Summer Cole

Diana Watkins

Comp. II 1213

20 July 2017

A Positive Look

Many people often associate immigration as having a negative impact in America. When

did the melting pot of the world become so dramatic and judgmental? Yes, there are negative

aspects of immigration, but there are many positive aspects of immigration that people often

forget or dont realize. Americans also often forget that our country started out as a country of

immigrants, and without immigration there would be no America. The focus of immigration

should not only include the negative aspects but the positives as well.

Americas population is considered the melting pot of the world. The United States has

always been a land of immigration (A History). Immigration to the United States dates back

thousands of years when the first people crossed into North America from Asia, but it wasnt

until the end of the fifteenth century that large numbers of Europeans made the move to the New

World (A History). Early immigration to America was motivated by various reasons. Some

people migrated in hopes of having a greater financial independence, religious freedoms, or to

escape persecution in their native lands. Because it was so expensive, immigrants, called

indentured servants, basically sold themselves to employers for entry into the New World (A

History). Immigration flowed freely until 1790 when the first attempt to control immigration was

put in place under President Washington (A History). Approximately 43.3 million foreign-born

people live in the United States (CAP). Ultimately, America gave hope to immigrants wanting

more opportunities to succeed in life, and immigrating to America made those dreams possible.
 Some Americans believe that immigration has increasingly harmful effects on the United

States. The United States was built on immigration, and yet, many Americans continuously argue

that immigrants are taking their jobs, and others argue that immigrants contribute largely to the

huge amounts of government funding used to assist needy families. Criminal activity increases

have also been blamed on immigration, but no real report definitively supports this claim.

Studies have shown that immigration contributes to an already-existing surplus of low-skilled

workers that increases job competition and lowers wages (Immigration). According to a report

on FAIR, Studies that find minimal or no negative effects on native workers from low-skill

immigration are based upon flawed assumptions and skewed economic models, not upon

observations of actual labor market conditions. Reports show that immigrants and their families

make up thirty-two percent of the population without insurance and if one-third of immigrants

were reduced the income of unskilled workers would rise by $400 per year (Immigration).

Immigration has long supported the growth and dynamism of the U.S economy (CAP). In the

beginning, this country relied heavily on immigration to become the country it is today. Where

would this country be without immigrants?

Many people focus on the negative reports about immigration, but there are a lot of

positive effects of immigration that are constantly overlooked. Some sources of information can

be biased and report false claims supporting the negative aspects of immigration. Supporting

positive sources state that immigrants add trillions of dollars to the U.S. gross domestic product,

or GDP, and their economic importance will only increase in the coming decades as Americas

largest generations (CAP). If this report is true, the U.S. is benefiting tremendously because of

immigration. So why all the negative feelings towards immigrants? Is it because the negative

reports outweigh the positive, or is it because Americans are selfish and do not want immigrants
to have the chance of success? In a report on CAP, in 2010, more than forty percent of Fortune

500 companies were founded by immigrants and their children. Most people are unaware of the

number of common companies that were founded by immigrants. For example, Panda Express,

Kraft, Kohls, and Google were all started by immigrants (Cain). Without these companies,

many of Americas comforts would not have been available. Immigrants have contributed

greatly to the development and growth of this country.

One of the most important impacts of immigration that some fail to acknowledge is the

everlasting impact on someones life. Many immigrants come from countries that do not allow

their civilians to have their own dreams and lacks the opportunities that America can provide.

Children are growing up exposed to war violence in some areas, and others are expected to

survive extreme famine and terrible drinking water conditions. How can anyone not expect

someone exposed to those conditions daily not to dream of having a better life? There is no

better place than America to achieve their dreams. Americans need to focus less on the

competitive nature of the environment around us and focus more on the positive aspects of

immigration. America not only benefits from immigration financially, but America saves the

lives of immigrants who have nowhere else to go.

 Works Cited

"A History of Immigration in the USA." Sutori. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 July 2017.

<https://www.sutori.com/story/a-history-of-immigration-in-the-usa>.

Cain, ine. "From Tesla to Pfizer: 14 major US companies founded by immigrants." Business

Insider. Business Insider, 02 Feb. 2017. Web. 20 July 2017.

<http://www.businessinsider.com/major-us-companies-founded-by-immigrants-2017-2>.

CAP Immigration Team, and Michael D. Nicholson. "The Facts on Immigration Today: 2017

Edition." Center for American Progress. N.p., 4 Apr. 2017. Web. 20 July 2017.

<https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/immigration/reports/2017/04/20/430736/facts-

immigration-today-2017-edition/>.

"Immigration, Poverty and Low-Wage Earners: The Harmful Effects of Unskilled Immigrants on

American Workers (2011)." Federation For American Immigration Reform. N.p., May

2011. Web. 20 July 2017. <http://www.fairus.org/publications/immigration-poverty-and-

low-wage-earners-the-harmful-effects-of-unskilled-immigrants-on-american-wor>.

Swash, Rosie, Laura Oliver, Caroline Bannock, Rachel Obordo, Troy Griggs, and Josh Holder.

"Immigrants in their own words: 100 stories." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media,

n.d. Web. 20 July 2017. <https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/ng-

interactive/2015/mar/24/immigrants-in-their-own-words-100-stories>.