Through interviewing my roommate Linda Wang, I have gotten the opportunity of hearing a first-hand account of what it is like being a young immigrant living in the United States. At the age of eight, Linda, along with her father, mother, and aunt, emigrated to America. Linda’s family currently resides in Bayside, Queens and she is a student-athlete on the St. John’s women’s golf team. Linda was kind enough to share her immigration story with me so that I may use it as a manifestation of what life as an immigrant, and the immigration process itself, entails.
Today one of the biggest issues in America is illegal immigration; these people travel from all over the world, and illegally cross national borders onto U.S soil in desperation to find a better life. Immigrants come to America in hopes of fulfilling the American dream, being free and safe from their original home lands. Most immigrants are illegal and come by the millions each year, which lead to many controversial disputes. The overflow of immigrants caused many citizens to question if these illegal immigrants are damaging America in various way and also by bringing in crime, drugs, and terrorists. Others state that immigrants truly aids the economy “Indeed, some sectors of the economy might have a hard time functioning without illegal workers. (Katel 395) Many citizens believe illegal immigrants are taking jobs, and abusing government benefits, however many argue that these immigrants in fact contribute to a stronger economic stimulus, take unwanted jobs, and some even create jobs for Americans.
The immigration patterns of the United States have fluctuated over the years, some years having little while others see a rising amount of immigrants, both legal and illegal, looking for opportunities to improve their lives. The amount of illegal immigration is a problem since many take advantage of the social services provided by the government without contributing towards the country since they are not citizens and many people see these illegal immigrants as a threat to their employment. Illegal immigrants do affect the U.S negatively in a number of ways, but if those illegal immigrants were to have a safe passageway towards gaining citizenship, the immigrants would contribute greatly towards the
The United States of America (USA) has been one of the traditional receiving countries of immigrants (Friedberg & Hunt, 1995), and they do not take in too lightly of allowing immigrants violate its law and entering illegally to settle in its country without consequences. To date, millions of people have violated its immigration policies. The USA is also the economic leader of the world. It has been the notion that illegal immigrants are devouring up the US economy and for that reason they should be ousted. However, illegal immigrations have rooted into society since far back in history, and realized now, it is that illegal immigrants are not damaging the US economy; they contribute to it and their services costs
In the United States illegal immigration benefits the economy and growth, but also creates more problems such as inviting more immigrants. According to the article Undocumented Immigrants Should Receive Social Services by Melissa Marietta confirms “Immigrants to this country are not fighting for a student loan or access to a free clinic; they are fighting for the opportunities that they are denied in their native country” (Marietta). Most people look for a better future and head towards the opportunities illegal immigrants recognize United States as a land of opportunities. There are many working opportunities such as mining, railroad, lumbering, and construction in the United States. For example, a common job for illegal immigrants is the construction field. The
Since the start of our country, America has been known as a land of immigrants, a melting pot of different cultures and ethnicities working towards the American motto of the land of the free, home of the brave. Since colonial times, immigrants have been an integral part of society, majorly contributing to U.S culture and economy, yet many Americans have always had very conflicting ideas on immigration. Many people look past the benefits immigrants bring to our economy and society and instead scapegoat them for many of the United States’ problems surrounding unemployment and budget. The positive effects of immigrants, both legal and undocumented, in our country far outweighs the negative effects because of their important impact on society and the economic help that American relies on.
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.
In the fiscal year of 2014, U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stated that they conducted approximately 315,943 removals of individuals (ICE, 2014). This number includes undocumented immigrants, permanent residents, children, asylum seekers, and victims of human trafficking. The United States holds on average 380,000 to 442,000 persons in immigrant detention facilities per year (CIVIC, 2015). Immigrant Detention Centers hold individuals with migrant status who are in waiting of their removal proceeding decision made by the Department of Justice. Detention facilities ideally should model a civil system yet the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE have transformed
Immigration-related discussions could always cause vehement debates and arouse ambivalent feelings among both policy makers and the general public. On the one hand, we appreciate that immigrants contribute to cultural diversity, social vibrancy and economic prosperity; on the other hand, we sometimes could not resist to express our concerns and complaints about how immigrants constantly drive competition in job markets, put strain on public resources, and pose threats to social peace. Although classical economic model predicts with the expansion of labor force caused by increasing immigrants, wages or per capita income will fall and living standards will deteriorate, there might be a subgroup of immigrants who could, in contrast,
But, why do people still want to come to U.S?Because of various reasons, some of them want freedom, others says they have escaped from their government, some people consider U.S the land of dreams, some people might come because of employment opportunities, some others want to get rich, quite a few others want to practice their religion without any fear. Finally, they all came to have and build a better life. They want to have a better future, a good job, a fancy car, a huge house, and safety.
Illegal immigration has almost always been a part of the United States. There seems to be a neverending amount of people who believe in the “land of opportunity”, the home of the free and the brave. However, it seems that some may be more opportune than others. Illegal immigrants come to America with hopes and dreams of living a better lifestyle than the one that they currently possess. Currently, the American citizenship process is antiquated and not suited to fit a modern United States of America. Consequently, due to several constraints within the system, many are unable to achieve their dreams legally, and are treated like common crooks. Although many believe that illegal immigrants are criminals who should be deported, undocumented immigrants are victims of a broken system and are crucial to the sustainability of the modern-day American economy.
Since 2012, an estimated 11.7 million unauthorized immigrants were living in the United States (Donnelly, 2015). Most people migrate to America because they view America as the land of opportunities, the land that presents immigrants with life options they may not have back in their countries. They choose to come to America to escape poverty or oppression, for employment opportunities, and to make better lives for themselves and their families. But in the course of this, some federal laws are broken when they overstay their welcome. The question being asked today is; should unauthorized immigrants in the United States be allowed to apply for citizenship eventually? This controversial issue has generated different opinions across the states. Some Americans say undocumented immigrants should be deported because they are a burden to the nation. However, if these illegal immigrants are allowed to have some kind of legal status, it will help boost the US economy and keep families together.
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.
Although immigrants take jobs off of the market, they also supply jobs for anybody wanting one.From 1994 to 2007 the population of illegal immigrants double to 12 million (Eichenwald). Since this population growth “the crime rate has fallen to 34 percent and local property crimes also fell 26 percent (Eichenwald).” Data provided by Census in 2010 showed young and poorly educated men in the United States that came from Mexico had incarnation rates lower than the rates of native men without high school diplomas. Since the illegal citizens are proven to act like normal citizens, the immigrants should be allowed to try to get citizenship before being
The United States of America, being a country founded by immigrants, is known all over the world as the land of great opportunities. People from all walks of life travelled across the globe, taking a chance to find a better life for them and their family. Over the years, the population of immigrants has grown immensely, resulting in the currently controversial issue of illegal immigration. Illegal immigrants are the people who have overstayed the time granted on their US, visa or those who have broken the federal law by crossing the border illegally. Matt O’Brien stated in his article “The government thinks that 10.8 million illegal immigrants lived in the country in January 2009, down from a peak of nearly 12 million in 2007.”(Para, 2)