With immigration reform expected to take center stage in Congress for the rest of the year, it’s probably a good idea for everyone to get on the same page.
According to PolicyMic’s Paul Stern, the debate is likely to be clouded by misconceptions about America’s immigrant community.
While Stern agrees it’s great to see so many Americans enthusiastic about tax reform, he notes fallacies surrounding both legal and undocumented immigrants are “frankly illogical.” In fact, he says these common myths continue to be perpetuated by opponents of reform.
‘They Take Our Jobs.’ This is simply not true, says Stern. Studies by experts at the American Enterprise Institute suggest immigrants do not suppress the job market for Americans born in the U.S. In fact, a study from the Center for American Progress (CAP) actually “shows a positive correlation between higher levels of immigrants and job growth,” according to Stern.
Playing the ‘welfare card.’ A study by the right-leaning CATO Institute shows immigrants and their descendants ‘pay more in taxes than they consume in government services in terms of net present value.’
Immigrants won’t learn English. That’s another fallacy as polls show proficiency in English increases with time spent in the U.S. After 15 years, 75% of first-generation immigrants speak English proficiently.
While undocumented workers do raise ire among some Americans, their illegal status actually puts these aliens at a greater risk of exploitation by criminals seeking to take advantage of their fears of immigration authorities. Although this may be changing, as over time law enforcement agencies are shifting more resources to protecting human life from criminal gangs regardless of the victim’s residency status.