The Negative Consequences Of Illegal Immigration

Since the arrival of Europeans and other ethnicities through places such as Ellis Island in the 1800’s, immigration has been a driving force in the preservation of cultural, ethnic, and political diversity in the US. As former President Lyndon B. Johnson once said, “The land flourished because it was fed from so many sources–because it was nourished by so many cultures and traditions and peoples.” This shows that America is not considered great for its oneness and uniformity, but for its ideological plurality and ethnic multiplicity. Over the times however, including today with Donald Trump and much of the GOP, immigration has been a contentious and controversial topic. Many look at and scrutinize the negative consequences of illegal immigration

In truth, many undocumented immigrants “exceed the costs of the services that they use.” Additionally, undocumented immigrants have contributed about $100 billion into Social Security over the last decade. Because of retirement by baby boomers, post-boom native workers can more easily finance their retirement plan and Social Security due to the plentiful labor that many undocumented immigrants provide. Although many think that illegal immigrants drive down wages of low-skilled jobs, they have a “‘negligible’ impact on the wages of documented workers that work at the same firm.” In fact, immigrant farm labor has been essential in keeping food prices low and supplying the expanding agricultural industry. If we deport undocumented migrants, the agricultural and food industries as well as factories will suffer due to the lack of labor needed to make products, resulting in substantially higher prices and a dip in the economy.

We are a multicultural nation, and immigration has accelerated our formation and development. During the Second Great Migration for example, many Blacks moved from southern cities to northern cities that provided lucrative defense jobs. When they migrated, they took much of their culture with them, reshaping northern cities. With the current wave of Latino and Asian immigration, they are doing the same. When my class visited the Mission District of San Francisco recently, I saw how deeply Mexican and Latin American culture has pervaded the American social, cultural, and commercial