Positive Aspects of Immigration

¶ … Pro-Immigration Policies

The illegal immigration issue is one of the most divisive in the nation. Generally, those who oppose relaxed immigration rules express concerns that it contributes to the vulnerability of the nation to terrorists and drug merchants and that large numbers of immigrants absorb disproportionate amounts of public resources without paying taxes on undocumented employment. They also argue that large numbers of immigrant workers compete with Americans for unskilled labor positions thereby keeping salaries low, and that they cause harm to their native countries by contributing their labor and talents to the United States instead of to their nations of origin.

On examination, the argument against increased immigration flexibility does not support its conclusion. In the most general sense, restricting immigration violates the fundamental principle engraved on the Statue of Liberty, according to which the U.S. has always prided herself as a bastion of safety, security, and opportunity for those seeking to better their lives beyond what may be capable in their impoverished nations of origin or for those seeking refuge from persecution abroad. But for the fact that America welcomed millions of poor Europeans throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, most of those who stand opposed to immigration today would never have had the opportunity to become Americans because their parents and grandparents were also once immigrants to this country.

Just as prohibiting alcohol generated the black market that created the criminal organizations that terrorized this nation during the Prohibition era, so does criminalizing recreational drugs and restricting immigration only result in increasing related illegal activity. By further restricting legal immigration, such policies would only increase the problem of illegal immigration. Meanwhile, the scarce resources that would have to be devoted to enforcing immigration restrictions could be better used for the benefit of American society to address bona fide terrorist threats and other uses of law enforcement personnel. Meanwhile, restricting immigration does nothing to change the international dynamics and the conditions in the other countries whose residents frequently seek better lives in the U.S.

Furthermore, the suggestion that immigrants take jobs from Americans is specious, largely because the types of unskilled labor that new immigrants typically secure are the types of jobs that tend to go unfilled when they are only available to Americans, precisely because even the poorest Americans do not want them. Additionally, when legal immigration is restricted, the numbers of illegal immigrants who work "off the books" is much greater than it would be if they had the opportunity to secure documented employment. As a result, the restriction of immigration only contributes to the amount of money in employment taxes that goes uncollected.