Notes

Dispelling the Immigration Myths
In practicing immigration law, I've found that inside our society there are various misconceptions linked to immigration and the immigrant population. In avocat d'immigration aux etats unis au Lomé togo of upcoming columns, I'll address some myths.

Myth 1: Immigrants take jobs from Americans.

Fact: Economic studies show that immigrants actually increase economic productivity and the wages of American workers.

The most frequent immigration myth I hear is that immigrants are taking all of "our" jobs. The truth is, studies support the proposition that immigrants, whether here legally or illegally, not merely don't take jobs from native-born citizens, they actually create jobs and raise the economic output and salaries of American workers. One of the major findings in a 2007 report by the White House Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) to the Executive Office of the President was that, on average, U.S. natives benefit from immigration because immigrants have a tendency to complement U.S. natives , nor substitute for them in the workplace.

Foreign-born workers fill gaps left by native-born workers both in high-skilled and low-skilled jobs -jobs necessary for the effective continuation of the present degree of U.S. economy and society. A March 2008 National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) report showed that for every H-1B visa (non-immigrant visa which allows U.S. employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations) requested by an S&P 500 U.S. technology company, overall employment at the company increased by five workers. The NFAP report also found that among the study-sample companies experiencing layoffs, for each H-1B position requested, total employment was estimated to be two workers a lot more than it otherwise could have been. A written report released this month by the Technology Policy Institute noted that highly skilled immigrant workers, admitted to the U.S. on H-1B and other visas, benefit the federal budget by paying more in taxes than less skilled workers. In addition, the Technology Policy Institute study discovered that these types of highly skilled immigrant workers aren't likely to receive federal benefits, particularly in the near term.

In its comprehensive report published in 1997, the National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academy of Sciences concluded that on average, an immigrant and his or her children generate public revenue that exceeds their public costs over time -approximately $80,000 more in taxes than they receive in state, federal and local benefits during their lifetimes. In line with the 2007 CEA report, the predictions made by the NRC a decade earlier were accurate. The CEA report stated that, "the long-run impact of immigration on public budgets may very well be positive."

When immigrants fill lower-skilled, labor-intensive positions, their effort and lower pay allows higher-skilled U.S. workers to increase productivity and therefore increase their incomes. Also, as the native-born U.S. population becomes better educated, young immigrant workers fill gaps in the low-skilled labor markets. Native-born workers are then in a position to focus on their profession of choice. This technique is exemplified by typical poultry packaging corporations. At most poultry producing companies, the owners, managers and board of directors can focus on corporate business because they can hire lower-paid, often immigrant, workers to process, clean and package the product. As has been noted repeatedly by other authors, there are few U.S. workers that are willing to accept these kind of low-paying positions and difficult working conditions.

The CEA concluded "immigrants not only help fuel the Nation's economic growth, but also have an overall positive influence on the American economy as a whole and on the income of native-born American workers." In line with the CEA, approximately 90 percent of U.S.-born workers experienced an increase in wages due to immigration. In its 1997 report, the NRC estimated that the annual wage gain because of immigration for U.S. workers was $10 billion every year. In 2007, the CEA estimated the gain at over $30 billion each year.

Along with having a standard positive affect on the common wages of U.S. workers, an increase in immigrant workers also increases employment rates among native-born U.S. workers. According to a study based on U.S. Census Bureau data at the state level performed by the non-partisan research group Pew Hispanic Center, between 2000 and 2004 "there is a positive correlation between your upsurge in the foreign-born population and the employment of native-born workers in 27 states and the District of Columbia."

For example, the Public Policy Institute of California reported that California saw an increase in wages of U.S. natives by about four percent from 1990 to 2004 - an interval of large influx of immigrants to the state - due to the complementary skills of immigrant workers and an increase in the demand for tasks performed by native workers.

Studies performed earlier in the decade by the Brookings Institution show that immigrant entrepreneurs and business owners create additional jobs in the U.S. economy for U.S. citizens along with other immigrant workers.
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