Immigration in the United States of America (Essay Sample)

IMMIGRATION IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
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INTRODUCTION
Immigration is the term used to refer to the movement of persons from their country to another where they stay permanently.
With international figures of immigrants rising every year globally, it is of importance to examine the effect of immigration. By the year 2010, at least 214 million people were considered to be immigrants, that is, people living outside their nation of birth. This is a sharp increase from previously recorded figures a few decades before 2010.
The history of immigration in the United States dates to the 1800s time which saw people from all over the world fleeing their nations to move to the United States (Library of Congress, n.d.). Many of the immigrants were fleeing famine, lack of job opportunities and land to America, the land they perceived to be full of opportunities. Between the year 1870 and 1900 there were at least 12 million immigrants in the US, the majority of who were from Germany, Ireland and also England.
As of 2012 statistics, the number of immigrants in the United States stood at 41 million people (Nwosu, Gregory, & Jeanne, 2014). This is the highest ever recorded population of immigrants in the US. It is of important to also note that at least one fifth of all international immigrants resides in the US. This, therefore, necessitates the need to examine the impact of immigration on the social and economic spheres of the US.
IMMIGRATION AND ITS CONSEQUENCES
According to the statistics American Community Survey (ACS), there were an estimated 40.8 million immigrants as of 2012. This is a sharp rise from the previous population of immigrants as of the year 2002, which was 31.1 million people. This was a sharp increase in the population of immigrants residing in the US as compared to any other decade. By this time, the number is also expected to be significantly higher than at that time. This is because, between the year 2011 and 2012, there were a rise of 447,000 people on the foreign born population (Nwosu, Gregory, & Jeanne, 2014). As of the year 2012, Immigrants from Mexico accounted for the largest share of the immigrants living in the United States of America. This is because both Mexico and the US share a border making it easier for them to immigrate. They account for nearly 30% of the total immigrant population, making them the number one foreign born immigrants living in the United States. The country of origin for second highest number of immigrants residing in the US is India and then China. Other countries of origin of immigrants include Cuba, the Philippines, Korea, El Salvador, Guatemala, Vietnam and the Dominican Republic. These countries are the top ten contributors of immigrants accounting to about 60% of the total immigrant population residing in the United States of America (Nwosu, Gregory, & Jeanne, 2014). In terms of gender, females accounted for the highest number of foreign immigrants as of the year 2012. Females represented 51% of the total immigrant population. In general, the foreign born population as of 2012 was higher than that of the American born people. Moreover, women immigrant population in the years1980,1990 and 2000 has surpassed that of their male counterparts.
There are numerous reasons why people immigrate to the United States. In the 19th Century, people emigrated from their countries to the US in search of job opportunities and land as the United States was experiencing rapid industrial changes. Factories were expanding rapidly and hence more employment opportunities were created. People were also fleeing famine and calamities. Chinese Immigrants began to arrive in the USA, in large numbers after a large quantity of gold was discovered in California. The years between 1880 and 1930 saw the arrival of 27 million immigrants from many countries Canada, Germany, Russia, Ireland, Italy, Britain and Sweden.
Today people migrate to the US for diverse reasons. Unemployment rates are significantly lower than in most countries, in the world. This has resulted to many people immigrating to the United States to search for jobs and investment opportunities. Many others immigrate in search of better quality Education. Another reason is that people move to the United States of America in search of refuge and asylum. The US has always led in providing protection of many victims of political, ethnic and religious conflicts by offering asylum. Asylum seekers are easily offered residence in the United States of America. After the World War 2, the United States admitted lots of refugees. The US is also a land of democracy and enjoys peace. This is the reason people from conflict prone countries move there.
The people of the immigrants are relatively concentrated geographically. At least 65% of all foreign born population is concentrated in six states in the US. By the year 2011, California accounted for 25% of all immigrant population. The other states with a high population of immigrants include New York (11%), Florida (9%), New Jersey (5%), Texas (10%), and Illinois (4%). The high population of immigrants in some of these states is due to their proximity to Mexico. In the 1990, many of the newcomers began to settle in other destinations within the United States. The majority of these were illegal immigrants from Mexico. Many were driven to this areas due to the many job opportunities that were present especially in the construction industry, food manufacturing and processing and agriculture. All these factors together with a lower cost of living has made many states in the United States such as Nevada and Georgia to be the new immigrant destination. The Other States include Tennessee, Nevada, North Carolina, Utah, South Carolina, Kentucky, Arkansas, Alabama and Nebraska.
According to the American Survey Reports, when the foreign-born were compared to the natively born population, were less probable to be high school graduates. However, according to the same report, at least two thirds of all immigrants are high school graduates and at least 25% have a bachelor's degree (Grieco, et al., 2012). The foreign-born persons in the US have a higher probability in being in the labor force as compared to their native counterparts. The vast majority of the immigrants work in management, science, art, business fields with others working in the service. The research by ACS has shown that the immigrants from Latin America have the least probability of working in the business, science, management or arts field but have a higher likelihood to work in service jobs (Grieco, et al., 2012).
Due to the large population of immigrants living in the US, concerns have been raised on its impact to the economy. Immigration has both positive and negative impacts on the American economy. Immigration has a direct impact on the aggregate size of the economy (Betz & Nicole, 2013). According to George Borjas, a leading immigrant economist, the presence of both legal and illegal immigrants to the United States work force makes the US economy grow 11% more annually. These benefits are not accrued by the natives but the foreign born population through wages and benefits. Immigration has also impacted employment and wages in the United States. Borjas also estimates that natives gain only 0.2% of the total USA GDP. He also estimates that it the people of the natives who do not have a high school degree who lose to the immigrants. Studies have also shown that immigration is a significant contribution to unemployment of the less educated black community. It has also reduced the employment of teenagers (Smith, 2012). It is also linked to high levels of Crime and incarcerations in many cities, in the United States. Fiscal impact of immigration to the economy is an important consideration for the state. Today in the US people who have low levels of education get moderate wages hence they contribute lower taxes. Due to their modest incomes they become eligible for welfare. Due to their low levels of education, illegal immigrants are a net fiscal drain. Borjas was also critical of regional studies and their much limited displacement effect (G.Borjas, 2003). His argument was that the United States economy comprised of a labor market. He also discovered that immigration caused large negative effects. His study found that a rise in the supply of immigrant labor ...