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Immigration Is Not the Root of All Evil

Immigration reform is an extremely controversial topic in the United States. There are those who feel that illegal immigrants should be kept from the country at all costs. On the other hand, research has shown that many of the negative connotations of illegal immigration are myth and that undocumented immigrants contribute more to American society than they receive credit for. Illegal immigrants contribute to both the country's economy and social structure, and the United States should give amnesty to those currently in the country as well as make legal immigration more attainable.

Immigrants, legal and otherwise, contribute to the United States economy. Even anti-immigrant groups concede that immigrant labor, especially illegal immigrant labor, is cheap. Cheap labor means cheaper products. This is especially true of the housing and produce industries, where incredibly inexpensive labor translates into savings for American consumers. The cheap labor is also a resource for companies trying to grow their businesses, as they can afford more workers which gives them increased productivity and therefore increased profits. On the other hand, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that with seventy-five million baby boomers retiring and fifty-six million new jobs being created between 2002 and 2012, there will be a great need for people in the labor force. Only ten percent of American men will drop out of high-school compared to fifty percent in 1960, leading to an employee shortfall that immigrants will be able to fill. An example is the restaurant industry, whose labor needs will grow by fifteen percent by 2015. However, the birth rate and increased college attendance rate will result in a zero percent increase in the 16-24 age group that usually staff such jobs (Immigration Nation). The industry will either be able to take advantage of cheaper immigrant labor or will have to pay a premium for older, more skilled labor, which will in translate into more expensive restaurant prices. All of these factors result in findings that immigration gives the United States an annual wage gain of thirty to eighty million dollars (Executive Office of the President Council of Economic Advisers). Additionally, these immigrants spend their dollars in their neighborhoods, assisting in the success of American businesses and contributing to the coffers of the American economy. All told, immigrants, even illegal immigrants, have a positive total

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