“Impacts of Immigration” by Hannah

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Today when most people think of Immigration, they picture Mexican citizens illegally coming to the U.S., but that’s not even close to the truth. Immigrants bring trillions of dollars to the economy, and their importance will only grow with time in the United States, as the baby boomers are moving out of the workforce causing labor demands to tenfold. The threat of immigrants being deported has many concerned not only for the members of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals but for the future of the United States economy.


Mexican citizens stand by a border wall to the U.S.
Migration has been happening for around 80,000 years starting from Africa. This voluntary movement is a result of wanting more out of life. Ernst Georg Ravenstein stated in his laws of migration, “ Bad or oppressive laws, heavy taxation, an unattractive climate, uncongenial social surroundings, and even compulsion... All have produced and are still producing climates of migration.” He goes on to say that men migrate to “better themselves in material respects.” What this means is that people want to find the greener pasture and strive to have the best life. Isn’t that a goal everyone has, to do the best they can?
Every person isn’t dealt a great hand in life. Jared Diamond’s theory of Geographic Luck describes a phenomenon that some people aren’t as lucky as others in what they are given. Lesser Developed Countries (LDCs), where many people are migrating from, have many push factors or reasons that make people want to leave like climate and violence. The largest migration in history is still taking place because of a civil war in Syria, causing millions of displaced refugees to call surrounding European countries “home.”  More Developed Countries (MDCs), like the United States, have pull factors that make people want to relocate there. Job opportunities and the economy is a good reason for people to come here. Who can blame anyone for wanting a better life?
Almost 800,000 people are a part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). DACA recipients came here illegally from Mexico as children and given this assurance of safety under the Obama Administration in 2012. To be a member of DACA, a person must have entered the U.S. under the age of 16, currently be enrolled in school or college, have a degree, or be discharged from the Army, and had no felonies, misdemeanors, or pose a threat to national security. They will be deported if they fail to follow these guidelines or are not accepted into the program. There are not criminals or terrorists included in this group; they are all law-abiding people that call the United States home.

Current Dreamers protest in Washington D.C.
Trump has given Congress six months to come up with a solution for the issue since Obama created the program without consulting them in the first place. If Congress does pass an act that allows the immigrants to stay, there will be many effects. Some impacts include that after receiving the conditional status, the workers may continue to advance in their work and will be able to move up and get promoted to higher positions. This will cause them to earn higher wages and be more financially stable. Already, fewer than 1 in 5 foreign-born in the population live in poverty, which is comparable to U.S. born citizens.

Not only will it help the recipients, but the act could also boost the U.S. economy exponentially. If a Dream Act is passed that leads workers to an immediate citizenship, it would add approximately $22.7 billion every year to the United States Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In a decade, the GDP increase would top over $281 billion. Overall, passing the Dream Act would significantly improve the American economy and workforce.

Immigration has bad assumptions made about it, but it has many advantages that people don’t think about. Migration is beneficial to the host countries, the immigrants themselves, and the sending countries. The benefits far outway the disadvantages. Our world would be a stark contrast to what it is today without migration. The legal movement of people is impossible to stop and shouldn’t be discouraged as it is today.

Work Cited

“Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).” USCIS,
www.uscis.gov/archive/consideration-deferred-action-childhood-arrivals-daca. Accessed
24 Sept. 2017.

Crash course. YouTube, YouTube, 18 May 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XQXiCLzyAw.
Accessed 24 Sept. 2017.

“Migration.” Globalization101, www.globalization101.org/category/issues-in-depth/migration/.
Accessed 24 Sept. 2017.

“Migration - Why do people migrate?” YouTube, YouTube, 21 Oct. 2015,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=54xM8VlgP7s. Accessed 24 Sept. 2017.

The CAP Immigration Team and Michael D. Nicholson. “The Facts on Immigration Today: 2017
Edition.” Center for American Progress,
www.americanprogress.org/issues/immigration/reports/2017/04/20/430736/facts-immigration-today-2017-edition/. Accessed 24 Sept. 2017.

The team, Exploredia. “Top 10 Biggest Migrations In History.” Exploredia, 4 Apr. 2016,
exploredia.com/top-10-biggest-migrations-in-history/. Accessed 24 Sept. 2017.

Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 3, 2017 at 8:27 AM

    Hannah,

    Your blog post was exceptional. You had tons of data and statistics to back up what you were saying, which really made the blog more intellectual and advanced. I loved the use of all the key terms and facts we have learned this year, and the fact that you incorporated them into this still making it your own is hard to do. I wanted my blog to be more like yours in this aspect. You gave multiple questions that made people think about what they were reading, and you gave your opinion in a way that didn't sound mean or in-tactful, which is exactly what you were supposed to do. Great job, friend.
    -Shayla

    ReplyDelete
  2. GraceOctober 12, 2017 at 7:54 PM

    I am so proud of you, my darling little conservative Republican, for so thoroughly researching this topic and writing such a conscientious essay with such a conscience. Did you change your own ideas about immigration at all, after researching the positive and negative effects of migration on the new country's population? I love how this class forces us to expand our world view and challenge our ideologies. The way you connect to the real world event of DACA and simultaneously make the overarching theme is all about migration and population is absolutely fabulous!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousOctober 13, 2017 at 5:31 AM

    Very well written. Thoroughly researched and I learned a few new things! loved it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. StellaOctober 13, 2017 at 7:02 AM

    Hannah,
    I love that you decided to do this topic. I think its great how we're all stepping a little out of our box, like Grace said. You did really great. This is all really well informed and gives some really great points. It also applies to the unit really well. Good job!

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousOctober 13, 2017 at 7:37 PM

    By far the most surprising article of all. I am amazed that you have such progressive views on immigration. Maybe I'm starting to rub off on you? Anyway the article was perfect. I had no idea that immigrants contributed so much to our economy and I understand DACA so much better now.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousOctober 13, 2017 at 9:55 PM

    Very well thought out and nice layout. The post had a very good flow into the next subject of the presentation. I do feel differently about this subject, but I found neutral point in the post that I strongly agreed with. Overall very nice and good post.

    ReplyDelete

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