Common Questions about Immigrants and Unauthorized Residents
Is America’s immigration uncontrolled and “unprecedented”?
US immigration is limited and highly regulated. About 1 million immigrants become citizens each year. Most new citizens are family members of US citizens or green card holders while some have been admitted through the highly-vetted refugee system or through a strict employment-based system. Those in the selective lottery system are also highly vetted before being allowed to come to the US with a green card – in anticipation of citizenship.
Doesn’t “Chain Migration” allow immigrants to bring their relatives who, in turn, bring their relatives here?
Spouses, minor children and parents of US citizens get first family preference. Older and married children of citizens and spouses and children of lawfully permanent residents (green card holders) can apply for residency. Nothing in the current immigration law allows a person to sponsor an aunt, uncles, cousin or other extended family member. A General Accounting Office study found that an average of 12 years passes from the time an immigrant comes to America and s/he sponsors a close relative. (Cutting Immigration Myths Down to Size, Stephen Moore and Stuart Anderson, April 22, 1997)
Aren't immigrants poor and take away from our economy?
“Immigrants may be overrepresented in some jobs and underrepresented in others, but the difference between the U.S.- and foreign-born shares is rarely as dramatic as is often assumed. Immigrants are strongly represented in some high-wage jobs and play a significant role in many middle-wage jobs.” (“Facts about US Immigration and the US Economy”, Economic Policy Institute, by Costa, Cooper and Shierholz)
How important are immigrants to the US national economy and entrepreneurship?
“Immigrants in the United States are also found to be more likely to start businesses than the native born.” (Fairlie 2008). “Not surprisingly, governments around the world view promoting entrepreneurship as a national and local priority. The interest is driven primarily by evidence that small and young businesses create a disproportionate share of new jobs in the economy, represent an important source of innovation, increase national productivity, and alleviate poverty.” (Reynolds 2005, OECD 2005, U.S. Small Business Administration 2011, Decker et al. 2014). Source: “Immigrant Entrepreneurship: Trends and Contributions,” Magnus Lofstrom
Do immigrants take American jobs and/or lower our wages?
“Immigrants did not contribute to the national decline in wages at the national level for native-born workers without a college education. This article reviews how the timing of their immigration and skill sets of immigrants between 1970 and 2014 could not have been responsible for wage declines. This article then reviews other evidence at the local level that implies immigration is not associated with wage declines for noncollege workers, even if they are high school dropouts. Higher immigration is associated with higher average wages. (“The Impact of Immigration on Wages of Unskilled Workers”, Giovanni Peri. The Cato Institute Journal, Fall 2017)
When the economy is growing and the labor market is adding jobs, new immigration creates enough jobs even in the short run (and even for the less-educated) to cause no harm to the net employment of native-born workers. But during economic downturns, things do not adjust as quickly. When the economy is weak, new immigration has a small negative impact in the short run on the employment of native-born workers. (“Facts about US Immigration and the US Economy”, Economic Policy Institute, by Costa, Cooper and Shierholz)
Don’t the unauthorized cost American taxpayers for services (hospitals and schools) without paying taxes?
Unauthorized immigrants generally cannot receive benefits from government programs, except in some cases, such as when unauthorized immigrant children receive public education, and in some states that allow unauthorized immigrants to attend state colleges at in-state tuition rates. Nevertheless, most of these unauthorized immigrants will still pay taxes. The vast majority pay sales taxes in states with sales taxes, and property taxes through properties that they own or rent. Additionally, most unauthorized immigrant workers also pay payroll and income taxes. The Social Security Administration estimates that 75 percent of unauthorized immigrants are actually on formal payrolls, either using fraudulent Social Security numbers or Social Security numbers of the deceased. Unauthorized immigrants pay into Social Security via automatic payroll deductions, but they can never claim Social Security benefits. In 2005, it was estimated that unauthorized immigrants paid about $7 billion per year in Social Security taxes that they will never be able to reclaim. (“Facts about US Immigration and the US Economy”, Economic Policy Institute, by Costa, Cooper and Shierholz)
Don’t the unauthorized immigrants commit a lot of crimes here in the US?
“….the low rate of immigrant incarceration and falling crime rates in areas with more immigrants indicate that this is not a serious argument against immigration.” (The Cato Institute, Cato Journal, Fall 2017, pg. 446)
“All immigrants are less likely to be incarcerated than natives relative to their shares of the population. Even illegal immigrants are less likely to be incarcerated than native-born Americans.” (Criminal Immigrants: Their Numbers, Demographics, and Countries of Origin, Langrave and Nowrasteh)
Why don’t these unauthorized residents just get in line to become citizens?
Our current immigration law allows people living outside of the United States to apply to relocate to the US and become citizens. Almost all of these people have some family connections already in the US. Codified in our law, each country of origin has an annual, maximum number of immigrants that can be admitted to the US. In the case of some countries (like Mexico and the Philippines) you would have had to have applied twenty years ago to be admitted for citizenship in the US this year. Currently, there is no mechanism for unauthorized residents who are living in the US (often for decades) to apply and to be considered for US citizenship.
My immigrant ancestors came here legally – why can’t these people do the same?
Depending on when your ancestors arrived, there may have been no immigration laws with which to comply. In our early history, America was in the growth mode – and accepted most people from most countries to come here, work and become citizens. Most European immigrants who came to America through Ellis Island, unless they were very ill, were allowed to stay. In 1924, the US passed the first immigration quotas which limited the numbers (2% of the number of current, foreign-born persons residing in the US) and countries of origin (mostly Northern Europe – not Asians nor southern Europeans) for people who were allowed to relocate, work, and become citizens here.