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What does the U.S. economy offer that so many immigrants want?

User Diego Melo
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BACKGROUND
Blaming immigrants for the nation’s woes has long been an American pastime, especially in hard economic times like today. Recently, there has been an upsurge in anti-immigrant sentiment, particularly in areas of the country that host large number of immigrants. Public opinion surveys indicate that the public does draw a distinction between legal and undocumented immigrants, and that the public regards undocumented immigrants with increasing disfavor.
One of the most well-entrenched myths about immigrants is that they steal jobs from American workers, collect an excess of government benefits and in general represent a drain on the economy. According to an August 1993 Field Poll of Californians, 39 percent of respondents agreed that illegal immigrants are “taking jobs away from Californians.” But these are all myths that must be refuted to create a more hospitable environment for immigrants’ rights.
IN BRIEF
Contrary to popular belief, immigrants do not take away jobs from American workers. Instead, they create new jobs by forming new businesses, spending their incomes on American goods and services, paying taxes and raising the productivity of U.S. businesses. Immigrants are good for the economy, not the other way around.
A U.S. Department of Labor study prepared by the Bush Administration noted that the perception that immigrants take jobs away from American workers is “the most persistent fallacy about immigration in popular thought” because it is based on the mistaken assumption that there is only a fixed number of jobs in the economy.
Experts note that immigrants are blamed for unemployment because Americans can see the jobs immigrants fill but not the jobs they create through productivity, capital formation and demand for goods and services.
Immigrants pay more than $90 billion in taxes every year and receive only $5 billion in welfare. Without their contributions to the public treasury, the economy would suffer enormous losses.
User Enzo Lizama
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Final answer:

Immigrants are attracted to the U.S. economy for its job diversity and the American Dream of economic success. Despite fluctuations such as the 2008 recession, the U.S. remains a land of opportunity, offering jobs across the skill spectrum and socio-economic advancement.

Step-by-step explanation:

U.S. Economy and Immigration

The U.S. economy offers a wide spectrum of job opportunities and the promise of economic mobility that attracts many immigrants. The economy has a consistent demand for both highly educated workers and those willing to take on low-wage, low-skill jobs. During periods such as the economic recession of 2008, while employment suffered, the United States still maintained its draw due to the perceived abundance of jobs and the American Dream of upward mobility.

Additionally, some immigrants are sponsored by U.S. employers for their specialized skills, and they generally gain support from the population for contributing to economic growth, whereas undocumented immigrants often find themselves in lower-paid sectors with fewer opportunities.

User Amar Kumar
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