Does Immigration Contribute to a Better America

Does Immigration Contribute to a Better America? Ever since this country was first discovered and settled, people from countries all over the world left their homelands and migrated to the “New World”. People from Spain, Germany, France, England and Asia traveled great distances to reach a new land of opportunity, to perhaps escape religious persecution or tyrant rulers. For centuries America has been viewed as a place for a fresh start, a place where anybody can come and begin a new life and follow their hopes and dreams. Even today people come to America for the exact same reasons that they did all those years before.

However unlike the immigration of our ancestors, the immigrants of today aren’t able to just come here and do what they want without anybody noticing. Today most people view immigration as a problem to the United States. One of the most easily recognizable groups of today’s immigrants comes from Mexico. The Mexican immigrants often come here for better economic and living opportunities than they had at home. But no matter how much these immigrants want to better their lives for themselves and their families, most Americans feel that they are trouble and a drain on our resources.

Despite what many think, the Mexican immigrants are helping our nation. The immigrants take many low end jobs that Americans do not want or are over qualified for, they can also boost our economy with the money they earn from working, and they diversify the nation. Immigration does and will contribute to a better America. Most of the immigrants that come to America from Mexico are just looking for a better life for themselves and their families. The immigrants know that there are plenty of jobs in America for them and they are willing to risk being arrested just for a better opportunity.

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With all these people eager to work, you would think the immigrants would be more accepted by the American people. There are many jobs that most Americans simply will and do not want to take due to low pay and amount of work. But thanks to immigrants that would love to have the opportunity to work in our country these jobs are taken. With each immigrant that comes and gets a job, more money is spent within the American economy. The more money spent in the economy will eventually help it grow making us a more prosperous nation financially.

The more money the immigrants spend in the US the more demand they cause for the people who make the goods they purchase. But the immigrants do not only help our country when they make money in the US, many send money home to their loved ones to help pay for things they need. Immigration does not only help the economy of the US, it also benefits the country that the immigrant comes from. According to Philippe Legrain, a journalist and economist, “migrants from poor countries working in rich ones send home much more – $200 billion a year officially,” (The Case for Immigration).

With all this money coming and going from immigrants, it’s unbelievable that we look down on immigration. The people who make the immigration laws are blind to the fact that the migrants help our economy. Instead of trying to keep migrants out we should allow them easier access into our nation for work, and then when they are ready they should be allowed to leave. Once immigrants get into the US many become stuck and unable to go home because it is too risky. If we allowed them to move freely most would just come temporarily to get enough money for what they need back home.

According to Legrain, “Most migrants do not want to leave home forever: they want to go work abroad for a while to earn enough to buy a house or set up a business back home. ” (The Case for Immigration). Of course some of the migrants would want to stay, but there wouldn’t be an overwhelming number of them. The immigrants that do settle would not only contribute to our work force and economy, they will add diversity to our country. Having many people from all over the world is something that can be beneficial to any country. Many of America’s venture-capital backed start-ups have immigrant founders. Legrain) With introduction of new peoples come new ideas, cultural experiences, and skills that can all be used to benefit our country. High skilled people from other countries could help American companies develop new drugs, technologies, appliances and even new architectural ideas. ” Twenty-one of Britain’s Nobel-prize winners arrived in the country as refugees. ” (Legrain) The foreigners with new ideas could spark the next big American innovation with their different ways of thinking and perspective. Since they are new to our country they see differently than we do, and can have a completely different view on things.

This cultural diversity can also transform little towns into cities with the new people inhabiting them. The immigrants could bring in their cultures and help build our towns into culturally diverse cities that would maybe attract tourists and new residents. Although there are many benefits of immigration, many believe that the immigrants would take away from American workers and steal jobs. However this is not true, many immigrants cannot compete with American workers due to skill differences and jobs they are willing to do.

Also, there aren’t a fixed number of jobs going around for everyone, and immigrant workers are not substitutes for American ones. These fallacies are really what deter many American people from lowering the immigration laws and allowing more immigrants into the country. If the people of our country knew the benefits of having more immigrants, the laws wouldn’t be so strict and more migrants would be allowed to come and work in our country. It is time that the government really recognizes the benefits of immigration to our country.

More immigrants means more working people, more working people means a lower unemployment rate and more money being spent in our country. The more money spent in the US means a better economy which is something that this country needs. We need to allow the immigrants into our country not only to help us, but to help them make money for themselves and their families. If America truly is an equal opportunity country, then we need to give all people the same opportunities. Sources: "Philippe Legrain. " The Case for Immigration :. N. p. , n. d. Web. 27 Sept. 2012. http://www. philippelegrain. com/the-case-for-immigration/.

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