Check out this article by Jason Welker about the Economics of Illegal Immigration. It is a refreshing take on an issue that has gotten a great deal of publicity recently. What are your thoughts after reading the article? Is this different from what you have been hearing from both the Republicans and the Democrats lately? Leave your comments before Sunday at midnight.
81 comments:
Laura Luo pd 4
Despite how well Welker advocated illegal immigration from an economical standpoint, my views on immigration did not changed much. Suppose, I'm heavily influenced by my family, who are legal immigrants as well. They went through the arduous process to become a citizen in this country after many decades, so I do not strongly support Welker's argument. Sure, stopping illegal immigration will cause "labor [to be]immobile, [and] capital will grow legs," however, his argument has no substance (for me). It's either a nay or yay for people advocating illegal immigration. In our "land of opportunity" we should consider giving the illegal immigrants a chance for a new and better life. However, there comes a point where we must put high barbed fences if these illegal immigrants cut in line. Either way, this topic is controversial because illegal immigration is good economically but bad from a social standpoint.
I always thought politics were stupid anyways; probably because they seem too idealistic. It's just funny how people refuse to see people as materials, even though that is basically all we are in Say's Law. Sure, we may mostly create what is supplied and demanded, but we can also be what is supplied and demanded. From my dad's perspective (republican), he believes we need better boarder control because we shouldn't just let them cross. Their are limits to everything to keep order and peace, and this, I believe, is one for immigration: no one should have to abolish the 14th Amendment just because boarder patrol isn't even pulling them over until they cross safely like drug cartels do. The underground market may not be counted in a nation's GDP, but it counts in the people's standard of living, which influences supply and demand. There are too many details to extremely mess with to where we might as just let things be as the may because peace isn't necessarily created by rules, even if order is. In reality, we are all just thinking to highly of ourselves in politics because we started out as the land of "free" opportunity, but where will we end? Typically, that is in the reverse. So, here is the thing about immigration: be decent and at least considerate about it. Don't go to extremes with border patrol or just letting anyone in,so be moderate. Let anyone who needs to work in because why should the world have to be unemployed when their isn't full efficiency anyways? Sure, we may have to stretch our resources out to help these immigrants, but they'll help us to. How else can we live without sharing? Politics are still stupid to me in this way, but government is a different story while immigration is annoying. You can't get rid of what you're made of, which are the simplest of terms in this debate. Hayek seems to beat Keynes in this issue; be realistic like an economist, which is obviously scarce.
Amy Krauhs
Period 4
My views on immigration remain the same after reading this selection. I am constantly hearing an argument on this topic. Some immigrants feel as though if they can do all the paperwork and become an American citizen why can't the other immigrants do the same. On the other hand, many illegal immigrants travel else where because they are not able to provide for their family and it is dangerous where they stay. I feel as though we should slow immigration down for a period of time to get the U.S. squared away. During that time the once illegal immigrants can become citizens. When everything is settled we then can allow immigrants into the U.S. In other words I am not opposed to immigration. everyone deserves a chance. Who are we to decide whether some one can and can not be in this country when this country was founded by immigrants.
Zoheb Hirani
Period 4
I think it was enlightening to hear an economists take on immigration regarding illegals just being a source of labor. It's extremely interesting to hear, and I liked the way that Welker rebutted the second reader who talked about the cost of having illegals here. What I would add to his argument is that just by convention, the United States always acts when it needs to, and there haven't been many times in history when Congress has really kicked people out. Truthfully, we need the labor. Sure, we're in a recession now, but once we start booming again,we're gonna need the extra labor to keep up afloat on our agendas, just like Welker said. I also really enjoyed his argument on prisoners being comparable to the negative side of immigration, such as free-riding taxes. Honestly, we don't really argue about metal being shipped in, so why would we argue about another resource: labor.
Bethany Williams, Period 2
This person's article didn't really change my mind much on the topic of immigration. Reading it, I found myself saying "yep, that's exactly what I think, too," so I was agreeing with his points. I think immigration is good in that it gives people who are willing to work a job. I've driven through Arizona & they have Border Patrol stations where they ask if you're a US Citizen and they can pull you over if they suspect you aren't, and it makes me feel bad when someone does get pulled over. Technically, everyone's ancestors are immigrants to America so why are we saying these people can't come over? I feel like American preaches that it's the "land of opportunity" but it doesn't necessarily want to practice that, because people are against immigration. But, what they fail to realize is that if they stop immigration, the US wouldn't be as diverse as it is now and diversity is a good thing for everyone.
