Immigration

 Aron Cava

Migration is the deliberate or forced permanent move from one country to settle in another country. Immigration to the U.S. has been compromised due to population growth, ethnicity, social and economic development, job creation and social mobility. However, many people have opposed it, especially during voting periods.

The United States of America should, therefore, adopt immigration admissions and control policies that will enable it to achieve immigrants’ labour requirements, reduce illegal immigrants and control negative public opinion on immigration.

To meet its immigrants’ labour requirements, I would recommend that the U.S. enact policies to enhance the legal immigration of both skilled and unskilled labour to the current 700,000 immigrants. The immigrants provide an increase in its domestic economy as a result of professional employees' pay increases. 

Moreover, prices of goods and services become lower due to the low cost of labour provided by immigrants. It also leads to increased efficiency, and capital owners benefit from the immigrants’ cheaper labour. Immigrants also do some economic activities that the natives would not do, hence benefiting the U.S. domestic market. 

Today, approximately 21 million immigrants account for 15% of U.S. labourers who are employed, while seven million are not employed and do jobs that otherwise would not be done if they were not there. Immigrants also do jobs that Americans would not do; hence, they do not negatively affect employment.

Businesses that are opened by immigrants also account for great revenue increases. For example, in 2002, Hispanic business owners in the U.S. contributed 222 billion dollars in revenue. Taxes from these businesses and other immigrants’ activities also raise the Gross Domestic Product. 

Policies should, therefore, be enacted to reinforce the implementation of the 1990 Immigration Act that emphasises family reunification and employment as the main reasons for allowing immigration to the U.S. The government should also enact policies that empower immigrants to start more legal businesses and give them more buying power.

Immigrants’ labour will also lead to innovation. For example, the Kauffman Foundation has led to an increased innovation index to 40% above that of the natives. It is also from immigrants’ efforts that the U.S. boasts of being the mother of several technology companies like Google, eBay, Yahoo and Sun Microsystems. 

Policies that enhance innovation and creativity should, therefore, be enacted to promote these initiatives. For instance, there should be policies that give incentives to innovative immigrants. They should also be protected by U.S. patent laws.

Immigration laws should also be enacted wisely. Although these laws help in the prevention of human trafficking, controlling illegal immigrants’ activities and regulating social mobility, they may also lead to huge economic losses. For instance, when Georgia enacted immigration laws in 2011, it led to wastage of 50% of its total produce from agriculture. This translated to 20 billion dollars loss to the economy.

In addition, immigration laws should be geared towards preventing would-be immigrant criminals and terrorists. There should be laws allowing for proper immigrant screening for any criminal activity involvement in the past. The immigrants should be forewarned of the consequences of committing a crime and understand the consequences of arrest.

The U.S. should also control the negative public opinion on immigration. Most Native Americans detest the immigrants since time immemorial. The immigrants are seen with a suspicious eye by both the Americans and the government. The Filipinos, Arabs and Mexicans are feared by the Americans. In 2002, after the attacks of 11th September, 55% of Americans preferred that the government reduce legal immigration. 

Immigrants should, therefore, be made aware of the Anti-terrorism and Immigrants Responsibility Act of the U.S. Other Americans blame the immigrants for their unemployment, for instance, in California. Public opinion on immigration is also skewed negatively towards illegal immigrants more than legal immigrants. This indicates that America should develop policies that allow for full enforcement of its illegal immigration laws.

In conclusion, the U.S. should enact immigration policies to allow it to meet its labour needs, prevent illegal immigration and regulate public opinion. There are labour needs that the immigrants can meet, as the immigrants increase the GDP, bring innovations, enlarge the markets and provide cheaper labour. Illegal immigration may lead to negative effects like terrorism and other crimes. Policies should also be enacted to regulate public opinion on immigration to allow for peaceful coexistence between the immigrants and the natives.