Immigration Myths Some of the Myths Surrounding

Immigration Myths

Some of the myths surrounding immigration are based on misinformation, others on simple ignorance, still others on incorrect interpretations from the media. Based on the text and popular sources, it seems that there are four major myths -- despite the fact that the United States is, in fact, a nation of immigrants:

Immigrants steal jobs from American citizens -- Immigrants count for 12% of the population, but 15% of the workforce; a result of the aging American population. What people really mean is that illegal immigrants are stealing American jobs. This is not true, since immigrants tend to be concentrated in low-skilled or agricultural jobs that most Americans do not want.

Immigration is mostly illegal and at an all-time high -- The high-point of American immigration came in the late 19th century. In the 21st century, about 2/3 of all immigrants are here legally as naturalized citizens or permanent residents. And, of the 11 million immigrants who are in the country illegally, about 5 million are people who overstayed their visa and are not border crossers.

Immigrants are not trying to integrate into American culture -- Acculturation takes 1-2 generations, but most immigrants are working hard to do just that. The more education offered to immigrants, the easier integration will become. The more the policies open up jobs and services, the easier these individuals can learn to adapt to American life.

We should wall off our borders and crack down on immigration to make America safer -- Since 9/11, America has drastically increased border security, a daunting task since we have almost 8,000 miles of land and 12,000 miles of water borders. Most of the terrorist activities, though, do not come over the border, but through legitimate transportation channels. Drugs and other illegal activities come over the border, and making the borders even more secure might help with that aspect, but likely not anything to "make the country safer" (Meissner, 2010).

Part 2 -- Kroft, S. (2010, January 10). Watching the Border: The Viritual Fence. 60 Minutes. .

Watching the Border: The Virtual Fence

Terrorism and homeland security have been back in the news the past few weeks, and once again the focus has been on intelligence failures and airport security. But the easiest way for terrorists to get into the United States may well be across the nation's porous 2,000-mile border with Mexico. And it is no secret.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigations have revealed that hundreds of illegal immigrants from the Middle East and countries associated with terrorism have entered the country through Mexico, and according to a study done for the Border Patrol, around 90% of the people who try to get in that way eventually make it.

President Clinton built a wall to try and stop it, and President Bush tried to tackle the problem with technology, initiating an ambitious program he called a "virtual fence," that would allow the U.S. To visually monitor most of the border.