In our national discussion about immigration, there are a number of common talking points used in order to encourage the public to fear the people who come to our country and the consequences of their residence here. Many of these talking points are definitively false. Let’s clear up some misconceptions here today.
Misconception 1: Immigration causes an increase in crime. This is one of the biggest lies told in our political discourse in order to foster fear (often racially charged) toward people who enter this country. The vast majority of immigrants come here to improve their lives, so they try to stay out of trouble because they know they are risking deportation. The incarceration rate for immigrants is five times lower than the incarceration rate for native-born Americans. Studies actually show that in places where immigration has increased, both legal and illegal, crime has dropped. Border cities such as El Paso, Texas and San Diego, California are two of the safest cities in the nation.
Misconception 2: Immigrants are an economic burden. Studies show that immigration actually has a very positive effect on the economy, as immigrants foster economic growth and technological advancement. The U.S. lacks the skilled labor to fill many of our scientific and professional jobs. Many companies need an influx of skilled immigrant labor to continue operating at a competitive level, but many others, such as Microsoft, have moved their offices out of the U.S. into countries like Canada where immigration laws are more lax. Unskilled immigrant labor also helps grow the economy because they take jobs that many Americas are unwilling to take. In many states like Texas, undocumented immigrants pay more taxes and generate more revenue than the state spends on them.
Misconception 3: Immigrants send all their money back to their native countries. In reality, Latino immigrants on average send only about 10 percent of their money back to their original countries. This comes out to be about $50 billion, which sounds like a lot. But really it means that they end up spending $450 billion in the United States. $50 billion is slightly less than half of what people in the U.S. spend as tourists abroad each year. Immigrants all over the world send money back to their native countries, no matter if they emigrated from a poor nation or wealthier one.
Misconception 4: Immigrants don’t assimilate into American culture. While natives of another country want to keep ties to their native culture, immigrants assimilate into American culture extremely quickly. Immigrants over the last 25 years have assimilated into our culture much faster than those of the immigration wave at the beginning of the 20th century. This is despite the fact that immigrants today are more distinct from Americans than immigrants one hundred years ago. Children of Latino immigrants learn English incredibly quickly, and the vast majority of second generation immigrants use English as their primary language.
Misconception 5: Undocumented immigrants don’t have rights here. This idea is perhaps one of the most detrimental to our national conversation about immigration. Under the 14th Amendment, all people — not just citizens — have equal protection under the law. All children — not just citizens — have the right to free public education. And all patients — not just citizens — have the right to emergency medical services.
All immigrants, regardless of immigration status, are human beings and deserve to be treated as such. This type of rhetoric is dehumanizing and alienating to an entire sector of people who just want their own little piece of the American dream.
— Lindsay Lee is a junior in mathematics. She can be reached at [email protected].
