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DylanPatzi
ProblemSolution
English4
11/13/15
TheImmigrantProblem
GOPcandidateshavebeenspewingfalsehoodsandusingscaremongering
tacticstomakeimmigrantsseemliketheenemyofAmericaandthesourceofallofour
problems,shiftingthisissueintoanextremelyxenophobicstandpoint.Theyproject
falsehoodsasiftheywerefact,butreallywhatisthetruthaboutimmigrationinour
country?Weareconstantlybombardedbydifferentviewsonthisissueandaremadeto
believequiteabitonpartisanlines.Ifweexaminethisissuethroughanunbiasedlens
weareabletoseeimmigrantsaspeopleandthereasontowhichwhytheyare
immigratingtoourprosperouscountry.Itisclearthatwehavehadahugeinfluxof
immigrantsforthepastcoupleofyears.Infactthepopulationhasmorethandoubled
sincethe1960s,buttheimmigrantpopulationisstillbelowitsalltimehigh.Currently
wehave41.3millionimmigrantsintheUSanumberthathasbeenthesameforthe
pastcoupleyears.Netdocumentedimmigrationhasactuallycometoastandstillwith
numbersstayingatnearnetzero,duetoheightenedbordersecurity(
CAPimmigration
team).
Todayweliveinanextremelyantiimmigrantclimate.Thisclimatehasonly
becomeevenmoretense,duetopublicfigureslikeDonaldtrumpthatsayimmigrants
arebringingdrugs,crimeandthattheyarerapists.ThisImageportrayedbyMr.Trump


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hasbecomepopularbeliefamongstmostamericans.consideringwedohavemany
immigrantsinthiscountrythatarehereandundocumented.Manysaythatwemust
stopthismassmigration,becauseitonlyservestobenefitthosemigrating.Butlet'stake
alook,weCurrentlyhave41.3millionimmigrantsintheUSanumberthathasbeenthe
sameforthepastcoupleyears.Netdocumentedimmigrationhasactuallycometoa
standstillwithnumbersstayingatnearnetzero,duetoheightenedbordersecurityand
criticsonhowthenationhandlesimmigrationsaytheissueisonlygrowing(
CAP
immigrationteam).

IfanyoneweretolookatthehistoryofAmericatheywouldseeacountrythatis
forthefreedomofthemanyandnotthefew,wewereandhavealwaysbeenasafe
havenforimmigrantsthathavenowhereelsetogowithinscriptionssayingonsuch
statutesliketheStatueofLibertyGivemeyourtired,yourpoor,Yourhuddledmasses,
yearningtobreathefree,Thewretchedrefuseofyourteemingshore,Sendthese,the
homeless,tempesttosttome,Iliftmylampbesidethegoldendoor.
Thisisaquoteon
statuethatwasasymbolofhopeandfreedomforimmigrantsthatwerecomingtoour
countryinthe1800s.
Weareshowntimeandtimeagainhowriddledourhistoryiswith
thediversityandsacrificeofimmigrants.
Immigrationcanaffecttheeconomy,crime,andpolitics.Butifwelookat
comparisonsbetweenthenativeimmigrant,andtheimmigrantpopulation.Wecan
comparethingssuchashomeownershipstatus,povertyrates,education,finances,
crimerates,welfareuse,andvotingpopulation.Thefirstsentenceinanarticlebythe
CAPimmigrationteamtellsusalotaboutthenation'simmigrantsfromtheirresearch


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Immigrationhasbeenaconstantsourceofeconomicvitalityanddemographic
dynamismthroughoutournationshistory.Immigrantsaretaxpayers,entrepreneurs,job
creators,andconsumers.(TheFactsOnImmigrationToday).Theauthorsshowusthat
theimmigrantpopulationisactuallyaverymultifaceteddemographic.Thisarticlecomes
fromtheCenterForAmericanProgressImmigrationTeambuttheresearchitself
comesfrommanydifferentsourcessuchastheU.Sbureaucensus,thePewresearch
center,ABCnewscenter,publicpolicypollingandmanyotherreliablesources.Wecan
seestereotypesbeingprovenfalsewhendatapresentedinthearticlesuchasthisA
2007studybytheImmigrationPolicyCenterfoundthattheincarcerationratefor
immigrantmenages18to39in2000was0.7percent,whiletheincarcerationratefor
nativebornmenofthesameagegroupwas3.5percent.(TheFactsOnImmigration
Today).Thedifferenceisalmost3percentlessthanthatofthenativebornman.Itis
obviouslyshownherethatimmigrantsareinfactlesslikelytocommitacrimethan
thosewhoarenativeborn.Databyeconomiststellsusthatpresentundocumented
immigrantsmayverywellbegoodforusIftheundocumentedimmigrantsinournation
weregrantedlegalstatustodayandcitizenshipinfiveyears,the10yearcumulative
increaseinU.S.grossdomesticproduct,orGDP,wouldbe$1.1trillion.(TheFactsOn
ImmigrationToday).ThistypeofgrowthwouldbemassivefortheU.Seconomy.We
areclearlyignoringthebenefitsofimmigrantsandallowingthesedangerous
stereotypesiskeepingoureconomyfrommuchneededgrowth.Sowouldn'trecognition
ofthisundocumentedpopulationcreateimmensebenefitsfortheU.Seconomy?


