U.S. economy seeing large benefits, result of immigrants

The U.S. is a  large leading nation in the world, known to be a land of promise for those from other countries. Immigrants from all over the world have taken advantage of the U.S. being a free nation with opportunity, and  to search for the elusive American dream. The U.S. economy  and workforce has seen large benefits as a result of  immigration, undocumented and documented.

Immigrants have become a vital part to this country over the last hundred years, and with executive orders like the Travel Ban and the building of the wall on Mexico’s border, causes many immigrants to fear their safety and security. As a nation, the U.S. must allow immigrants with no criminal records to live and work here, as their presence is so vital to this country both economically and culturally.

According the Diana Furchtgott-Roth of the Manhattan Institute, immigrants reduce labor shortages in both low and high skilled job markets, by filling in available jobs. Immigrant workers take the jobs that many Americans take for granted or they think are beneath them, like a minimum wage job at fast food chain or being a janitor. These are common stereotypes of immigrants, specifically colored immigrants. Although these jobs are taken by many, immigrants can also hold jobs that pay comfortably and have higher ranking status. Their far reach in the job spectrum is just one of the reasons we rely on them.

Junior Leo Montie explained, “Immigration stimulates our economy. With a larger population, economic stimulus is much easier to accomplish, and immigrants are the only thing keeping our population on an upward trend.”

Our economic state is a huge advantage of having immigration, but the U.S. has a moral obligation to protect, whether they are immigrants looking to start a new life or refugees seeking political asylum. In 2015, there were 140,093 refugees living in the U.S. according to the Office of Refugee resettlement. A bulk of these people came from Burma, Cuba, and Iraq, many of these people have seen treacherous hardships in their countries.

Senior Madison Fry said, “The path to citizenship is a long one and I think every human deserves the chance of creating a livelihood for themselves and their family.”

Many U.S. politicians are very strong in their beliefs that immigration is detrimental, specifically current president Donald Trump. Trump has made harsh comments about immigration and refugees, such as calling Mexican immigrants “rapists and drug dealers” at one his rallies during his campaign. Statements like this and his executive orders like the Travel Ban and the Wall by the Mexico border, have given him enormous support from Americans. This rhetoric creates division between immigrants and citizens, which need not be there always.

In 2015, there was 5,818 cases of hate crimes involving multiple victims. Approximately 59.2 percent of these were racially or ethnically bias. There must be a better unity between citizens and immigrants, which can start by blocking out the divisive rhetoric of world leaders like President Trump and creating a peaceful coexistence with immigrants Americans.

While propaganda from world leaders plays a large part in hate crimes and negative views towards immigration, harmful stereotypes in pop culture can further hate crimes and create more unnecessary divisions.  For example, many African and Mexican Americans are portrayed as gang members, drug dealers, and thieves in movies, television and literature. This impacts the ability for them to get jobs and loans along with the possibilities of being victims of hate crimes.

A chief argument from conservative Americans is that why  undocumented immigrants don’t apply for legal citizenship. The naturalization process taken at least seven years to become a citizen and sometimes can take up to 20 years for residency.

“Without it needing to be stated, immigrating legally to the U.S has its share of difficulties, and the largest issue of the process is likely the timetable. It can take so long that many people will weigh the benefits of waiting and decide that attempting to cross the border without documentation may be the correct process. If the process were made more simple, it is likely that we would see undocumented immigration dip,” Montie said.

With all the benefits and moral obligations to uphold, undocumented and  primarily law abiding immigrants still face harsh treatment in America, and face the the constant possibility of  poverty, separation from family, and possible death if deported. The U.S. can do  much more to protect the rights of immigrants, but with current law makers the possibilities seem bleak than ever.