Statistics indicate that forty million citizens, or 13% of the entire U.S. population, are foreign born. I am one of these forty million. Unfortunately, discussions about immigration have come to revolve around curtailment, rather than about immigrants themselves. Presidential candidate Donald Trump has risen to fame by painting immigrants as “murderers, thieves, and rapists.” Trump’s popularity signifies a radical shift from the time in which the words, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free... I lift my lamp beside the golden door,” were boldly inscribed onto the Statue of Liberty. Immigrants are no longer seen as people, but as a pathology. Even discussions about the benefits of immigration aren’t about immigrants themselves, but about what immigration can do for the national economy. As if an immigrant's value to society can only be measured in terms of capital. …show more content…
We immigrants are not a pathology to be curtailed; nor are we just a valuable commodity to be measured by charts and indexes. We are people with incredible resolve, amazing stories, interesting world views, and unique backgrounds. And so, if I were given the opportunity to teach my peers and instructors during the week of Paideia, I would teach them about the immigrant experience and the true value of immigrants. A course that would go beyond discussions about policy and economics, and would focus on the experiences of these people themselves.
I would begin the course with a discussion about the changing demography of the United States. This would provide a context for my teaching, as well as allow for a discussion about xenophobia, a phenomenon that is the underpinning of the dominant narrative about immigrants. I would then build upon this discussion with stories and experiences from immigrants about their experiences with xenophobia and
The main takeaway from Shari Robertson and Michael Camerini’s documentary “Immigration Battle,” is that the United States’ immigration policy is decidedly flawed. The policy facilitates the separation of families in which some members are U.S. citizens as well as the deportation of immigrants whose work benefits the nation’s economy. Taking into consideration the problems that immigrants have had to endure, the solution to the immigration crisis should not be to limit the number of immigrants allowed into the country, but rather to install an open border policy. This recommendation is based on a moral and economic justification. Helping immigrants escape poverty is the right thing to do and these individuals often inject valuable skills into the American economy. Arguably, one could also conclude that America’s prosperity lies in its diversity.
Immigration has been a burning issue lately, particularly after Donald Trump’s immigration ban in the United States of America. It has been a topic that families discuss every morning with breakfast. Despite many concerns related to immigration, it has several positive benefits that mostly outweighs the negativity. People bizarrely argue when it comes to immigration, but these arguments are primarily based on facts and ideas that are outdated or inconsistent and blindfold the positive aspect related to immigration. Many immigrants in the United States are good workers who don't depend upon any public welfare and mostly help in the overall development of the economy. As a country made by immigrants, we must not forget the fact that immigrants have helped to build cities and create a path of development form Google to iPhones (Gray & Furman, 2012). These facts are secluded, and some related arguments with different content have been repeated for years and continue. Immigrants have a lot to give the United States rather than to take, especially when it comes to economic terms.
country. The text goes deeper into why immigration can help a country and how it can
“When Mexico sends its people, they are not sending their best…They are sending people that have lots of problems…They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people” (Reilly, 2016). These words delivered by presidential candidate Donald Trump in 2015, have portrayed the Mexican immigrants as possible “threats” to the United States. However, these labels and views expressed by Donald Trump do not fully represent Mexican immigrants. Recently, the issue of immigration has become a tense, controversial issue of discussion in our nation. Various presidential administrations in recent decades have tried to “deal” with the immigration issue by enforcing strict laws to prevent migrants from entering the US, increasing border patrol, and immigration enforcement. Even our current president
Since the last Presidential election, many arguments have been sparked on current immigration policy in the United States. Whether it be mayoral intervention on Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) raids, or deploying the National Guard to the US Mexico Border, immigration has been at the forefront of the latest greatest political kerfuffles. Politicians and lawmakers have argued for decades on the viability of laws and regulations protecting, as well as directing, immigration in the United States. According to the American Immigration Council, federal law only allows for 675,000 immigrants a year. Realistically, however, this is nowhere close to the number of aliens that entire the United States each year. Unfortunately, current immigration
America throughout history has always existed as the land of opportunity. This land gave immigrants the opportunity to leave their country since political unrest and lack of opportunity become an issue. These immigrants were willing to leave behind their homes, cultures, and relationships and start fresh in another country. Starting fresh in America does not guarantee success, but these immigrants were willing to put their lives on the line in order to accomplish a “rags to riches” success story. On the contrary, the recent spike in immigration has become a major debate for everyone. Critics’ arguing against immigration say that immigration leads to overcrowding, drug trafficking, and puts American culture at risk. Simply, immigrants play a leading factor in society politically, economically, and socially. But focusing on the economic contributions immigrants bring, immigrants contribute to the economy by paying taxes, purchasing items, and working jobs. Immigrants work any jobs regardless of the hours or workload therefore the American dollar rises in value because people spend more money on objects. Since America exists as the land of opportunity, illegal immigrants should not remain discriminated as their work leads to economic prosperity.