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AnArticleby
ByJohnM.MacdonaldandRobertJ.Sampsonspeakofhowmass
immigrationhasaffectedamerica.Andhowsomeoftheseeffectsspreadbythemedia
arenotwhattheyseem.SampsonandMacdonald
commissionedsomeofthemost
meticulousresearchdonetodateabouttheeffectsofimmigrationonacrosssectionof
Americancommunitiesurban,suburbanandrural.

Thesestudiesmakestatements
suchas
theregionswhereimmigrantshavesettledinthepasttwodecades,crimehas
gonedown,citieshavegrown,poorurbanneighborhoodshavebeenrebuilt,andsmall
townsthatwereonceonlifesupportarespringingback(Sampson,Macdonald).
SampsonandMacdonaldlatergoontomakeotherpointsthatimmigrationisntan
epidemicbutratheradrivingforceforourcountry.
Withthisevidencethisbringsupthe
questionastowhyhastherebeensuchpersistentbacklash?

Therearemanywiththeideathatimmigrantsarehereanddegradingthe
americansysteminwhichwethrivein.Andmanyalsoaskthemselveswhyshouldwe
evenletthesepeoplein.Wemustfirstaskourselveswhyaresomanyimmigrants
cominghere,whataretherootcauseofthisissue.Wellonecouldsayitissimply
becauseourcountryissoprosperousandtheircountryisnot.Buttheproblemgoes
muchdeeperthanthat.AsPedroRiosthedirectoroftheAFSCpointsoutItis
unfortunatethatpeopledon'tseetherootcausesastowhysomanypeopleimmigrate
suchasagreementslikeNAFTA(theNorthamericanFreeTradeagreement)that
devastatespoorcommunitiesandforcesmillionsofpeopletomigrateinordertosurvive
leavingeverythingbehind,potentiallyriskingtheirlives.ItisclearthatourInternational
agreementscreatemucheconomicdisplacement.Continuingthispracticeisnota


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solutionitonlyworsenstheproblem.Wemusturgeourownnationalimmigrationpolicy
makerstoaddresstheunderlying,rootcausesofmigrationsothatthosemostbrutally
impactedbyeconomicdespairandcrisesarenotfurtherpunished.Ournationmust
recognizethetypeofbacklashtreatieswecreatecancausethetypeofeconomic
despairithascausedinsomanyothercountries.

Asoftodaythereareapproximately11millionundocumentedpeopleresidingin
theUnitedStates.Ofthatnumber,eightmillionareworkerslaboringinavarietyof
industriesandservicesvitaltotheU.S.economyandtothesurvivaloffamiliesbothin
theUnitedStatesandintheircountriesoforigin.Thesearefamiliesyoumayevenknow
areundocumentedbecausenotsosurprisinglytheydonotfollowthestereotypesset
forthbyourmedia.Thesearefamiliesthatwanttostaytogetherlikeanyother,and
wanttokeeplivingthelivestheyhaveestablishedherewemuststopthedetentionand
deportationsystemthathastornapartfamilies,andinsteadensurethatthehuman
rightsoflibertyanddueprocessareenforced.

Ournation'spoliciesmustbecoupledwitheconomictreatiesthatencourageand
fundsustainabledevelopment,createconditionsforcountriesatthehandsofour
corporationsinwhichtheircitizenshaveopportunitiestoearnalivingwageintheir
homecountriesthatleadtopeacefulresolutionofinternalandinternationalconflicts.
Wemusturgeourcongresstoenactimmigrationpoliciesthatembodythebestofour
nationsvalues.
Thestigmaofbeinganimmigrantmustcometoanendimmigrants,wearea
countrybuiltonthefoundationoffreedomandopportunitythathasbeenpoweredby


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immigrants.Theygivelifetocitiesandbringaneverendingworkethicthatisbeginning
tobecomelostinournation.Wehaveseenthatimmigrantsfacechoicesthatare
immenselydifficultundertheextremecircumstancestheyface.Theyaregiventhe
choicesofstayingandsufferingtheeconomicdespairoftheirhomecountryorescaping
thisendlesscycleofpovertyandrisktheirlivestosavethemselvesandtheirfamilies.
Wemustprovidesupportstructuresforimmigrantsandnothurtthisvulnerable
populationbecausebeinganimmigrantissomethingtobeproudofinthefaceofsuch
adversity.


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Bibliography
CAPimmigrationteam.TheFactsOnImmigrationToday.Centerforamerican
progress.Web.13Nov.2015.
<https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/immigration/report/2014/10/23/59040/t
hefactsonimmigrationtoday3/#economy>
John.DontShutTheGoldenDoor.
TheNewYorkTimes
.TheNewYorkTimes,2012.
Web.13Nov.2015.
<
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/20/opinion/thebeneficialimpactofimmigrants.
html?_r=0
>
Marina,Fang.GOPCandidatesSayImmigrantsDontLearnEnglish,ButReport
ProvesThemWrong.
TheFull
.Web.2Oct.2015.
<
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/gopimmigrationlearningenglish_560315ace4b0f
de8b0d124ea
>
Rios,Pedro."InterviewwithPedroRios."Personalinterview.10Oct.2015.