Immigrants Increasing US Gross Domestic Product

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Table of Contents

Supporting Arguments
Counter Arguments
Rebuttals
Bibliography

Supporting Arguments

Undocumented immigrants’ taxes are more profitable to the government

Nowadays, there are many undocumented immigrants in the United States. Though some people think that immigrants create a number of challenges and threats to native citizens, it is necessary to admit that immigrants still have to pay taxes almost the same way others in the United States do, 1). In the United States, there are millions of dollars in taxes that come from unknown sources. Immigrants without documents have to pay sales taxes in order to cover all their purchases and avoid financial or level problems. The government finds it necessary to spend all such money on the development of schools, fire departments, and highways, 1). Therefore, it seems to be rather profitable for the government to use taxes that come from undocumented immigrants and cover their official debts and social needs.

The revenue and GDP improvements are observed with the presence of undocumented immigrants in the United States

People continue believing that the presence of undocumented immigrants worsens the current economic situation of the country. However, even despite the fact that such immigrants may require certain educational, medical, or legal expenditures and costs that exceed $15 billion annually, the revenue generates the same number of immigrants exceeds that amount considerably and brings many financial benefits to the country, 2). For example, over the last 10 years, US GDP was increased by $1,5 trillion due to the existing immigration reform and the fact that approximately 10% of the US population are undocumented immigrants, 3). In general, it is hard to give an exact number of revenue that has been already improved by the work of undocumented immigrants. Besides, it is hard to predict future changes in the same sphere because many people from different countries are ready to leave their homes and enjoy the famous American Dream without even thinking about possible threats, 4).

Immigrants continue providing native citizens with new energy and opportunities and deprive Americans of the necessity to do the work they do not want to do

The presence of undocumented immigrants has a number of positive outcomes in terms of the needs and opportunities of the US citizens. For example, American employees should not be bothered with the necessity to pay a lot to illegal immigrants but focus on covering their main needs, 5). Besides, such immigrants may perform the work that the US citizens do not want to deal with and promote the development of agriculture in the country, for example. Finally, Americans have to understand that undocumented immigrants do not ask a lot. They usually enjoy the opportunities they get and have no sources to address for the help to. Though it seems to be cruel from an ethical point of view, such a situation creates certain benefits to the citizens of the United States.

Counter Arguments

Immigrants steal jobs from citizens, increasing the unemployment rate

In addition to certain benefits that undocumented citizens may introduce, it is also necessary to remember about the threats and challenges. Akbari identifies three main indicators to investigate the labor market performance, including the labor force participation rate, the unemployment rate, and the earnings, 6). The more immigrants come to the United States, the more changes not to have jobs the US citizens may have. The increased unemployment rate is one of the worst outcomes of the issue that has to be solved, 7). Immigrants may agree to perform different types of work without asking a lot from their employers when the US citizens try to ask for appropriate working conditions and high wages. Americans become under the threat of having no work in case immigrants continue stealing their jobs.

Undocumented immigrants use and cost more in social services to the government

The U.S. government should also be ready to spend a lot on social services and health care coverage for undocumented immigrants. In case a person is accepted to work in a company illegally, there is a threat of being exposed while using some medical or social services. The Immigration Reform aims at covering some costs. Still, undocumented immigrants have nothing in common with it and try to break the law by marrying native-born Americans and staying productive in comparison to other US citizens, 8). In its turn, the government has to spend time and effort to develop new standards and conditions under which undocumented immigrants have to work or leave the country in a short period of time. Control over this part of the population is hard to perform, and the government is not always ready to take the necessary steps.

Immigrants make US citizens think about inequality and promote discrimination as one of the main concerns to be eliminated

Many native-born Americans cannot accept the fact that they have to share their country and their opportunities with new people, who call themselves immigrants. The creation of the line between legal and illegal immigration is not always characterized by honorable intentions, and the US citizens are ready to use their most provocative arguments to discriminate immigrants regardless of the status of their documentation, 9). The reason for such debates depends on the situation. It is hard to predict why the native-born citizen may be dissatisfied with the presence of an immigrant. Still, such presence remains to be a threat to the government and ordinary citizens because the outcomes of such conflicts are unpredictable.

Rebuttals

Undocumented immigrants don’t affect the wages or employment of citizens

Unfortunately, the presence of immigrants is not the main reason why the unemployment rate continues growing. Many people do not want to use all their opportunities because of poor working conditions or the inability to earn as much as possible. In fact, immigrants cannot affect the level of wages offered to US citizens. Much depends on the government and its readiness to control its people and offer work. Therefore, it is wrong to believe that the government spends more money on immigrants than it could spend on the citizens. Citizens have to reconsider their needs and expectations in order not to create the conditions but to use the opportunities.

The number of immigrants who do take advantage of social services is too small to have any negative impact on GDP

It is hard to find the sources where the exact numbers are given to prove the costs the government has to spend on immigrants and the required social services. Such inability may be explained by a few cases when such needs occur. As a rule, immigrants are afraid to ask for help or to demand some medical services. Therefore, the government should not use immigrants as the reason to cover its losses but to search for the truth that depicts its intentions.

There are no many cases of conflicts that occur between native-born Americans and immigrants

Sometimes, people try to connect such facts as the increased unemployment rate, the presence of immigrants, and the deaths of native-born citizens in order to prove that immigrants do harm to the Americans. However, the investigations explain the death of native-born Americans after they lose their jobs as suicidal attempts, 10). Therefore, conflicts and the role of undocumented immigrants should not be identified as the reasons for why native-born Americans lose their jobs but look closer at such factors as emotional instability, personal dissatisfaction, burnout, and stress.

Bibliography

1. Howell, Sara. Undocumented Immigrants. The Rosen Publishing Group, 2014.

2. O’Leary, Anna Ochoa. Undocumented Immigrants in the United States: An Encyclopedia of Their Expences. ABC-CLIO, 2014.

3. Hinojosa-Ojeda, Raul. “The Economic Benefits of Comprehensive Immigration Reform.” Cato Journal, vol. 32, no. 1, 2012, pp. 175-199.

4. Arce, Julissa. My (Underground) American Dream: My True Story as an Undocumented Immigrant Who Became a Wall Street Executive. Center Street, 2016.

5. VieCaps. Immigration: The Pros and Cons of the Issue. BookCaps, 2013.

6. Akbari, Syed Ather Hussain. Immigrants in Regional Labour Markets of Host Nations: Some Evidence from Atlantic Canada. Springer Science & Business Media, 2013.

7. Bustamante, Arturo Vargas, et al. “Variations in Healthcare Access and Utilization among Mexican Immigrants: The Role of Documentation Status.” Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, vol. 14, no. 1, 2012, pp. 146-155.

8. Carter, Greg. The United States of the United Races: A Utopian History of Racial Mixing. NYU Press, 2013.

9. Diep, Francie. “How Undocumented Immigrants Contribute to the American Economy.”Pacific Standard. Web.

10. Classen, Timothy, and Richard Dunn. “The Effects of Job Loss and Unemployment Duration on Suicidal Risk in the United States: A New Look Using Mass-Layoffs and Unemployment Duration.” Health Economics, vol. 21, no. 3, 2012, pp. 338-350.

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