Paul Stallings
Period 6
My views on immigration remain the same after reading this article. With this topic being in the news recently it is hard to not focus on this topic. It was also nice to have the perspective of an economist who can give key points on how immigration is effecting the economy. In addition, i found Welker's points on how immigration can help the economy as interesting. I also enjoyed many of Welker's responses to questions or problems the readers posed. This is not that different from the politics of today. One side of the government seems to focus on the economic well being of the country and the other is largely concerned with the social aspect.
Nevin Thomas
Period 2
My views have changed slightly, i never really had an idea on what to think of illegal immigrants, i did think that they were making unemployment rise but i never thought about it from this perspective. Welker argues that because of this decline in illegal immigrants there now occurs a deep recession, backed up with many facts that iagree with. I agree that labor is only a resource that flows where needed and right now with these overly strict immigration laws, we are stopping that flow. This argument is very different from the arguments made by politcians today, they almost always say how illegals are a burden but in fact from this article i see how they benefit the economy instead.
The argument that Jason Welker put forth in the article is good, and as a result, my views have changed quite a bit. I was originally against illegal immigration because I didn't know too much about it and I just sided with what I've always heard. But, after hearing both sides of the argument, I don't know what side to choose. Increased immigration would be a big boost to our economy. After all, immigration played an enormous role in the growth of America since its creation. But brief research showed that unemployment rates were slightly higher in every state that are on the outskirts of America, except those bordering Canada. But even though many Americans complain that illegal immigrants are stealing their jobs, these immigrants are only taking jobs that Americans aren't too eager to do, such as jobs that require manual labor. After all, the only reason you and I are here is because our parents or predecessors immigrated here, maybe a decade ago or even a century ago. We give these immigrants the same opportunities that were given to us.
Rachel Kuruvila
Period 4
After reading this article, my views on immigration did not change at all. Immigration gives diversity and having a diverse nation is something that gives this country personality. Truthfully, the people that are making decisions about other immigrants into this country are immigrants themselves! I mean, the land did belong to the Native Americans. Yes, I do believe that Americans should be able to get on their feet and stand first before letting others in, however, there are many lazy Americans that are not even looking for work! In cases like that, let the others come in who NEED and WANT to work. Adding different people to contribute to the amount of labor that this country produces is not necessarily a bad thing. If Americans are not going to do it, then there needs to be someone who will, and the answer to who that will be is immigrants.
I think I agree with what the article is saying. I've personally never been interested in immigration, it's policies, or it's affects on our economy. If you don't have the skills to do a job but a foreigner does, I think that foreigner should get the job, it's not their fault that they were more skilled than you. I also agree with the author's thoughts on the "invisible hand", when the economy needs labor, labor will come, if it doesn't, labor will not come. Honestly, I think that the people who are angry about illegal immigrants are just simply trying to point the finger at someone else and blame them for their misfortune. If Americans are not willing to do a job, whether it is bad working conditions or low pay, there is always going to be an illegal immigrant willing to do it, and if that is the case, then people can't complain about illegal immigrants.
Jeffrey Zhou
6th
Daniel Sanchez
2nd Period.
I completely agree with Welker, and his argument of immigration does in fact the economy. Coming from an immigrant background, I found out quickly that jobs were free and nobody wanted to take them, and foreigners grasp the opportunity and take that job, because the more jobs that are taken and done help the economy going, or have a jumps start. To be honest, I don't follow politics, therefore, I have no opinion about what both parties are arguing. But what I have read or heard is the law granting citizenship to approximately 5 million southern immigrant puts a smile on face because these people, mainly children, can now participate in the world's largest economy and make a difference in their path.
Reeba Mathew
period 6th
I think that immigration can have both pros and cons. People flee from their homeland for various reasons,but the most common one is economic pain. I for one believe that immigration should be allowed but there should be a limit as to how many people should be allowed each year. Immigration allows us to have more laborers to do the jobs that Americans won't do. However, illegal immigration should be banned because it hurts both the immigrants and the citizens of the nation. The illegal immigrants have to hide for the rest of their life and don't get the benefits they deserve in the country they live in and the citizens are over whelmed by the immigrants and often lose their jobs to them.
Aadithya Srivatsav
4th period
After reading this article, my views on immigration changed a little. I always believed that the flow of immigrants. especially illegal immigrants, did not hurt or mess up the American society like the Arizona governor stated but it rather boosted the country. They possess hard work ethics and strive to be the best in order to push themselves up in society and indirectly at the same time they elevate our economy due to their higher production possibilities. This is clearly what Obama has been saying as he is pushing to end the deportation of illegals and the opposite of what the Republicans have been saying, who believe that the illegal immigrants are ruining our nation.
