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            Immigration has had a huge impact on the United States economy. Roughly 11 million immigrants exist in the United States today, which is approximately one third of the North American population.1 However, the continuous increase of immigrants has been beneficial to the employers but has had rather a negative impact on native born American citizens. "The American economy absolutely needs immigrants. I realize some workers have been hurt by this, and some people get very angry when I say this, but our economy has become more dependent on immigrant labor than at any time in the last 100 years."  Andrew Sum, director of the labor market center.5 70% of migrants to America are employed in the service industry such as: maintenance, food industry, agriculture, and construction. While the remaining 30% take on higher skilled jobs, for example: computer industry, engineering, architecture, and mathematics. In all of the above listed professions, it is more common that a foreign born worker would be employed in such industries in direct comparison to native born citizens. Foreign born men had higher participation in the labor force than American citizens by 9% in 2005, while native women seem to be entering the work force in larger numbers than immigrant women.1 This is due to the new idea that women should not be stay-at-home-moms, working at  home taking care of their children, but instead enter the workforce pursuing a high profile career. Nevertheless, the women who do choose to obtain a career are the employers of the immigrants who happen to be the nannies, maids, or cooks for their children and family.
Restaurant workers in Houston            These issues of the labor force have become a primary issue for lower class citizens, those that have dropped out of school or only hold a high school diploma, because there are not given the same opportunities to attain some jobs because they are being filled quickly by immigrants. Not only that, but immigrants are performing those jobs for lower earnings, rates that citizens refuse to accept as an appropriate wage. Now, putting US citizens are at a greater unemployment rate. Several employers are tolerable of immigrants taking over the low class workforce because they feel that immigrants are more efficient and tend to complete their work commendably.  “The entry of many poorly educated immigrants into the workforce has held back wages of the lowest-paid American-born workers. U.S.-born workers can be shunted aside when the economy slackens because employers often prefer to hire immigrants, believing that they work harder.”5 Though these immigrants are working hard and being paid less, they are treated poorly and discriminated by employers, customers, and US citizen co-workers. They also live in constant fear of deportation.
Although immigrants are working in America they are not receiving services as citizens are. They do not receive healthcare, they do not have access to welfare, nor do they receive retirement funds although they are paying taxes to the US government. The money that they are making is being sent back to their country as remittances for their families they remain overseas.

            America seems to need these immigrants, but have several laws preventing their entry. The Bush administration feels that immigrants are in our country working jobs that native citizens refuse to work, consequently making working immigrants a harmless asset to the country. Therefore, Bush believes that America should have a temporary guest working program similar to the Bracero program that took place in 1942 and lasted for over 20 years. Under the Immigration & Nationality Act’s H-1B employers are permitted to recruit workers from different countries to work in America as a temporary citizen up to six years. However, those who are allowed to enter the US must have degrees equivalent to a US bachelor arts degree.
Although immigrants have helped developed our country they still struggle for acceptance and fair treatment by citizens.

 

 

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