Immigration Good for the Country?

¶ … Immigration good for the country?

Immigration in the United States:

Beneficial and Necessary

The United States is a nation of immigrants; only those of pure Native American ancestry can say that immigration did not, at some point, account for their being in the country. Because current citizens, or their fathers and mothers, chose immigration, many now enjoy the benefits of the United States where they would have been suffering in their own countries. Each day, more and more immigrants seek to become United States Citizens. They are willing to take low paying jobs, learn English, and take citizenship tests. For many of them, United States Citizenship means a great deal. But a debate regarding whether or not immigration should be greatly reduced within the United States is raging. Some claim that immigration, both legal and illegal, harms the United States' economy. Others, after September 11, 2001, express their fear of immigrants, especially those from Muslim nations. Despite these objections, however, legal immigration is distinctly good for the United States, in that it encourages diversity and its benefits, has positive implications for the economy, and brings people to the United States who can ultimately benefit the nation.

First, immigration is one of the venues through which the United States continues to practice diversity. According to the United Nations Resolution 56/156 on human rights and cultural diversity, "cultural diversity and the pursuit of cultural development by all peoples and nations are a source of mutual enrichment for the cultural life of humankind." The resolution further suggested that cultural diversity enforces tolerance, which in turn is a component in fostering peace among nations. Thus, the United Nations implies that diversity is an important, positive characteristic beneficial to a country's international relations. Because the United States is a country of immigrants, it is viewed in a special way at the negotiating table and whenever international politics are considered. The United States is filled with people from different backgrounds; it understands a bit better how to communicate with those from other countries when negotiating, singing treaties, or having peace talks. A wealth of immigrants in the United States provides the teachers needed to instruct United States' officials in the ways of dealing with other countries. When the President visits another country or has an audience with a country's leader in the United States, the President knows the cultural norms that govern that society so that he can be polite, convincing, and respectful.

Furthermore, diversity in the United States as a result of immigration has increased tolerance in the country, which leads not only to fostering peace internationally, as the United Nations Resolution implies, but also to promoting stability within the United States' domestic affairs. Although the terms immigration and diversity cannot be seen as synonymous, as some immigrants to the United States are not much more diverse than their one-time European counterparts whose ancestors came to the United States decades ago, diversity does tend to increase when a country witnesses large waves of immigration ("The Prospects" 139-140). Because large amounts of diverse groups have come to the United States, then, its citizens must learn domestic tolerance, a benefit that leads to the reduction of hate crimes and the ability of communities to work together. Thus, immigration is beneficial to the United States because it increases diversity within the country, which has implications both for international and domestic affairs. Internationally, diversity within a country helps to foster a sense of peace, in addition to making a country more capable of communicating with other countries in such a manner that will foster tolerance and respect. Domestically, diversity also helps promote tolerance, fostering peace, putting an end to hate crimes, and allowing for communities to bond together. Put more simply, immigration is progressive and fosters progressive attitudes. This can be supported by other country's immigration experiences. For instance, Grbic states that New Zealand's immigration policy has not only increased tolerance in the country, but it has also challenged the society's social conceptions.

Second, immigration not only promotes diversity within the United States, but it also has positive benefits for the United States' economy. As a whole, immigration tends to grow the United States' economy ("The Prospects" 140). Significant evidence also exists for the fact that immigration benefits the financial status for the individual worker. Immigrants in the United States between 1990 and 2004 actually increased wages for native workers by four percent, while also opening up new markets for which retailers and corporations could produce and market ("The United States Benefits from Immigration"). Further, many immigrants are either as industrious as or more industrious than their native counterparts. Immigrant men in their prime working years tend to go to jail less than American men in that same age group. Thus, for this age group, immigrants can actually be said to be more productive than natives. Immigrants also grow the economy by opening their own businesses, while "attract[ing] investment capital from their home countries" ("The United States Benefits from Immigration"). Because immigrants work in the United States, they also pay into the United States' social security system. Some of this payment helps to offset the massive withdrawals made by the Baby Boomers, as immigrants tend to be younger workers who will not withdraw from the system, if they ever do, for quite some time ("The Prospects" 140-141).

While immigrants are often viewed as a workforce, they are also consumers, meaning that consumer demand rises, and those with a basic knowledge of economics understand that rising demand encourages production, shifting production possibilities and growing the economy. As immigrants become more skilled, move higher in their corporations, and grow their businesses, they will begin to demand more and more, causing American corporations to supply more and more. This will, in turn, increase revenue for native corporations and create more jobs that immigrants and natives can share.

Thus, immigrants benefit the United States' economy as both workers and as consumers. They not only work harder than some Americans, increasing the rate with which the American companies that they work for grow, but they also start new businesses, attract investment, and demand products as consumers. By paying into the social security system, as well as paying other types of taxes, they do not do this without also benefiting the American government and its financial status.