Tia Lal
Period 2
I originally thought illegal immigration is not good for America because it takes away jobs of the legal immigrants and other citizens and lowers salaries. However, I do understand that there are so many illegals entering because they want better economic and educational opportunities and escape political corruption and violence. Welker’s perspective that illegal immigration is beneficial to the American economy is changing my views. He lists many points on why this flow of immigrants is helpful, including the point that the US will have a comparative advantage in production and that the outflow of capital will decrease. I agree with him when he says that stopping illegal immigration will not increase job security and in contrast will decrease job security because jobs will be outsourced to cheaper labor. Thus, these goods and services will not be included in our GDP.
Nikhil Njaravelil
Period 4
After reading this article, my views on immigration have not changed. Coming from an immigrant family, I believe that America is truly the “land of opportunity.” Also, immigrants have to work just as hard if not harder to obtain and achieve their goals. However, I do not think that illegal immigration is good. In fact, I do not agree with that at all. I also do not think that America needs to put barriers on immigration because that will not change the fact that illegal immigrants will still find a way to come in. If anything, it will stop the legal ones from coming in. I think immigration is the reason why America is such a unique country. The melting pot aspect is also a reason for its success.
Patrick Stallings
Period-4
My views on immigration remain mostly the same after reading this article. It did not change my views that much. Also, the fact that this topic is in the news so much makes it very hard to not take notice or have opinions about what is going on. Furthermore, it was very good to hear from an economist how immigration is affecting the economy. It is refreshing to see a different point of view on how this issue affects the society we live in. It was also very nice to see how the author responded to the questions that were asked of him. It shows that he is very knowledgeable and that he can argue his point. This article is not very different from the two political parties that we see today. One group is focused on how immigration affects our society while the other group tends to look at the human interactions and how humans are affected.
Sherin Johnson
6th period
After reading this article I thought it was very interesting how Welker takes the issue of immigration and associates it to the subject of economic labor. With a lot of pros and cons as to the emigration and migration of people to and from different countries, immigration is a problem as well a solution to a number of things. A perspective that I haven't given much thought to, Welker talks about how because of the decline in immigration, it is one of the major reasons as to why the US is in recession because we lack a larger portion of our labor force. Of course there are many who oppose alien and foreign peoples, but forget to realize that immigrants play a special role in our society. Treating our immigrants to jobs with low wages,it's not in the least to say that industries and employers abuse their powers to treat potential employees who are well capable of working as a US born citizen, excluding language barriers and culture.
I have actually always thought it was unfair how people treat immigrants. Yes, we tend to believe that immigrants bring along classless behavior and other such stereotypes, but as Obama said in his executive order, they are not all murderers and many benefit the country. Not only that, there is no true American here. We are all immigrants. The only people who are actually American we made nearly extinct and they live on reservations. In light of the fact that the immigration rate is falling, I'm wondering why the right wing is continuously bringing up immigration. Perhaps they wish to bring up immigration to hide the deficit and other unpleasant things within government. Immigration is economically important... after all, us Americans can hardly get off our high pedestal to do the dirty work illegal and legal immigrants find themselves doing. So maybe we need that wake-up call.
Looking at it from a moral standpoint, I always thought, and still do think, that illegal immigration is bad. It takes away from all of the hard work that legal immigrants have to do in order to live in the country, and it can bring in people that are up to no good, such as drug dealers and human traffickers. Similar to Laura, my parents are both immigrants who worked hard to come to the United States legally, and just because Welker says that illegal immigrants may boost our economy, I do not think it would be fair to the legal immigrants. From an economic standpoint it may help, but there are countless other ways to slightly remedy our current economic problem without having to delve into volatile topics such as immigration and the like.
Nima Faegh
4th Period
Jocelyn Dang
6th Period
The focus on immigration, coming from the politicians, often fails to mention the economic benefits that immigrants do bring to our economy, which Welker makes some valid points about. Immigrants, illegal or not, do fill the demand for labor, which is what keeps our economy going. However, while our economy may be kept afloat with immigration, the allowance of illegal immigration for the purpose of our economy is not a good enough reason to open the doors of America up to everyone and anyone. The issues that come with illegal immigration is that they do take up space and opportunities that legal immigrants and natural-borns are granted. Yes, I believe that everyone should be given a chance to have the opportunity that Americans have, but there should be some sort of happy medium that gives them a taste of lives in America, while still giving legal immigrants and natural-born citizens priority. There are also concerns expressed by politicians about employment and crime that come with the topic of immigration that make this all controversial. So, in general, I think immigration has its pros and cons, and unless we can find that balance, it'll continue to be a hot topic in debates!
