The Features Of Immigration - Essay Example

The Features Of Immigration Introduction America is an immigrant country, having the highest number of immigrants in the world. A legal American immigrant is one who has acquired legal permanent status through a green card or other means in the United States. However, the term immigrant is also used in a broader sense to refer to individuals who reside in America illegally or those who have acquired temporary work permits to live and work in America. Immigration is a highly discussed topic, in both public and private platforms. It has been blamed for some of the evils in the American society today such as unemployment, low wages, and an increased crime rates. Most people rarely dwell on the positive aspects of immigration, such as the expertise that the immigrants bring to America. Accordingly, the aim of this paper will be to demonstrate that the benefits accruing from immigration far outweigh its drawbacks. Arguments for Immigration Research shows that immigrant-owned technology companies employ over 450,000 workers and made sales of over 52 billion dollars in 2005 alone (Kerr and Lincoln 1). These companies contribute greatly to the American economy. Most of these innovations are patented through the H-1B visa program. The H-1B is a temporary visa for immigrants which allows them to work on a temporary basis in America for up to 6 years. These studies show that immigrants contribute positively to our society (Kerr and Lincoln 1). They contribute to the creation of jobs and in the general wealth creation process. Most of this wealth makes its way to the federal government through taxes and thus helps in uplifting our entire community. It would not be accurate to take a one-sided view regarding immigration, thus a broader perspective is necessary. Legalizing immigrants would increase the economic output of the American people as opposed to activities such as mass deportations. Legalization of the permits held by American immigrants would increase their wages. This has a multiplier effect on the entire economy and would result in an overall increase in the gross domestic product (GDP) by over 1.5 trillion dollars over the next decade (Hinojosa-Ojeda 3). These increased amounts would result in greater employment levels, greater demand, exports, and output. Overall it would translate to better living standards for all the American people. On the other hand, mass deportations as proposed by some people would result in a decrease in the gross domestic product (GDP) by almost double this figure. This translates to about 2.05 trillion dollars over one decade (Hinojosa-Ojeda 3). The difference between the two scenarios is over 3.5 trillion dollars. This clearly shows that immigrants positively benefit the American economy. Fighting an economic reality is not only a difficult endeavor, but it is also an endeavor whose chances of success are very slim. Americans are trying to fight an economic crisis occasioned by mismanagement of their economy. The economy was brought to its knees through a misdirection of tax funds and a poor regulatory environment. Money that should be used at home in supporting new investments to increase employment is instead directed to wars that are not beneficial to the American people. The financial sector that triggered the collapse of the economy had prospered for many years under insufficient laws and regulations. In short, the prosperity was just a bubble that would eventually burst sooner or later. Rather than blame our problems on immigrants, it would be better to focus on the real issues. Such an approach will help us move forward and avoid similar problems in future. The truth is that immigrants do not violently rob Americans of their jobs. Rather than resort to empty rhetoric about their being in America and how it equals to fewer jobs for Americans, the question should be why they are in employment in the first place and not the Americans. As the poem So Mexicans Are Taking Jobs from Americans puts it, “Do they come on horses with rifles, and say, Ese gringo, gimmee your job (Baca 1)?” Perhaps it would be better for Americans to ponder about what it is that the immigrants can do better than they can. This would result in them acquiring a new set of skills which are good for the productivity of the entire American nation. America needs to have productive people to maintain its leadership of the world. If productivity will be enhanced through increased competition from immigrants, so be it. Companies have been accused of favoring immigrants over locals because they can pay them much lower and unreasonable rates. From an immigration point of view, this results in reduced employment of the American people to avoid paying higher rates. Turning H-1B temporary visas into permanent visas would deal with this problem. The reason why the immigrants cannot ask for better pay is that they do not have the legal avenue to do so. Giving them such an avenue through conversion of their temporary visas to permanent ones would level the playing field. Employers would not be seeking for people to exploit, but would instead be seeking the best talent. Americans have to also appreciate that the best talent does not necessarily have to come from indigenous Americans, but such will sometimes come from the immigrants. In such a case, it will not be possible to complain that companies are only taking in people who are the best in a particular field. Denying immigrants their right to pursue a better life through their own hard work defies the dream for a better life, the dream that all people aspire to achieve. It is through economic freedom that America became great in the first place. Protectionist policies do not just ensure that the local people get the best, but they also protect inefficiency, laziness, and lack of competitiveness. They encourage continuous capital flow into areas that are not productive, thus resulting in an overall stagnation of the economy. In A Glass of Water, Santiago uses the words, “The couple did the work of five good men (14)," to illustrate how hardworking immigrants, Mexican immigrants, in this case, can be. America became great because it built a flexible, open economy that was not afraid to destroy its own to build a better self through realignment of capital to bigger and better companies and through the deployment of the best brains from around the world (Friedman 3). Refusing to accept the immigrants will, therefore, destroy the basis that forms the foundation of this great nation. Allowing immigration increases a wealth in people, bringing different cultures and history from all over the world. This increases the wealth of knowledge that the American people have about their country and about the whole world. The result of this is obviously a more educated and informed people. Participation in world forums and avenues is bound to increase, increasing trade and cooperation which will ultimately benefit the American people. Tolerance can only be learned in the face of diversity. What better way to increase diversity than to allow immigrants into the nation. In an interview about his book, A Glass of Water, Jimmy Santiago Baca says that the Mexican immigrant has become the scapegoat for everything. He is blamed for marriage problems, bank problems, milk problems, bread problems and so on (Huber 28). Around the world, the effect of xenophobia has been evidenced through conflict in countries such as Bosnia, Zimbabwe, and Rwanda. These serve as good examples of how things can go wrong if people discriminate against others on the basis of race and ethnicity before the interests of humanity and their country. Americans should consider these facts while deciding on the delicate issue of immigrants. Conclusion Immigration to some is an evil, to others, it is a necessary evil. The American society is at the moment pressed for more jobs. This has been occasioned by an increase in the unemployment rate, rendering more Americans jobless. In the search for solutions, some have viewed the presence of immigrants as one of the causes of this situation. True indeed, immigrants hold positions in the country, but true also is the fact that they contribute greatly to the wealth of this nation. America’s greatness is as a result of its open policies, its support for freedom as opposed to protectionist policies and its willingness to work with people from all around the globe. As policymakers deal with immigration, it is important not forget that which makes America a truly great nation. Works Cited Baca, Jimmy Santiago. "Jimmy Santiago Baca:"So Mexicans Are Taking Jobs from Americans"." iamthelizardqueen.wordpress.com, April 2007. Web. 4 October 2011. Friedman, Thomas L. "The Open-Door Bailout." nytimes.com, 10 February 2009. Web. 4 October 2011. Hinojosa-Ojeda, Raúl. "Raising the Floor for American Workers." immigrationpolicy.org, 7 January 2010. Web. 4 October 2011. Huber, Bridget. "A Conversation With Author Jimmy Santiago Baca." missionlocal.org, 10 December 2009. Web. 5 October 2011. Kerr, William R. and William F. Lincoln. "The Supply Side of Innovation: H-1B Visa Reforms and US Ethnic Invention." hbs.edu/research/, 2008. Web. 4 October 2011. Santiago, Jimmy Baca. A Glass of Water. New York: Grove Press, 2009. Read More