Immigration – A Critical Analysis of Recent Publications
The issue of immigration into the United States is a major issue of significance in US political and economic discussions. Immigration is a major subject in the current presidential race and there is a major question of how to deal with the over 11 million illegal immigrants, estimated to be living in the United States now. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of immigration on the US labor markets as presented and critiqued in various newspapers in the United States.
Summary of Lexis Nexis Findings
A preliminary study of the role of the illegal immigrants on the US economy indicated that articles argue that illegal immigrants are in two classes – people who enter illegally and people who overstay their visas. These two groups of people have no intention of going back to their home countries in the foreseeable future. And as long as they are within US boundaries, they will need to fend for themselves and in many cases, have to send money back home to their families and relatives. Hence, such persons are not documented and they have no means of being monitored.
A further evaluation of the articles and newspapers on Lexis Nexis provide a general trend – first of all, because they are not documented, they enjoy privileges in America and do not pay taxes. They are able to commit crime and get away with it because most of them are not on any formal system that can lead to their details to be checked. Furthermore, they are willing to work illegally and deny Americans of jobs and also collude with employers to evade taxes and other things.
The problem with illegal immigrants identified in most of the articles and stories indicate that they are often from poorer countries. Some are from economies where people earn less than $1 a day. And they are used to living in such conditions. Thus, in the United States, they are willing to work for less than what the average American will receive. For instance, whilst the minimum-wage earning American will expect a salary of between $8 and $12 per hour, an illegal immigrant from such a poor country will be willing to work for far less than that and this is harming the US labor markets and causing serious problems for Americans.
Most writers accept that the current system is very lax at dealing with such illegals. It has therefore created lapses that allow these illegals to operate freely. There are debates on what to do to deal with the high number of illegals who continue to destroy the US economy and do negative things to the labor market.
The newspaper, Economist identified that there are many different impacts and processes that could affect the US economy negatively when it comes to accepting undocumented migrants into the labor force. This is based on the argument that America has major wealth gaps – the rich, who are richer than any group of human beings who have lived on this planet in the past. This view is supported by several New York Times editorials written by right-wing and conservative writers which argue that the rich 20% are extremely rich because they have control over assets and corporate power. Whilst the poorest Americans have nothing but their jobs. Thus, the fact that these rich want to maximize their wealth means they are willing to do anything and use any labor they available to attain their goals of maximizing their wealth.
Furthermore, as more Americans get richer and seek to get a better life, the prices of goods and services for these Americans increases. And as working class Americans, they have nowhere else to go but stick to the complicated American society and its expensive requirements and demands. On the contrary, illegal immigrants can make money and send it home and build a credible and comfortable retirement for themselves. Even if they are deported after several years, they will still have access to a good life in their home countries.
An American on the other hand has to work hard and to pursue the American dream, one has to work hard and save enough and invest it and watch it grow. These conservative writers on sites like the New York Times present their information from qualitative data and circumstantial trends which are logical. This is because to be rich in America, one has to work hard and invest. And this is the main basis of the capitalist property-owning ideology that defines America as a global power. Therefore, their argument is built up in the form of risks and fears that could place classes of Americans – particularly the White poor. This draws parallels with the arguments of right-wing political figures. Their case is mainly based on the reality of the American society and the selective use of statistics that supports their claims.
Ultimately, their claim is that if Americans are to work on good jobs and can make a lot of money by earning a fair wage, they can make a decent living, have some good investments and get a better life. However, the presence of illegal immigrants on American soil means that companies that seek huge profits can underpay Americans. This is because if Americans do not accept these low wages, illegal immigrants from poor countries in the world will accept them. They make the illegal immigrant the problem and present a case that supporting them is a betrayal of the American people. This includes the statistics of Americans on welfare because they cannot work. And statistics of how many illegal immigrants are in the workforce because they are really willing and able to work and take the place of other well-meaning and equally capable Americans.
However, opponents of the position taken by those who stand against illegal immigrants being condemned are from many different newspapers. They identify many reasons why illegal immigrants are not destroying the American economy, but are supporting the country and its economic growth. One of the study by Art Carden in the Forbes magazine shows that illegal immigrants do not reduce the salaries of native-born Americans and documented Americans. Rather, they increase their income in the long run. This is because America has many of its production activities and procedures in foreign countries like Mexico, China, India and other countries. This is fundamentally because Americans demand a lot of money to produce goods and services. As compared to these countries where workers are paid less. Thus, there are some undesirable jobs that some American workers will turn down. However, they are essential to keep American businesses successful and growing. Therefore, American businesses that keep these illegal immigrants can achieve essential but low-paying jobs within America and this gets the entire factory or company operational and/or functional. This will help the companies to thrive and in the long-run they benefit everyone in America including the native-born and the documented Americans who might want higher-level jobs and managerial functions and roles. Art Carden presents data from the Southern Economic Journal which studied the long-term impacts of illegal immigrants on the US economy. This includes statistical analysis and reviews that provided information and guidance on the realities of the work environment of the United States and how it adopts and integrates illegal immigrants.