Rachel Chang
2nd period
Like the average american, I've always tended to sympathize with those who denounce illegal immigration, at the same time praising the United States for being a "melting pot" of different races and its widespread diversity. I understand the goals of immigrants: to work for their families and bring income back home. However, the article Welker writes suggests that immigration is not a simple issue of morality; rather it encompasses both economics and government policies and is a heated subject of political debate. The map showing the states with high immigration somewhat surprised me because I always thought that Texas would have the highest rate of immigration, given it's proximity to Mexico. However, California surpassed Texas by nearly two times as much, which startles me. I really like Welker's comparison of immigration to osmosis, where labor is transferred from high concentration to low concentration instead of water. I thought this analogy was very insightful.
Jacqueline Gann
Period 2
My thoughts after reading this article remain mostly the same. It was refreshing to see this issue being talked about from an economic standpoint. I particularly liked seeing that Welker replied to those that had commented on his article, showing that he has thought more deeply about how others would respond to his opinions, showing that he is well educated on this topic. Because of the high level of news coverage about the topic of immigration, or illegal immigration, it is hard not to take notice varied opinions of both the Democrat and Republican parties, however, I do not feel as if this article is significantly different from how those parties argue about this situation, it is just evidence one could use against the other to support their opinion.
Jasmine Luke
6th period
I never thought there could be a benefit of illegal immigration, however, Welker has enlightened me on a new approach. Although illegal immigration increases crime and chaos it is true that we benefit by their labor. The resource of labor can contribute to America's economy and help the overall welfare of Americas economy by making a more efficient and productive economy. I like how Welker believes we should let immigration be because from an economic standpoint labor is coming to America because America needs labor. Labor would not come to America if we didn't need labor. I think politicians ignore much of the benefits immigration gives and forget the primary motivation of immigrant which is to obtain financial satisfaction.
In reading this article by Jason Welker, my opinion didn't change at all. It just kind of made me believe that I was not wrong in thinking the way I thought. Being that I am Mexican American, my parents were at one point illegal immigrants. The truth of the matter is that people don't just do paper work and "boom" your a citizen. It is a lot more complicated, takes a long time and could be costly. Sometimes the circumstances are so unbearable that a person cant just wait. Most of the people that I've know come to the U.S for a clean honest job to provide food for themselves and their family. If they are willing to work hard for the low wage that they get, then what harm are they doing? After all, I don't believe that I'm wrong when I say that most Americans live a certain way to where they would never even dream of working at low wage jobs. The point is that a job is a job, doesn't matter how unimportant or disgusting it might seem, and it needs employees so why should we discourage people who are willing to work. Agreeing with Welker, people will follow were the jobs are at. So if their is truly no more jobs available, the people will leave and if there is, then that means America must need help to fill in those spots. In all fairness, I do understand that Americans feel like they are losing their jobs to immigrants. However, if all cards are shown at the table, Americans have everything going for them to win against a immigrant when a comes to a job post. They have the security of not being prosecuted by police men and they have more resources than undocumented immigrants who usually don't have many personal items when they come over to this land. So naturally it really just depends on them.
-Jenifer Galan
4th
Timothy Krauhs
period 6
This article was defiantly new music compared to all the common noise that being going around as of resent political parties. Immigration has been apart of the American landscape from its discovery by the Europeans. There is no point in stopping immigration because there going to the US because there is higher paying job opportunities then in there native countries. However, I do believe once the US economy reaches the point of wellness that less immigrants will most likely wish to come the US legally rather than illegally.
After reading this article, my overall view on immigration has not changed very much. I have heard a lot about immigration in the new these days, especially after Obama's executive order which wanted to grant citizenship to the illegal parents through their "anchor babies". I never thought of immigration in a economic term and the viewpoint from Welker is very interesting. When i truly think about it, we need the immigrants to do the jobs that we don't want to do. This may seem shallow but these jobs need to be done so that society progresses. Politicians these days fail to realize this situation and they just want to keep the immigrants out. It is because the US accepts immigrants that we are such a diverse country. Politicians should read think article and find all the positives about illegal immigration and try not to waste money on it.
