We're Just Not Cutting It - An Honest Look at American Immigration

"Well, when I say uncivilized, what I mean is . . ."

"What you mean is not like you."

-Disney's Pocahontas

Immigration is a subject that has been passionately debated around the world for generations, and as the global economy continues to evolve, this debate will continue for years.  Among the debates and arguments, each side provides compelling evidence, and thus makes choosing between them exceedingly difficult.  For proponents of restricted immigration, they cite sources which prove that current immigrants are more likely to take advantage of public welfare services such as food stamps (SNAP benefits) or healthcare such as Medicaid.  In fact, in 2000, "8.0 percent of immigrant households received cash benefits, compared to fewer than 6 percent of native households" (Borjas, 90).  While these figures are difficult to refute, proponents for less restrictive immigration laws can point out that while the financial burden of social programs to native Americans is apparent, it is minimal.  It was estimated in 1995 by the National Academy that immigration "increased the tax bill of the typical native-born household . . .  by around $200 annually" which is around $18 billion per year (Borjas, 92).

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In May of 2013, the Immigration Policy Center by the American Immigration Council produced a report on the current condition of illegal and legal immigration in California.  While many critics may guffaw at the statistics presented, the substantial evidence in favor of immigration reform is significant.  In California alone, there were an estimated 10.2 million (documented and undocumented) immigrants in 2011 and of those, nearly 50% were naturalized citizens - meaning they have the right to vote.  I highly urge you to check out the statistics and facts for yourself, but the most clamorous evidence I found concerned what would happen should the US government suddenly deport all unauthorized immigrants in California.  If all those living in California were deported today, it would reduce economic activity in the state by a staggering $360.1 billion and 3.6 million jobs (for both native Americans and immigrants alike) would be lost.
Hollie McNish, a British woman who writes amazing poetry in the form of spoken word recently penned and recited a wonderful piece on the (often wrong) preconceived notions of immigrants.  I encourage you to watch the video below, but please be warned that there is quite a bit of foul language.

Hollie, who has studied economics, points out in her video that "it's nice to have someone to blame our lack of jobs upon, but immigration is not as plain," and how right she is.  Very few immigrants simply leech off of the government or look constantly for hand outs.  They spend money, buy houses, put their children through school, invest money in stock, etc.  In fact, the purchasing power of Latinos alone in California is $310.5 billion!  What our country needs is an open, honest, and transparent dialogue about how to approach immigration.  Beating our chests, demonizing human beings, and ripping families apart does nothing to solve the problem.
We need immigration reform which treats human beings with respect, and not isolationist propaganda intended to encourage American citizens to hate anything or anyone foreign born.  It has been proven time and again that both legal and illegal immigration can be beneficial to the country.  I don't have all the answers and I won't pretend to, but our current policies just aren't cutting it.