In a report submitted to the Migration Policy Institute, researchers gave statistics reflecting “an estimated 12 million unauthorized immigrants live in the United States” (Hanson, 2009, p.1) With the numbers running so high, Hanson (2009) estimated a continued ascension of the figures in later years (p.1) As a result; policies have since been formulated in a bid to curb these statistics while at the same time reassuring Americans of political, economic and social security. This and the rising concerns of American citizens to the presence of refugees in the country have put more pressure on the need to ascertain whether the people can be an advantage to the United States. This presentation of the issue seeks to highlight the advantages of immigrants in the country while establishing the position of the American law on the same.
On June 28 2008, United State President Obama Barack addressed the issue of Immigrants on American Soil. In “Those Damned Immigrants: America’s Hysteria over Undocumented Immigration” Roman and Olivas (2013), give a quotation derived from the President’s remarks and in turn showed the views of America on the issue of immigration. According to the authors, the President stated that there is need for “immigration reform that will secure our borders, and that finally brings the 12 million people who are here illegally out of the shadows We must assert our values and reconcile our principles as a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws” (Roman and Olivas, 2013, p. 133) As leader of the American people, it is safe to assume his stand on immigration only reflected that of his people and in turn showed the hostility with which immigrants are regarded. However, Immigrants are not always a disadvantage to a country. Rather, there have been some known merits to having immigrants in a country especially with consideration to the economy.
As aforementioned, immigration has proven to be good for the economical status of the country. For instance, Native Americans who choose to hire immigrants stand to benefit from cheap labor as most of them lack proper training and at times legal papers for formal employment (Hanson, 2009, p.1). With this in mind, industries and other major economic structures in the United States stand to gain more for less. In fact, even the lowest earning American is still able to hire immigrants as a source of cheap labor at the household level. With these factors in mind, it is safe to conclude that with minor time-consuming labors out of the way, Americans have more time to contribute to the country’s profile.
As an added advantage to the state, illegal immigrants are liable to pay taxes to the government and in turn contribute to the country’s economic stability (Hanson, 2006, p.6). In the journal entry, “Illegal Immigration: The Host-Country Problem” Ethier (2006) attests to these views by concluding her article stating that, “If illegal immigrants form part of the tax base, such interdiction could well be unpredictable” (p. 70). This is with regard to the implementation of policies to monitor and curb the number of immigrants making finding their way into and settling in America. In other words, while most people are convinced that reducing the number of immigrants in the country will be to the state’s best interest, Ethier (2006) suggests a possibility of it being a disadvantage to the country’s economic stability (p. 62).
With regard to the law, immigration policies have been of importance to the host country. However, theorists have developed speculations that while the natives feel reassured by said policies immigrants end up fearful of law enforcers with some being unable to make eye contact with policemen (Mukherjee, Molina, and Adams, 2013, p. 320). With regard to these findings, most refugees have struggled to make an honest living and in turn, ensure they stay on the right side of the law (Roman and Olivas, 2013, p.146). Hanson (2009) who gives a documentation of Non-Americans integrating themselves with the natives (p.5) gives evidence to this as most opt to work alongside said natives and send their children to the same school as the latter’s.
In conclusion, it is evident that illegal immigrants in the United States are an added advantage to the country. This however is determined by their ability to adhere to the set American laws and that to prove an advantage rather than a disadvantage. In addition, while they do offer cheap labor to the natives, the extent to which they do so is still a debatable matter. This is particularly so with regard to the uneducated Americans who have more rights to these occupations than the Non-Natives.
References
Román, E., & Olivas, A. M. (2013). Those Damned Immigrants: America’s Hysteria over Undocumented Immigration. New York: NYU Press.
Ethier, W. J. (2006). Illegal Immigration: The Host-Country Problem. The American Economic Review, Vol. 76, No. 1, 56-71.
Hanson, G. H. (2009). The Economics and Policy of Illegal Immigration in the United States. Washington: Migration Policy Institute.
Mukherjee, S., Molina, L. E., & Adams, G. (2013). “Reasonable Suspicion” About Tough Immigration Legislation: Enforcing Laws or Ethnocetrice Excusion? Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, Vol. 19, No. 3, 320-331.