I believe that immigrants should be let into the USA and there should be no restriction on allowing who comes in and out. However, I do believe in the safety of any citizen or person living in the United States. Because of this, I think that each immigrant should be scanned. Previously said during the discussion, immigrants really boost our economy and keep our culture young and new. “Successive waves of immigrants have kept our country demographically young, enriched our culture and added to our productive capacity as a nation, enhancing our influence in the world.” (Griswold, CATO institute) Immigrants bring new ideas and fresh minds to a hard topic. A current misconception is that immigrants take away jobs from Americans. However, the CATO
In recent years, a large number of immigrants moving into the United States, has jumped up the growth rate of population. “Over the last three decades, socio-economic conditions, especially in the developing world, in conjunction with U.S. immigration policy, have caused 25 million people to leave their homelands and emigrate legally to the United States. Additionally, the Immigration and Naturalization Service estimates that the illegal alien population grows by 400,000 to 500,000 each year. The current influx has caused an enormous growth in the immigrant population, from 9.6 million in 1970 (4.8 percent of the population) to 35 million (12.1 percent of the population) in 2005.”(Steven A. Camarota, 2005) By 2014, there are 42.4 million immigrants living in the U.S. (Zong, J. & Batalova, J.2016) With this large number of immigrants moving in, it has caused significant social problems, especially on the parts of these immigrants and their next generation. Immigrants themselves regularly face enormous pressure due to work and financial issues, racial discrimination,
agriculture. Natives have a mindset that they are too good to be working at such lowly
Immigration is a controversial topic that has impacted our society for decades perplexed by policies media coverage, perceptions based on one’s own lack of knowledge, personal experiences and a host of other factors that influence how our society views immigrants and immigration policies. The United States is a diverse population of people and filled with experiences that come from various walks of life that contribute to enhancing our social culture, economic development, and cultural acceptance.
When one thinks of immigrants, lets’ face it what one envisions is the man or woman working in California restaurant kitchens, the maids in middle class neighborhoods, baby sitters, gardeners mowing lawns. L.A mayor Antonio Villaraigoza famously put it during a speech: “Today we say to America: We’ve come here to work: We clean toilets. We clean your hotels. We build your houses. We take care of your children. We want you to help us take care of our children as well” (Malkin,M.,
Immigration, the most controversial topic in America. The debate of whether both illegal and legal immigration is beneficial to America has been ongoing for many years. Although there is data and evidence that supports the opposition to illegal immigration, this type of immigration, is proven to be a vital tool in the development and prosperity of the United States through anecdotal evidence.
Regardless of where you come from, everyone has a dream. Sometimes these dreams that we have aren't always achievable in our current situations. Sometimes we have to make tough decisions in order to achieve our own happiness. This is specifically true of immigrants, who risk their lives to come to another country in order to work and make a better life for themselves and their families. Most immigrants enter a country because of economic advances and opportunities that are available in a country other than their own. Immigration in the United States has been an everyday occurrence since the U.S. began gaining power and respect worldwide. In the 1880s, European immigrants entered the country hoping to find food and jobs after the Irish Potato
The understanding the issues of immigration in the United States give a thorough knowledge of the educational system today and in the future. The United States see immigrants and their children as a drain on the economy and a threat to the security of our nation. The question over illegal immigration is who, how many, and what should be the criteria for the immigrants to work and stay in the United States. Many states in the United States are passing laws that make the undocumented immigrants criminals, such as Arizona SB 1070 and Alabama’s HB 56, which bans undocumented immigrants attending public colleges. Also, this house bill teachers have to verify a student’s legal status and report it to the state board of education. The immigration issue has led to a media frenzy and political turmoil within the undocumented immigration community, which in turn has led this group of people to be a resource for economic development and global competitiveness for the United States
In our society, many young Africans, Asians or even Europeans see America as an Eldorado. Regarding this topic, talking about President Trump’s political program is particularly interesting. In fact, the U.S. President Donald Trump suspended the refugee admission program by a decree entitled, "Protecting the nation from the entry of foreign terrorists into the United States. " According to him, immigrants and refugees are terrorists. I will use this speech to persuade you that immigrants benefit the country, bringing their own contribution to what defines the U.S.A. nowadays, commonly referred to as the “melting pot.” Today, I will argue that immigration helps the lives of thousands of people, it emphasizes diversity and it helps the economy by boosting it.