Does Immigration Contribute to a Better America?

Brittany Swint        

AMH2091

11:15-12:05

Does Immigration Contribute to a Better America?

        Immigration does in fact contribute to a better America. Immigrants take on jobs that Americans don’t want to, they also start businesses which create jobs for Americans, and they boost earnings for American workers. (www.whitehouse.gov) Immigrants are not here trying to harm Americans or the county, they are here to simply make better life for themselves and their families. Everyone wants to progress and have a better future, there’s no harm in them doing so too.

        More than 30% of immigrants are more likely to start businesses than non-immigrants and 18% of all small business owners in the United States are immigrant (www.whitehouse.gov). These businesses do no harm to Americans, they are there for the people, of any kind, to get the things they need. The businesses, whether big or small, also create job opportunities for Americans. In 2007, small businesses owned by immigrants employed 4.7 million people, and they generate $776 billion annually (www.whitehouse.gov). Immigrants help out Americans in multiple ways and not having them as a part of the American society could potentially har, the country.

        Not only do immigrants create businesses and provide Americans with jobs, but they also boost earnings for American workers. Increased immigration to the United States increased the earnings for Americans with more than a high school degree (www.whitehouse.gov). From 1990 to 2004, the increase of immigration was linked with the increased earnings of Americans by 0.7%. Immigrants contribute to a better American by increasing the American people’s earnings.

        Immigrants are also America’s engineers, scientists, and innovators. Without immigrants the country would be at a low. Immigrants represent 33% of engineers, 27% of mathematicians, statisticians, and computer scientists, and 24% of physical scientists. Foreign-born inventors were also credited with contributing to more than 75% of patents issued (www.whitehouse.gov). Immigrants help the United States invent, and learn things constantly, without them the country could suffer. Not only do they help invent and teach Americans new things, but they take on jobs Americans feel they’re too good for, or just simply don’t want.

        Immigrants have also created a lot of today’s technology, such as Google, eBay, Yahoo!, Sun Microsystems, and Intel (www.whitehouse.org). They have started 25% of public U.S. companies. Immigrants are not there to harm Americans, they come to make better lives for themselves, and in turn make better lives for Americans. They are not in America trying to take over, they are here to better themselves.

        Immigrants also contribute to a better America by taking on the lowed skilled jobs that need to be done but Americans do not want to do.  People argue that it is harmful because the new comers are poorer and less-educated than Americans, but that is why they take on these jobs, jobs that are less appealing to the people (Issue 2, Does Immigration Contribute to a Better America). When immigrants spend their wages, they boost demand for people who produce the goods and services that they consume.