Although the issues related to immigration are rather controversial and evoke heated debate, it is quite clear that lawful immigrants in the USA can assimilate into the American culture and obtain equal opportunities to succeed in the US society. For instance, an immigrant from Belarus, Alesya, had to balance a full-time job, full-time education, and family, pay high taxes, and live without health insurance or other benefits of legal status for almost a decade. However, eight years after her arrival in the USA, she has a degree and makes her contribution to the development of American society through her professional input. At that, are all experiences of people immigrating to the USA success stories? Of course, some newcomers engage themselves in unlawful activities, join gangs, or simply try to receive certain benefits without working hard and contributing to society. Nevertheless, such cases can never outweigh the economic, social, and cultural opportunities immigration has to offer to the United States.
In spite of the fact that the controversy related to immigration is still strong, even the most ardent opponents of this trend seem to acknowledge the need to address the issue rather than maintain the existing status quo. For example, when speaking about immigrants, President Trump stated, “We’ll give them to the sanctuary cities to take care of” (qtd. in Fritze and Hayes). Trump’s administration has to station approximately 11 million illegal immigrants, which is associated with numerous challenges. One of these is the need to make US residents cooperative and positive about placing immigrants in their communities. Every American now has to think of all those people who have come to the continent (perhaps, including their own relatives) and focus on the benefits immigration will offer to their neighborhoods and the entire country.
The United States is one of the countries where immigrants constitute a considerable part of the entire population. The overall number of immigrants in the country reached 40 million in 2010 (Martin 1). According to the US Department of Homeland Security estimates, 11 million immigrants are unauthorized, which is quite an alarming proportion (Baker 2). The primary country of origin is Mexico that is followed by El Salvador, Guatemala, and India (Baker 5). It is noteworthy that the majority of these people are aged between 25 and 44 years old, which is the working population that has a considerable potential to contribute to the development of the US economy.
Historically, the United States has been the country of immigrants. First, European colonizers came to the continent in the distant 16th century, and since then, an increasing number of people came to the New World for a better life (Abramitzky and Boustan 1313). The British Empire enticed many people to settle in the new territories by offering land that was one of the major resources essential for providing for the family. The development of the USA in the 19th century made it the country of great opportunities, and people left their homes to pursue the American Dream. Europeans, Asians, and Hispanic people tried to start a new life and succeeded.
Nevertheless, it is also important to note that immigration has often been associated with numerous challenges, hazards, and risks. For instance, the working conditions of the vast majority of immigrants who were unskilled workers were almost inhumane (Martin 8). People worked in sweatshops or farms and earned the lowest salaries as their legal status was often questionable. The US policies regarding immigration have almost always been quite strict, discriminating against diverse groups. American policymakers tried to defend their fellow citizens’ interests, but, ironically, the implementation of such laws often led to undesirable economic outcomes.
The debate concerning immigration in the USA is rather polarized. The current attitude towards immigrants in the world is rather negative due to social and economic problems host countries face, and the United States is no exception (Martin 9). Some fear that immigrants will take their jobs or will engage in unlawful activities. The experiences of immigrants are also associated with many negative aspects and hardships due to their position in society, limited resources, and homesickness. However, there are people who understand the potential of immigration and its input in the development of society. These people claim that newcomers who come to the country in goodwill should be given a chance to succeed and make the country even a better place to live through innovation and diversity.
Therefore, two primary strategies are to be implemented: law enforcement for criminals and a wider range of opportunities for law-abiding individuals. Clearly, American residents’ and visitors’ right to safety should be properly protected, so potential criminals or people coming in the bad will should be deported or banned from entering the country. Certain restrictions can also be imposed, and President Trump can be right when trying to “strengthen asylum procedures to safeguard our system against rampant abuse of our asylum process” (qt. in Kanno-Youngs and Dickerson). Those newcomers who strive for a better life are also likely to support such enforcement as it will result in their personal security and wellbeing.
