Benefits of a Path to Citizenship for Undocumented Immigrants in the United StatesÂ
The United States is a country founded on the principles of equality, opportunity, and justice. It is a land that was created by people of different backgrounds, who learned to live and work together. Our nation began as a “melting pot,” where people came to better their chances of opportunity and success. We are essentially, a land of immigrants.
It has been almost 400 years since the Mayflower Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock, the first official settlement of the “New World.” So why is it still so hard for us to accept immigrants? Why does the immigration debate still persist, even into the 21st century? Politicians in Washington are still split on their opinions of how the government should deal with the 11 million undocumented citizens.1 As the dispute goes on, there is one thing that almost everyone can agree on: something needs to be done.
The main issue with our current immigration system is what to do about the undocumented immigrants living in the US. The borders are now more secure than they have ever been, so that’s not the issue. Both Bush and Obama have put incredible amounts of money into combating illegal immigrants trying to come into the United States.5 The main debate is whether to deport the current illegal immigrants or to allow them to stay and send them on a path to citizenship. Supporters of deportation will argue that they did something illegal, so they should in turn be punished. The issue however, with mass deportation is that it is simply impractical. It would cost our country far too much money to enforce said acts of deportation.
According to a 2010 report by the Center for American Progress, the cost of mass deportation, continuing border protection and interior enforcement efforts would be $285 billion over the span of five years.5 America cannot afford this type of cost, especially when these people provide such a crucial workforce.
President Obama has recently been urging Congress to draft and pass legislation regarding the immigration issue. According to an article in the Boston Globe, Obama spoke at a citizenship ceremony at the White House, stating, “After avoiding the problem for years, the time has come to fix it once and for all.”2 The group of eight senators, four Republicans and four Democrats, which have been assigned to work on the bill, are close to finishing a draft. If enacted, it would put the 11 million illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship.2 This would be a drastic improvement to our currently flawed system.
Although Democrats and Republicans have long been divided on issues of immigration reform, recent polls show that the gap is closing. According to a study published by the Public Religion Research Institute and the Brookings Institution, a majority (63%) of Americans believe that the illegal immigrants living in the United States should be provided with path to citizenship if they meet the set requirements. Only 14% said that they should be made legal residents, but not full citizens; and 21% believed that they should be identified and deported.3 This poll is one of the most recent to come out, so it’s information is the most up-to-date. What is most surprising is how many Republicans are in favor of a “path to citizenship.” Historically, Republicans have been opponents of this type of immigration reform. Opponents have argued that it is rewarding bad behavior, and will encourage more Hispanics to come to the United States illegally.1 However, in this 2013 poll, an overwhelming 53% of Republicans believe that a path to citizenship is the best solution for the immigration problem. Another 13% favor a path to legal residency, while 32% favor deportation.3 It is both shocking and refreshing that so many Republicans today are in agreement with what the Democrats have stood by as the solution. Perhaps this will mean that it will be even easier for Congress to pass this bill.
Proponents of a path to citizenship often point out the economic benefits that would exist if we allow the illegal immigrants to become full citizens. As the Center for American Progress puts it, “The resulting productivity and wage gains ripple through the economy because immigrants are not just workers—they are also consumers and taxpayers.”6 Here are some valid economic benefits that could come from granting amnesty to immigrants:
- They will have to pay taxes, creating more revenue for the government.
- 11 million immigrants would mean over $1.5 trillion added to the gross domestic product (GDP) over a span of 10 years.1
- According to studies, immigrants are 30 percent more likely to start their own businesses than native-born citizens, which will also boost the economy and create more jobs.4
- Immigrants will be able to qualify for minimum-wage jobs, increasing their consumption, putting money into the economy.
Most recent reports show that there are ample positive economic effects that will come from allowing illegal immigrants to become citizens. A study conducted by Robert J. Shapiro and Jiwon Vellucci corrects some misinformation about immigrants, and discusses the economic impact of immigration. He brings up the point that the economic impact depends on the skills of the workers coming in. If an influx of low-skilled immigrant workers came into the United States, this could have adverse effects for Native-born Americans with low-skill jobs. It will increase competition for those jobs, because they will be the only ones that the immigrants are qualified for. While unskilled immigrant workers may take the jobs of unskilled Americans, they would increase the wages for Americans in skilled jobs.4 The example that the report provides is if there was an increase in fruit-picking immigrant laborers, they would depress the incomes of fruit-picking Americans. Having this extra labor would reduce the price of fruit, increasing the demand for it. As Shapiro explains, “The greater demand for the fruit, in turn, increases demand for the services entailed to manage the fruit operation, which may drive up the wages of those higher-skilled employees.”4
The report goes on to explain that the wage gains of highly skilled workers, would be more than the losses of the low-skilled workers, so it would indeed have a positive effect on the economy. It has usually been the trend that immigrants coming into America are not qualified for higher-level jobs, and will usually take the jobs that Native-born Americans do not want. With this in mind, the argument that many people try to make about immigrants taking jobs of native-born Americans is not necessarily true. Most immigrants come to this country to make a better life for themselves, not to take the jobs of skilled American workers. Immigrants will settle for the lower-paying jobs because they’re usually better than whatever they had to do back in their country.
Currently, there are expensive sanctions in place for employers that hire illegal immigrants as employees. Employers will often use these sanctions as an excuse for not paying illegal immigrants as much if they do hire them. Providing a “roadmap to citizenship,” as the Center for American Progress puts it, would mean that immigrants would receive legal protections in the workplace.6 If illegal immigrants were to become citizens, they would have the right to unionize and bargain with company owners and managers for wage increases and better treatment in the workplace. Full citizenship would provide better protections for these immigrants than legal residency would.
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