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Essay / The Economic Impact of Undocumented Immigrants in America
“But all Americans are affected by illegal and uncontrolled migration. This strains public resources and drives down jobs and wages” (Trump). America has always been known as the melting pot, a place where people come from every country imaginable to live the “American dream.” While racism has always existed in this country towards people of color, it also has a history of hatred towards immigrants. It doesn't help that the current administration has fueled and enabled its believers to express their bigotry in public. The current president himself has used the words criminal, rapist, gang members as derogatory forms to specifically describe Mexicans. His behavior and “alternative facts” have created a false narrative about immigrants and their intentions to come to this country. Many Americans fear the undocumented community because of misinformation about how they negatively affect the economy, but recent research has shown that they help America more than they harm it. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Immigrants from around the world are migrating to the United States, sometimes with little or no money, in hopes of a better life. In order to realize their dream, they get the jobs that are easiest to obtain when one lacks documents, such as social security, birth certificate, citizenship and even residency papers. These jobs tend to be the most backbreaking and, in many cases, dangerous like agricultural work. In the United States, there is speculation that immigrants are taking the hard-earned jobs of Americans all over the United States. According to Pia M. Orrenius and Madeline Zayodny, writing on behalf of the Population Association of America, have studied and conducted research that shows that any low-wage, labor-intensive job is good enough for immigrants, regardless of the risk it poses to their lives. Low-paying jobs are created and help employers make more profits while keeping prices of agricultural products low for consumers. Without today's workers, we wouldn't have what we do in stores. This is because middle Americans will not accept agricultural jobs as readily as undocumented immigrants. In one study, they found that many undocumented immigrants took jobs asked of them even if their lives were in danger, for fear of losing their jobs. (536) Since undocumented immigrants do not have many employment alternatives, they are always able to find one, while natives have a larger pool of employment and receive more opportunities. Undocumented immigrants do not exclude DACA students. Although the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy is still in practice, these undocumented immigrants still risk being deported back to the place that was once home under certain circumstances. DACA was a program established for any child arriving in the United States aged sixteen or younger. DACA helps these children by allowing them to stay in America for a period of two years without fear of deportation. It also helps these children obtain work permits. Sometimes as young adults we are lucky and receive support from our parents to go to school or to live freely and travel. This is not the case for many undocumented immigrants who sometimes arrive alone or as teenagers and begin working to support their families.Many do not even have support to pursue higher education and must work full time and attend school full time. This is largely because immigrants are not eligible for most, if any, government assistance that an average citizen might receive. This includes Social Security benefits, subsidized health care, and government assistance, such as food stamps and even unemployment insurance. When working for low pay, federal law states that regardless of your status, you must comply and file your taxes. Many immigrants do this because they are coming to help support their families and fear being deported if they break the law. That being said, many people think that immigrants take advantage and use government assistance and don't give back as much as they receive. According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, $1.1 billion comes from half of undocumented immigrants filing their personal tax returns. (Sacchetti) What many people fail to understand is that immigrants also pay into social benefits. Social Security is a major problem: they contribute but receive nothing in return, even though they bring in a large portion of the income. In fact, in some cases they have to repay a lot of money to the government. Maria Sacchetti's article gives one example among many, she explains: "Maria, a 30-year-old housekeeper from El Salvador, said she would need to set up a payment plan to settle her debt tax of $1,130 at the state and federal level. “I came here to help my family,” the Silver Spring resident said. “I don’t have a lot of money.” (Sacchetti) Immigrants across the country pay taxes, and sometimes during tax season they owe the government money they don't have. The argument should not be that immigrants receive more benefits than they are entitled to, but that immigrants should receive the benefits that everyone else receives if they pay taxes and apply for them. Being an undocumented immigrant student and even a DACA recipient can be especially difficult. These students will both be denied federal financial aid as well as most state financial aid. The FAFSA, government-funded scholarships and grants, have helped millions of college-bound students enter a new chapter in their lives, of course, if they qualify. Citizens will still have the opportunity to enroll and perhaps even receive much-needed help paying for college, but some other students are not so lucky. Undocumented immigrants and DACA students cannot apply because they do not have the necessary documentation. Instead, these students must apply for state aid if the state allows it and they will also rely on scholarships. There are approximately 22 U.S. states that have programs designed to help undocumented immigrants. According to the New England Journal of Higher Education, writer Pooja Patel highlights the fact that these students not only have to worry about school payments, but also the necessities of daily life, they have to support themselves and work while going to school. Receiving higher education not only helps students but also helps universities as well as communities. “We support the educational goals and dreams of all students, not only because it is the right thing to do, but also because investing in all of our students improves the sustainability of our communities and competitiveness..