Immigration is a hot and sore political topic for conservatives who feel that immigrants are hurting the country, taking jobs, committing crimes and ruining our way of life.
Immigration is troubling politics!
– Written by Lisa Rutherford –
Immigration is a hot and sore political topic for conservatives who feel that immigrants are hurting the country, taking jobs, committing crimes and ruining our way of life. Many people think that we have a large number of immigrants. But if we look back to the 1800s, the current proportion of immigrants in the U.S. population is consistent with historical numbers. But in the early 1900s, just as now, anti-immigrant sentiment and fear of immigration was on the rise. What we are seeing now is nothing new. Immigration and xenophobic backlash have been linked for more than a century.
In the past, many conservative Republicans have praised Ayn Rand, author of Atlas Shrugged and other books, for supporting laissez-faire capitalism and individual rights, including private property. Ta. Regarding immigration, she was quoted as saying, “There is no right to ‘self-interest’ to the detriment of others, especially if you cannot prove that open immigration affects your interests.” You cannot claim that everything others do, for example simply through competition, is against your interests. ”But perhaps many of today’s MAGA Republicans have never heard of Ayn Rand or read any of her acclaimed writings.
If Donald Trump and J.D. Vance had their way and removed all illegal immigrants and some legal immigrants from our country, what would the economic impact be? Have they thought through this? , or is it just political rhetoric to play on the fears of voters who can prove that these immigrants pose no real danger to themselves, as Rand claimed? Are hated immigrants really taking the jobs “real” Americans want? Have voters thought this through, or are they just victims of political rhetoric?
Most economists agree that far from being dangerous, most immigrants bring great value to this country. I ask those who oppose immigration, “Do you like dairy and meat?” Immigrants make up a large portion of its workforce. Employers in the dairy and meat industry struggle to find workers to fill these difficult jobs, and must rely on immigrants, both legal and illegal, to put meat and dairy on the table. Let’s consider the fact that it doesn’t. Think about this when you shop and complain about the price of meat, dairy, fruit and vegetables. Will they go even higher without immigrants to do the job? Instead of talking about kicking immigrants out of the country, politicians should be working on expanding visa programs. This also applies to the construction industry. Some believe that robots will replace immigrants in these jobs. Certainly, some industries are adopting robots, but it remains to be seen how this will play out and impact prices.
Preliminary findings from the National Academy of Sciences suggest that immigrants, including undocumented immigrants, tend to pay more in taxes than they receive in benefits. Although state and local effects may be more complex, the overall contribution of immigrants to federal finances is positive.
Do you even know what immigrants have to go through to become legal citizens? This process can last up to 25 years. Have you ever taken the time to learn about the challenges they face in achieving citizenship while still living a comfortable life through their work efforts?
Some, including Mr. Trump and Mr. Vance, have claimed that there are 20 million to 25 million illegal immigrants in the United States, but that has not been verified. The commonly accepted number is 11 million, which is 3.3% of the U.S. population. The population of unauthorized or illegal immigrants peaked in 2007. The number of unauthorized or illegal immigrants increased from 2019 to 2022, but remained below the 12.2 million in 2007. The number of legal and illegal immigrants reached a new high in 2023, they said. They make up 14.3% of the total U.S. population, lower than the previous high of 14.8% in 1890. In fact, the number of monthly encounters with migrants by U.S. Border Patrol agents at the Mexican border will be significantly reduced by 2024 due to policy changes in both countries. of the border.
Economists say many people concerned about immigration are falling into the “labor mass fallacy.” In other words, there is a fear that if only a certain number of jobs are available, Americans will be lost if immigrants are hired. Immigrants may get jobs, but they also “create” jobs. Immigrants make up 25% of all U.S. entrepreneurs
David Card’s 1990 study of the Mariel boatlift, which transported 125,000 Cuban refugees to Florida in 1980, found that the effects of “supply shocks” were relatively small. The negative effects of immigration on native workers in developed countries, if any, are relatively small and short-lived. In fact, Forbes magazine reports, “A new study finds that immigrants play a critical role in creating jobs, innovation, and new businesses in the United States.”
President Trump’s advisor Stephen Miller used George Borjas’ research on Cuban boat lifts as the basis for deporting immigrants. However, this study has been criticized, and Card’s 1990 study remains valid. Although Borjas has been described as an influential immigration economist, many other studies have concluded the opposite of what Borjas’s research has found. He was born in Cuba in 1950 during the Cold War, which may have biased his research. Although Borjas is identified as a conservative, the Miami Herald wrote, “He opposes mass deportations of illegal immigrants, calling them inhumane.”
The 20-25 million claim has been used by Mr. Trump, Mr. Vance and other conservatives as an excuse for the housing affordability crisis, but economists and housing experts have debunked it, saying that other forces are much larger. He claims to be playing a role. While illegal immigration is not the main reason for high prices, it may be contributing to rising rents in some areas. In fact, immigrants are generally less demanding when it comes to housing amenities, which drive up home prices. They just want a roof over their head. Deporting immigrants and reducing the housing construction workforce, which is primarily made up of immigrants, as Trump and Vance want, will worsen rather than help this country’s persistent housing shortage! A bigger concern about affordable housing is that rich people are moving into the area, driving up home prices and proliferating short-term rentals.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Vance blame immigration and liberal policies for the rise in crime rates. The Brennan Center for Justice found that although crime has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, homicides have increased “almost evenly” in Republican-run and Democratic-run cities, making this more likely to occur in liberal-leaning jurisdictions. reported that it was not the result of criminal justice reform in the United States. The highest murder rates were seen in so-called red states. Additionally, the Cato Institute also reported substantial research showing that immigration is not associated with higher levels of crime.
So what does the future hold for immigration, both legal and illegal? Economists at the Dallas Fed say, “If immigration normalizes, it will not be enough to sustain the type of economic growth to which the United States is accustomed.” “The interest rate will return to a lower level.” The country is in a kind of demographic autumn, and winter is approaching. By 2040, population growth will depend entirely on immigration, as baby boomers retire and the workforce ages overall, and birth rates decline and decline, with U.S.-born deaths outnumbering births. It will be. ”
Meanwhile, the immigration surge is expected to increase GDP by about $8.9 trillion and federal tax revenues by $1.2 trillion from 2024 to 2034, while the deficit is expected to decline, according to the Congressional Budget Office. are. 900 billion dollars.
We need more immigration, not less. Immigration may “trouble” politics, but it is vitally important to the future of this country. Leaders need to admit more immigrants and increase visas without letting politics get in the way of Congressional legislation to support the country’s immigration process. Please think about this when you go to vote.
