IN THE UNITED S OF AMERICA Immigration in the United s of America of the of the Immigration in the United States of AmericaThere are millions of people out of work in the United States due to the current economic conditions. Now whether they lack the skills or there are no opportunities for them, many people are forced to take low-paying, unskilled jobs just to make some money. At this point, immigration contributes for about 25 percent of the U.S. labor force and this is mainly because of low native birth rates and high levels of immigration.

(Massey, 2006, 13)Effects of illegal immigration on the wage rate and the labor marketThe reason that immigrants are able to find jobs in the United States and put a lot of people out of work is because they often take the low-paying jobs that most Americans dont want to do. Even though a lot of people may not like immigrants because they are putting them out of jobs, immigrants in this economy today are helping to keep inflation low, improve housing values, and benefit taxpayers (Martin, 2007, 3).

In other words, immigration helps provide an increase to the U.S. economy. The only people that are really being hurt right now by immigrants are those people without high school degrees (Gelfand and Yee, 2009, 6). Every year they fight against immigrants for jobs and their wages just seem to keep getting lower. Hence, if more immigrants continue to enter each year seeking jobs, it decreases the amount of work available.Immigrants who see their relatives and friends leading a better life than what they were living before, especially of the Hispanic and Latino backgrounds, come to the United States and try to follow their example, but somehow, everyone isn’t that lucky to survive illegally without falling into the hands of the local mafia network, and in the end they become robbers, and gangsters, and also to compliment their pathetic situations are the current foreign policy of America, that allows illegal migrants to get weapons at ease.

The effects of immigration on American laborWhen immigration is thought of many people may think of it as being a negative effect, but not all people feel that way. Some people still feel that immigrants have little effect on the American economy because there are still not enough of them to influence this country’s economy (Martin, 2007, 4). These people see immigrants as a net benefit to America because they should be paying taxes, using services in moderation, helping drive business development through their own entrepreneurial behavior, keeping industries here in the U.S. that could have relocated overseas, and they take the normal low-paying jobs that U.S. citizens do not want.

Immigration in New York CityVarious reports show that immigration continues to shape the New York City. Immigrant flows are at an all time high since the peaks at the turn of the century. Immigration to the city in the 1990-2000 periods stood at approx 13,000 annually, a 32 percent increase over the average of 86,000 in the 1980s. (Lobo, 2000, 12) This growth mirrored the increasing flow of immigrants to the country as a whole; as a result, immigrants to the city constituted nearly 15 percent of all immigrants to the U.S. in both the 1980s and 2000s.

(Martin, 2007, 02) Many Americans who are considered less-skilled now earn less money and have fewer job opportunities in the city because they must now compete with immigrants in the job market (Martin, par. 10). Predictions for FutureAs always, the flow of immigrants will be defined by forces in the source countries that propel immigration, and by U.S. immigration law, which acts as a gatekeeper. While there are long waiting lists for potential immigrants, there are a number of important issues that could affect future flows to the US.

These include: the continued recognition of immigrants from the countries of the former Soviet Union as refugees; the future of the diversity visa program; and the continued emphasis on the entry of those with skills. Another important determinant will be the success of moves afoot in Congress to restrict legal immigration to the United States. While it is impossible to predict how the saga of immigration will exactly play out in the future, it is safe to assume that immigrants will continue to reshape the demographic and social landscape of the United States of America.

ReferencesGelfand, Donald, Yee, Barbara. (2009) "Influence of immigration, migration, and acculturation in the fabric of aging in America." Trends and Forces: 1-7.Lobo. A. P (2000) ‘Immigration to New York Metropoliton Region’. Staten Island. Pg 10-12.Martin, Susan. (2007)"Immediate and Long-Term Challenges" U.S. Immigration Policy pg.1-5. Massey, Douglas. (2006)"The Changing Geography of Mexican Immigration to the United States" Social Science Quarterly Number 1, 1-15.Vecoli. R.J. (2002) ‘New York’s Two Great Waves of Immigration’.

Bloomington, pg 560-7.