Photo by Nitish Meena on Unsplash "Illegal Aliens" Hurt US Workers - True or False?
Malvina, Undergraduate Student (UM-Dearborn) Imagine a world where the number of people outweighed every single job in a country. All blue-collar jobs are taken, all corporate jobs are taken, all service industry jobs, and manufacturing jobs are taken. Imagine not seeing a “now hiring” sign or not being able to find any jobs ads searching online…and it was all due to “illegal aliens” stealing US jobs. Many people may hear this statement and believe it, while others might be skeptical-and rightly so. We often hear that “illegal” aliens take jobs away from Americans, are “criminals” and don’t pay taxes. Yet, is any of this true? Did people just make this up? Do “illegal aliens hurt US workers?” Some may say “well, if there are more foreigners here to work, the fewer jobs there are for Americans.” They view immigrant workers as inherently creating more competition in the job market. However, this is a myth. First, most jobs verify an individual’s eligibility to work in the US as part of the hiring process, and most undocumented immigrants can’t pass this eligibility requirement. Indeed, when foreign workers are hired legally, the process is quite lengthy and involves multiple government checks to make sure there is no US worker that can perform the job, the job is valid and a skilled specialty, and finally, is needed. Second, immigrants are not a tax burden. On the whole, they actually contribute significantly to US taxes, yet are not often eligible to apply for government benefits. Undocumented immigrants are ineligible for public assistance, and even those with a valid immigration status face roadblocks to such benefits. In fact, there are rules restricting the amount and type of public assistance that immigrants with valid visas and “Green Cards” can obtain, even if legally eligible, in order to eventually naturalize. Third, most undocumented immigrants work jobs that most Americans avoid. These jobs tend to be physically demanding and pay very little (often less than minimum wage, which is, itself, illegal). These jobs offer few, if any, benefits and very limited stability. The US economy is big enough for everyone to work and all the myths associated with undocumented workers stealing jobs from US workers are just that--myths.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
About
CrimBytes is a space for student musings on crime, media, and culture. ArchivesCategories |