America and the Immigration “Problem” Unless you have been living under a rock or in Wyoming for the past few months, you should know that immigration has been a very hotly debated topic in the presidential race. Both legal and illegal immigration have been under heavy scrutiny. With all candidates from both sides throwing out misleading and negative statements regarding the state of the nation’s immigration status, it is hard to separate the truth from the myths. It is important to separate them because immigration is not an issue that will go away. According the Department of Homeland Security, immigrants make up more than 13% of the US population and more than a million more are entering the country every year. In order to make informed
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They are perceived as freeloaders to the system. Once again, this cannot be further from the truth. Illegal immigrants do pay into taxes; just not into it directly. When illegal immigrants take on a legal job (aka not being paid under the table), their tax is automatically deducted off the top. According to the Social Security Administration, almost three-quarts of immigrants do have legal jobs. In addition, all residents, legal or otherwise, must pay state and local taxes in the form of sales tax and property tax (through paying or renting a …show more content…
Because it is such an old counter-argument, I will not go into how immigrants take jobs that native citizens don’t really want in the first place. To me, that argument is a bit subjective and overused. Instead, I want to focus on how immigrants create jobs for everyone. The first way that immigrants create jobs is simply by existing. To exist, one must consume goods and services. This is true whether or not you are an immigrant. Increase consumption will result in an increase in aggregate demand which will increase the number of jobs for everyone. I would go a step further and argue that during recessions like the one we are in now, we should increase the number of immigrants to the country to increase spending. If you subscribe to Keynesian economics that is. Another way immigrants creates jobs is by becoming entrepreneurs. In a study done by the Small Business Administration, it was found that immigrants are more likely to start businesses than
They are perceived as freeloaders to the system. Once again, this cannot be further from the truth. Illegal immigrants do pay into taxes; just not into it directly. When illegal immigrants take on a legal job (aka not being paid under the table), their tax is automatically deducted off the top. According to the Social Security Administration, almost three-quarts of immigrants do have legal jobs. In addition, all residents, legal or otherwise, must pay state and local taxes in the form of sales tax and property tax (through paying or renting a …show more content…
Because it is such an old counter-argument, I will not go into how immigrants take jobs that native citizens don’t really want in the first place. To me, that argument is a bit subjective and overused. Instead, I want to focus on how immigrants create jobs for everyone. The first way that immigrants create jobs is simply by existing. To exist, one must consume goods and services. This is true whether or not you are an immigrant. Increase consumption will result in an increase in aggregate demand which will increase the number of jobs for everyone. I would go a step further and argue that during recessions like the one we are in now, we should increase the number of immigrants to the country to increase spending. If you subscribe to Keynesian economics that is. Another way immigrants creates jobs is by becoming entrepreneurs. In a study done by the Small Business Administration, it was found that immigrants are more likely to start businesses than