At the same time, it is critical to make the system flexible enough and ensure the provision of rights and opportunities for immigrants who can help the nation further develop and maintain its status as one of the leaders in the global arena. People of different backgrounds come to the USA, and skilled professionals and entrepreneurs have found their place in this country and made it even stronger (Martin 3). It can seem surprising for many, but it has been proved that immigrating blue-collar employees and unskilled workers also strengthen the US economy (Mandelman and Zlate 24). Although they tend to receive low wages and limited access to social benefits, their labor ensures higher incomes of skilled and white-collar employees in the country. American residents appear to benefit from immigration, although they often express their concerns as to losing their jobs (Mandelman and Zlate 24). Therefore, it can be necessary to help immigrants in several aspects related to their integration.
Blue-color employees or unskilled workers should receive higher wages or better access to social benefits (some minimal healthcare insurance), which will attract them to come to the USA on temporary or permanent grounds. Clearly, the US government should create a favorable atmosphere for immigrant entrepreneurs and high-skilled professionals who will make the American labor market more competitive. These people can be motivated to come and work by offering them social security (more accessible healthcare insurance, different types of support, and aid) and more opportunities for their families (educational opportunities).
Finally, it is also important to launch some programs aimed at addressing the social tension linked to immigration. Social networks can become the primary platform for bringing people together, although such conventional channels as television and print media should also be utilized. It is necessary to raise people’s awareness of the benefits of immigration for all the stakeholders. Immigrants should be informed about various organizations and support groups that can help them to cope with the challenges related to life in the new place. The launch of cultural venues can also make people overcome their prejudice and bias. These measures will not require substantial financial investment but will make the integration of immigrants into American society more effective.
Immigration offers economic, social, and cultural opportunities for the development of the USA that cannot be wasted, so the government should strengthen law enforcement measures to prevent any violations and provide more opportunities for immigrants coming to be lawful employees. As House Speaker Pelosi put it, it is crucial to solving all the “challenges that we face as a country, as a people, to address who we are: a nation of immigrants” (qt. in Fritze and Hayes). The House Speaker is right as those were immigrants who made the country as successful as it is.
Why do Americans often forget that they are all descendants of immigrants who came for the American Dream and made the New World a place where millions became successful and happy? The experiences of Alesya are illustrative as they can be seen as one of the newest examples of success stories and opportunities of an individual and a country. Alesya came as a temporary visitor but saw the opportunities and seized her chance. She earned higher education and is now a successful employee and mother. As mentioned above, 40 million people were born in another country, but they came here to work hard and become a part of American society. They are eager to explore their creativity and utilize innovative approaches in numerous industries. Hence, Americans can still fear the loss of their jobs, but they can instead focus on the opportunities and new ideas immigrants bring to the USA. Immigrants will not take someone’s jobs but motivate US residents to become more entrepreneurial and innovation-driven as these qualities are something modern Americans are losing.
Works Cited
Abramitzky, Ran, and Leah Boustan. “Immigration in American Economic History.” Journal of Economic Literature, vol. 55, no. 4, 2017, pp. 1311-1345.
Baker, Bryan. “Population Estimates: Illegal Alien Population Residing in the United States: January 2015.”US Department of Homeland Security, Dec. 2018, Web.
Kanno-Youngs, Zolan, and Caitlin Dickerson. “Asylum Seekers Face New Restraints Under Latest Trump Orders.”The New York Times. 2019, Web.
Fritze, John, and Christal Hayes. “Trump Says ‘Strongly Looking at’ Plan to Send Immigrants to Sanctuary Cities.”USA Today. 2019, Web.
Mandelman, Federico S., and Andrei Zlate “Offshoring, Low-skilled Immigration, and Labor Market Polarization.”2016, Web.
Martin, Philip. “Immigration to the United States.” The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity and Nationalism, edited by John Stone et al., John Wiley & Sons, 2016, pp. 1-10.