Home › For Citizens › Issue Guides: Immigration › Consider the Choices

ISSUE GUIDES: Immigration

CONSIDER THE CHOICES

 

PERSPECTIVES IN BRIEF

Honoring our commitment to newcomers
Cutting back to preserve our security and culture
Cutting back in response to economic realities

The United States is a nation ofimmigrants, and weve never hadcause to regret that. Its part ofwhat makes us different from somany more narrow, authoritariansocieties, and its what makes usstrong. So we have a specialobligation to welcome newcomers.U. S. immigration policy mustreflect our ideals, our humanitarianconcern and our commitment tothe plight of refugees worldwide.Besides, the United States benefitsfrom immigration. Hard-workingimmigrants start businesses, createjobs, and help the economy grow.Culturally, immigrants enrichAmerica with their arts, traditions,and languages. The U.S. has alwaysgained more by immigration thanweve lost and theres no reason tothink that will change.
We need to control immigration tosecure our borders and protect ourunity. Sept. 11 showed how ourimmigration policies have failed tokeep criminals and terrorists out ofthe country. Millions of peoplehave evaded our immigration lawsand the government has no ideawhether any of them pose a threatto us. In addition, the recent waveof immigration has brought increasingpressure to accommodateimmigrants by acceptingbilingualism. We should honordiversity, but not at the cost ofbreaking the bonds of cohesion common ideals, a commonlanguage, and common politicalinstitutions that hold the nationtogether.
The first concern should be theeconomic cost imposed by thehuge influx of immigrants and theireffects on wages and jobs. Thefact is that we need to educateand employ the people alreadyhere before we can worry aboutpaying for the education, welfare,and health care of hundreds ofthousands of newcomers eachyear. Plus, the burden isnt spreadevenly most immigrants settle inbig cities and Sun Belt states. Weshould restrict the number ofnewcomers, and look more closelyat how their arrival affects us. Theimmigrants we do accept shouldeither have jobs waiting here orhave the skills to support themselves.The nations first obligation isto protect the welfare and wellbeing of those who are alreadyAmerican citizens.

PERSPECTIVES IN DETAIL

Honoring our commitment to newcomers
Cutting back to preserve our security and culture
Cutting back in response to economic realities


What should be done?

  • Maintain legal immigration atcurrent levels.
  • Ensure that all legal immigrantsget the benefits that come withcitizenship.
  • Use amnesty programs andguest worker visas to give illegalimmigrants who hold down jobs away to become legal residents.
  • Continue to be a refuge forindividuals who face politicaloppression in their home countries.
  • Let people keep their nativelanguages and customs if theychoose to do so.
  • Tighten visa requirements.Increase funding to improveborder security, upgrade computersand hire immigration agents.
  • Sharply reduce legal immigration,including student and workvisas. Accept only as manyimmigrants as can be checked outby authorities.
  • Reform bilingual education andrequire immigrant students to learnEnglish as quickly as possible.
  • Deport immigrants who commitcrimes in the U.S. and pursue illegalimmigrants more aggressively.
  • Cut the total number of legalimmigrants.
  • Accept immigrants only if theycan support themselves here.Favor newcomers who either haveuseful skills or who are willing totake jobs Americans dont want.
  • Require sponsors of legalimmigrants to earn substantiallymore than poverty-level wages.
  • Grant political asylum only toindividuals who can prove thatthey face persecution.


    • Arguments For This Approach

  • On balance, the cultural andeconomic benefits we get fromimmigrants more than outweighthe short-term costs.
  • Simple decency ought to requireus to take in people fleeingpolitical and social persecution.
  • Immigrants are highly motivatedpeople who contribute to theeconomy with their entrepreneurialactivity and hard work.
  • The concerns about languageand culture are overblown. Wevealways had ethnic neighborhoodsand people who cling to theirhome language. America hascoped with this before and we can do so again.
  • In an age of terrorism, wecannot allow lax immigrationpolicy that allows terrorists to enterthe country unchallenged.
  • We can't keep allowing moreimmigrants in than the authoritiescan check out, or more than wecan integrate into society.
  • Most countries insist that immigrantsenter the cultural mainstreamby learning their language.
  • If trends continue, English will nolonger be our common language.Without a common language, theU.S. will fracture into separatecultures.
  • The influx of immigrants is strainingpublic schools, hospitals andother services in the states that getmore than their share of newcomers.Theres only so much we canafford to do.
  • Many Americans are strugglingeconomically. The governmentshould not make things worse byinviting millions of immigrants tocompete for jobs.
  • Providing immigrants withgenerous public services turnsAmerica into a magnet for theworlds poor.
  • We should take care of Americancitizens first -- in public services,jobs and education.


    • Arguments Against This Approach

  • Our first obligation is to providejobs and social services for peoplealready living in this country. Wecannot afford to help everyonewho wants to come.
  • In the past, large waves ofimmigration were followed byperiods where the rules weretightened up. We need a breathingspace to absorb the immigrantswe already have.
  • Sept. 11 shows that we needbetter border security. Weshouldnt let anyone in this countryunless we know who they are andwhere theyre going to be.
  • Amnesty programs rewardpeople for breaking the law. Thatsnot only a bad precedent, its alsoan insult to the many immigrantswho followed the rules and wentthrough the red tape to get herelegally.
  • Historically, there have alwaysbeen dire predictions that immigrantsare too different andwont integrate into society. Theywere wrong before and theyrewrong now.
  • Experience shows that whilesome first generation immigrantsdont master English, the secondgeneration is almost always fluentand Americanized.
  • This favors white Europeans andexcludes the rest of the world.
  • This punishes the vast majority ofimmigrants, who only want a betterlife, out of fear of a few radicalsand terrorists.
  • Immigrants open businesses,create jobs, and bring needed skillsto U.S. companies.
  • Relatively few immigrants receivepublic assistance.
  • Legal immigrants pay taxes. Theyought to be able to benefit fromthe public services their taxes payfor, just like any other taxpayer.
  • Many immigrants are working inmenial low-wage jobs that nativebornAmericans shun. They're notdepriving anyone of work.


    •