Meanwhile, Carden shows data from various programs and processes that give information and insights into efforts to cut down on the possibility of illegals getting jobs. For instance, he took data on e-verify, a system for the evaluation and assessment of the identity of people who enter factories and other workplaces. The data showed that the impact of these expensive verification systems is so high for companies. This is because companies pay a lot of money to get these programs in progress and enables them to work to achieve the best results for the company. The procedure is quite cumbersome and affects a company in many ways. Therefore, he presents a strong case for protecting illegal immigrants and accepting them in the American work environment.
Another article from the Business Insider showed that illegal immigrants are often examined on the basis of what they can potentially do in a higher-level job. The article focused on the findings of NBER which focused on low-skilled jobs and this showed an outcome that Mexican immigrants and other immigrants are willing to do such low jobs to a rather efficient level and this helps American companies to save a lot of money. This indicates that illegal immigrants are not as destructive and as problematic as they might appear to be in dealing with the provision of services to companies around the United States. They are rather contributing and are not making the labor markets worse. They are providing essential services for all Americans and they are willing to accept a lower salary for their effort and contribution to the economy. The statistics of the NBER study covered the period of serious economic crisis of America and provided percentages of immigrants and how much they were willing to work for lower results in the things they do. This was statistical and skewed towards how illegal immigrants could come in and help the country to work to achieve optimal results through the more difficult and complicated times.
The Time magazine showed information about important trends in the United States and how Americans formulate policies that might be detrimental to their future by limiting the impact of immigrants entering the labor markets. Writing about US Congress’s reforms and changes in the 2013 era, Christopher Matthews writing in the Time magazine identified a famous study by the Brookings Institute in 2010 which showed that America benefits significantly from the labor of illegal immigrants. The study showed that Americans who worked demanded higher wages, they were willing to work less, make more demands and also require social security which are things illegal immigrants will not demand in their working life. This means that illegals could be given the chance and the article on Time concluded with giving the illegal immigrants a pathway to citizenship. This is a term that has been used in American political debates in the current year and shows that there is some kind of empirical backing to it.
Data Applied to the Debate
Other websites, like the Economic Policy Institute seek to present information about immigration in an objective manner. This means they provided information in an objective fashion with no end in sight. Everything was in raw facts and it included data and realities of what people actually do and what the trends are. The EPI presents information in a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) format and this include major trends and information that is necessary. They show the exact number of illegal immigrants and the number of migrants and how each class is contributing to the United States. For instance, native-born or American citizens contribute about 85% of America’s economic output whilst immigrants contribute almost 15% of the GDP. This is complemented by a lot of information about the role of the different stakeholders and the actual input and contribution that is made to the economy by these illegal immigrants. This information and other scientifically deduced information of this nature can be used and applied in various debates and can explain major trends and procedures in various forms and systems. Therefore, it is scientific and close to objective information. The form of information that is presented to support and reject the idea of illegal immigrants to work in the country and contribute to the economy.
There are also other pointers like Migrant Policy provides information about migration and trends that can be used in dealing with the needs of consumers. This is a presentation of various forms of information and data that are relevant to the United States. This is compared to different timelines and different periods and provides information that is used in dealing with the kind of impact of the United States’ illegal immigrants.
Evaluation of Both Arguments
The debates from both sides have merit. There is the need for some kind of cap to be placed on migration. America cannot accept and live with all kinds of illegals. Therefore, there must be some kind of moderation. In my personal view, there must be some kind of limit that is placed on migration. Effort must be made to prevent illegals from entering the United States. This is because these illegals come in due to loopholes in the system and this causes them to abuse the system.
In spite of efforts to deal with the prevention of illegals from entering the country, there is the need for some degree of moderation and leniency for the people who are already in the system. These people must be given a more human treatment and they must be protected from deportation and imprisonment. Illegals must be given the chance to enjoy their labor and encouraged to contribute more to the US economy
Conclusion
The findings show there are different newspaper reports on migrants and how the different views and perspectives shape the views on how to deal with these migrants. One group of writers who often utilize qualitative information and opinion on the possibility of the negative impact of these illegal immigrants state that the US working class and poor go through a lot of negativity because they enrich the rich investors and business owners and make salaries fall short. On the other hand, those who support the contribution of illegal immigrants to the economy provide data of events and activities in which illegals make American business grow and how the long-term impact is often common.
Works Cited
Carden, Art. Illegal Immigrants Don't Lower Our Wages Or Take Our Jobs. 28 August 2015. Web. 16 April 2016. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/artcarden/2015/08/28/how-do-illegal-immigrants-affect-american-workers-the-answer-might-surprise-you/#30c7baf46b10>.
Costa, Daniel, David Cooper and Heidi Shierholz. Facts About Immigration and the U.S. Economy. 12 August 2014. Web. 16 April 2016.
Kapur, Saranya. Low-Skilled Mexican Immigrants Are Making The US Labor Market More Efficient. 3 November 2015. Web. 16 April 2016.
Matthews, Christopher. The Economics of Immigration: Who Wins, Who Loses and Why. 30 January 2013. Web. 16 April 2016.
Milanovic, Branko. Migration's Economic Negatives and Positives. 28 January 2016. Web. 16 April 2016. <http://economistsview.typepad.com/economistsview/immigration/>.