Steve Philip
6th Period
Sheryl Machado
Period 6
By all the standpoint and views given, my views on immigration have not changed as much. I do not support Welker's argument, as my family and I were once legal immigrants coming from another country before obtaining citizenship. Although Welker has an argument, I do not personally support it. In America, in my opinion we should give legal immigrants a chance to see the "opportunities" America has to offer, and give them a chance to live a better life. There have been many times where illegal immigrants have crossed boundaries in which case there should be actions placed against them.
karen george
6th period
This article confirmed my political standpoint on illegal immigration, even though people should be allowed to go where they want. However, this immigration should be done in a systematic order where these individuals are documented. Since there is no documentation of these people, there is not an exact amount of the money in the economy and many are unemployed. I also just dont like how taxes pay for someone who is illegal's medicare and benefits. So many people do not want to work the right way and get money under the government. They would rather get paid with money that is undocumented.
Sylvester Inyang
Period 2
My thoughts on illegal immigration are still the same and really this article isnt introducing any new ideas to me. I think as a America we need to change the way we go about illegal immigration. We should stop the immigrayion before it get to the border we should go into mexico and help the goverment make the country a great place to live in instead of puting our border states in danger by letting homeland security try to stop them.
Elyssa Buntzel
4th p
I don't feel as though my views on the immigration topic have changed much after reading this article. I actually agree with most of what Welker was saying. Everyone is split by an economic or social aspect on this controversial issue, and Welker gives a refreshing view on the true economic value of immigration in labor.
Annie Jiang
Period 4
Immigration has always been a controversial topic because the opposing arguments of the topic are both strong. The people who want to stop immigration believe that if there are people who were once illegal immigrants but went through all the paperwork to become citizens, then the other illegal immigrants can do the same. On the other hand, the people for immigration argue that the illegal immigrants that are in the country already do not have the necessities or time to go through with all the paperwork from their own country because they can be facing an immense amount of violence or poverty in their own country. Therefore, my views have altered because I believe there should be some level of allowing immigrants to come but not all of them because then they would take too many jobs from the people in our own country.
I agree with the author's underlying opinion that illegal immigration is beneficial economically. The politics of legality should not interfere with most illegal immigrants' goals to come to America in search of economic opportunity. America should not say no to more workers who are willing to work for wages because it increases the free flow of labor, thereby improving its economic agreements with immigrants' home countries. I particularly like the analogy to osmosis; it is pointless to contain labor if it overcrowds one country (Mexico), so it is perfectly acceptable for the extra labor to be transferred to a country that actually needs it (US). In the long run, the economic benefits of illegal immigration outweigh the political drawbacks. My views changed to support illegal immigration because I never really heard much about its benefits after hearing mostly political criticism on the issue.
Yvonne Thong 2nd
Bryan Nguyen-Le
Period 2
My views are slightly different no than before. I didn't really know what to think of illegal immigrants, but, I've never thought of them from this perspective. Weller has a good point in saying that the decline that now occurs a deep recession. I agree with his idea that labor is the only resource that flows everywhere and is needed. The argument said was very different than the typical argument I hear every day, they usually talk about how the illegal immigrants are a burden, but, with this article, I can see how they help society instead.
Divya Joseph
6th Period
My views are almost exactly the same about immigration as this articles view on immigration. Weller made a good point when he said that immigration in an economic point of view is beneficial because it helps with the flow of labor. Immigrants shouldn't have the difficulty of immigrating to a new place because it really doesn't do much harm to that new place. The immigrants are willing to work for their wages and are probably coming to that new place for that reason. I understand that some countries don't allow for immigrants because of the population capacity but only some places should have this limitation.
Similar to almost every topic worth debating, there exists independent factors that need analysis within the argument regarding illegal immigration. Welker, although advocating it with strong persuasion, identifies within a context of one of the factors. As an economist, he analyzes the effect that illegal immigration has on the economy. It is undeniable that the influx of immigrants create labor that advances the economy. However, to let one factor influence one's standpoint on any debatable topic would be an insult to academic intelligence. Along with economic effects, there exists social, environmental, political, etc.; each of which holds their own span of pros and cons. Illegal immigration takes job opportunities away from American citizens, crushing social structures with an increase in unemployed families. Increase in population leads to pollution, which would in turn destroy the environment of the country born citizens. Allowing the increase of numbers among illegal immigrants would generalize the United States, removing national pride and distinction of what it is to be a citizen of the United States. In Welker's defense, however, he accomplished the one job that he had: to state his viewpoint within a context of one factor within a larger argument. The fault lies within the interpretation that this factor alone can sway a point of view. Are all of these issues outweighed by the economic benefits of illegal immigrant labor? Only when the combined pros and cons lead to a distinctive answer can the issue be placed within the context of a concrete standpoint.
