Immigration and its Effects on the United States’ Economy

Immigration is the movement of people from their original country to a foreign one. There are many reasons for immigration, but the most common ones are marriage, search for jobs, and seeking refuge from war. Most immigrants who came to the United States (U.S) in the early 1990’s were from Mexico (Terrazas 14). As many critics have been able to elucidate, immigration breeds opposing viewpoints, since it has been analytically proven to have both negative and positive effects in the U.S., as this paper proceeds to discuss.

Immigration has contributed to positive impacts on the U.S and its citizens (Williams 69). For instance, it brought in cheap labor which led to a higher rate of employment, thus, increasing the production rate for less time (Terrazas 28). It also assisted in adding more profit to the employer resulting from the low wages paid. As a result, goods were sold at reduced prices, which acted in favor of consumers. The national economy also received a big boost, since the immigrants used their income to purchase merchandise and other necessities, a factor that greatly enlarged the consumer market.

Inasmuch as numerous merits could be associated the infiltration of the U.S. economy with immigrants, several drawbacks can be cited too. Firstly, the immigrants were subjected to low ranking jobs which, apparently, had very dismal returns (Williams 69). This was the main factor that contributed to the displacement of the country’s citizens from their workplaces. In effect, the salaries and wages given to the uneducated Americans reduced drastically. Moreover, most immigrants were paid in cash and were, therefore, not taxed. This reduced the amount of revenue gained by the host country through such avenue. Finally, when they procreated, most of the government’s revenue was used up in paying for their children’s education, healthcare, food, and welfare (Terrazas 31).

In light of the arguments advanced herein, it is clear that immigration has had both appreciable and detestable effects on the United States. It is undeniable that cultural diversity is a product of this social trend, but its impacts on the economy are more pronounced.

Works Cited

Terrazas, Aaron. Immigrants in the United States and the Current Economic Crisis. Migration Policy Institute, 2009. Print.

Williams, Mary. Immigration: Opposing viewpoints. United States: Greenhaven Press. 2004. Print

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