Legal immigration's economic and social benefits to the United States

Legal Immigration Is Good for the United States

With the United States opening its boarders to thousands of legal immigrants each year, immigration has become one of the most hotly debated issues in the country. However, what has largely fueled this debate has to do with the impact of both illegal and legal immigrants on the United States' economy, crime rates as well as education and environment. While some continue to advocate for the reduction of immigration within the U.S., others are of the opinion that legal immigration impacts positively on the U.S. In terms of diversity and economic gains amongst other unique benefits. It is important to note that when legal immigration is viewed from a critical perspective, the United States does benefit greatly from the same. This text will clearly and concisely highlight some of these benefits.

Immigration in the United States: An Overview

Considered a complex demographic issue, immigration to the U.S. has stirred much controversy over time. This is more so the case given the increasing number of individuals seeking permanent residency in the U.S. each year and the political, social as well as economic impacts of such a trend. According to Geigenberger (2008), "the United States of America has always been a nation of immigrants." To highlight this point, the author notes that approximately 20 million individuals were admitted in the United States as legal permanent residents in the three decades preceding the year 2000. Basically, there are many reasons as to why individuals seek to immigrate to U.S. Key among these is for purposes of family reunion. Other reasons include but are not limited to the search for better opportunities and for humanitarian reasons.

Why Legal Immigration is Good for the United States

From the onset, it can be noted that with a proper immigration policy in place, legal immigration has quite a number of key distinct benefits. The benefits I highlight in this section have to do with the enhancement of diversity, economic prosperity amongst other nationwide contributions.

Enhancement of Diversity

Apart from stimulating the United State's economy, legal immigrants also encourage diversity which has a number of significant benefits. Some proponents of unrestricted immigration according to Shally-Jensen (2010) maintain that owing to its ability to introduce "greater diversity, immigration strengthens and enriches the United States' political, social, and cultural institutions." This is more so the case given the role immigrants from a variety of countries including but not limited to China, India and Mexico play in enriching America's cultural, political as well as religious diversity. There are quite a number of benefits that a country like the United States can reap from such enhanced diversity. For instance, when it comes to cultural diversity, businesses with a diverse workforce in the U.S. are more likely to gain a marketing edge than their overseas counterparts as they tend to be more familiar with different cultural groups. The relevance of such an edge cannot be overstated given that the world is increasingly becoming a global village going forward. Hence effectively, immigration gives American corporations the much needed sophistication for success in international business. Further, still on diversity, it can be noted that immigration has had a significant impact on the enhancement of United State's religious composition. For instance, thanks to immigration, Islam Sikhism, Buddhism as well as Hinduism have all experienced significant growth in the recent past. A nation that embraces religious diversity benefits by having higher levels of respect and tolerance for other religious, cultural as well as social views and opinions.

Advancement of Skills and Capabilities

It can also be noted that in a way, legal immigration, particularly of low skilled workers motivates more Native American citizens to advance their skills and capabilities. As Griswold (2009) notes, with an increasing number of low skilled immigrants, a good number of young Americans has been forced to pursue their studies further. The author also points out that the same influx of immigrants has forced "older workers to upgrade their skills" (Griswold, 2009). Hence based on the significant competition occasioned by the arrival of low-skilled immigrants, native citizens come to the realization that finishing high school and enhancing their capabilities has a greater financial reward. This behavior according to Griswold (2009) leads to the acquisition of more skills and education among the populace keen on avoiding any direct competition with immigrant workers. This can be viewed as a distinct societal benefit.

Political Benefits

Legal immigrants also benefit the nation from a political perspective. In Geigenberger's (2008) opinion, "legal immigrants…are also important to conserve existing political structures in the future." This is particularly the case given that America's population growth is expected to slow down going forward. Further complicating issues is the fact that "fertility rates have been below the replacement level for several years" (Geigenberger, 2008). With that in mind, and faced with the need to insulate itself from the negative effects of population decrease or statis, America may to a certain extent rely on legal immigrants.

Other Benefits

Apart from the benefits I highlight above, it is also important to note that immigration does expose the citizens of the United States to a wide range of languages as well as cultures thus in a way facilitating the exchange of perspectives, knowledge and values. This in the long run adds to the society's richness. Further, it can be noted that legal immigration also plays a critical role in reducing illegal immigration. The reasoning here is that when individuals are allowed or encouraged to use legal channels to obtain U.S. citizenship, existing illegal immigration incentives are effectively minimized. On the other hand, denying people a chance to utilize legal channels so as to seek U.S. citizenship or work permit could bring about an increase in the number of illegal immigrants. With illegal immigration in such a scenario becoming a common occurrence, the nation could end up loosing out in terms of tax. Allowing legal immigration could also have a positive impact on the international image of the U.S. In such a case, the United States obtains a reputation as a welcoming nation which treats everyone with respect, fairness and dignity.

Dissenting Views

Even in the light of the distinct benefits of legal immigration to the U.S. As highlighted above, it is prudent to identify some of the most prominent arguments against immigration and why in my view they are largely invalid. To begin with, some are convinced that immigration has far reaching negative impacts on the United States' economy. In reality however, this happens to be the case only when using illegal immigrants as a reference point. For instance, the wages undocumented workers earn is hard to monitor. This means that the Internal Revenue Service is largely unable to collect taxes on the same. However, as I have highlighted elsewhere in this text, legal immigrants benefit the economy on a number of fronts i.e. In terms of contribution to the nation's tax revenues and GDP, in terms of provision of cheap labor which in turn benefits consumers and in terms of provision of specialist skills and capabilities relating to technology, entrepreneurship etc. Further, there are those who feel that the influx of immigrants in the recent past has put a strain on the nation's social and government services. However, this assertion in Isidore's (2006) view is largely misplaced as according to economists, such an occurrence "is outweighed by the increased economic activity." Lastly, since the September 11 terrorist attack, there are those who have time and again expressed their fears over the influx of immigrants - most particularly those of Muslim descent. This in my opinion should be regarded as a stereotype fed by misplaced perceptions. Indeed, as Arnold (2011) notes, none of the terrorists involved in the September 11 attack can fit the definition of an immigrant. As a matter of fact, the author notes that those individuals involved in the attack "were all visitors" (Arnold, 2011). Based on this, I am convinced that the terrorist threat posed by legal immigrants is almost nil.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is clear from the above arguments that legal immigration has a number of distinct key benefits and hence is good for the U.S. The vast majority of those who legally immigrate to the U.S. do so for valid reasons and are therefore ready to work hard and live harmoniously with the rest of the populace. With that in mind and given the above arguments in favor of legal immigration, proper policies should be adopted to encourage the same while discouraging undocumented immigration.