Minh Le
Period 4
Lindsey Jones
2nd period
My views, political, economic, and personal, reflect what is said in this insightful article about immigration, that these debates against immigration is inconclusive and a complete waste of time. Because America is know for various freedoms, if one were desperate, living in in humane conditions, he/she would do whatever it took, no matter if several thousands of Americans disagree, to escape that situation. Political actions, getting in line, producing the paperwork, processing the paperwork, and hopefully being accepted takes an incredibly and frustratingly long time. However, no one understands or want to understand time unfortunate situation. People are naturally selfish people. Yeah, we as Americans have our own troubles, especially socially between law enforcement and the people, but it would be cruel to leave anyone behind and ignore what is going on in the world. America knows and experienced what happens many times when it decides to ignore world problems- things go straight to hell. Also, economically, I agree that if, especially minorities who are either uneducated or purposefully believe that they are self entitled, decide to complain about the lack of jobs, it is simply because they refuse to take the jobs that no one wants, such as a waitress, greens keepers, construction, bus drivers, and trash men. Therefore, it is their fault for not preparing for a better life. Not being educated leads to not having a job that pays nicely. Not working at all will lead to better workers, immigrants who are happily willing to work $2.45 an hour, to take over. It could also lead to the free market walking over to Mexico, and so Mexico will take all of the loss money. Americans make it hard for themselves. If they are willing to get an education and work, lives would be better. Unfortunately, Americans never liked immigrants in the first place, despite the fact that the first Americans were immigrants who took the land from the TRUE natives of America because of their superiority issues. Americans always thought that outsiders, from Irish, Chinese, Japanese, and Africans to Mexicans and other Latin Americans, were bad news, bringing crime and further peril to the crumbling nation of America. Therefore, America sadly seems to blame everyone but themselves.
Fabian Romo
4th Period
This article really brought me joy because Welker is supporting the act that these immigrants are doing. Coming from an immigrant background, this article hit close to home and everything said is what I have thought about the immigration situation. Everyone attacks immigrants and tell us to go back home and do everything in their power to deport them back, but what harm are they bringing? They are simply just looking for better jobs and ultimately a better life. Immigrants come to the United States for a better life, they possess a strong drive and will work for no matter what the pay is because it would be better than what they had before coming to the U.S.
Joshua Joseph
Pd 6
After reading this article my views on immigration have not changed much and i completly agree with Welker. Though many of the individuals who reside in the United States may be illegal I believe that they deserve the same opportunity that we do. My parents were raised in a low class family. When they were given the opportunity to come to America they took all of there belonings and moved here inorder to create a better family. All the jobs and opportunitys that they've had since living here are what made my family into who we are. Everyone deserves this opportunity. A larger immigration rate would actually boost our economy. Since the beginning of America immigration has played a key factor in the economy. Individuals may say that illegal immigrants may be stealing there jobs, but those jobs are usually jobs Americans refuse to cooperate with due to conditions. With these jobs taken it will lower our unemployment rate. I typically don't follow or watch the news regarding politics so I dont have a statement regarding politics.
Joshua Joseph
Pd 6
After reading this article my views on immigration have not changed much and i completly agree with Welker. Though many of the individuals who reside in the United States may be illegal I believe that they deserve the same opportunity that we do. My parents were raised in a low class family. When they were given the opportunity to come to America they took all of there belonings and moved here inorder to create a better family. All the jobs and opportunitys that they've had since living here are what made my family into who we are. Everyone deserves this opportunity. A larger immigration rate would actually boost our economy. Since the beginning of America immigration has played a key factor in the economy. Individuals may say that illegal immigrants may be stealing there jobs, but those jobs are usually jobs Americans refuse to cooperate with due to conditions. With these jobs taken it will lower our unemployment rate. I typically don't follow or watch the news regarding politics so I dont have a statement regarding politics.
The topic of immigration has always been one of controversy, especially coming from an immigrant family myself. However, after reading this article my views about immigration have not really changed. Never the less, it was good to hear from an economists stand point about immigration, and I do agree that immigration has caused unemployment to rise over the years. Although even though, stopping illegal immigration will cause unemployment to decrease, however, the United States will no longer be called the "land of opportunity." With a title as such, I believe the United States should give illegal immigrants a chance to become citizens rather than pushing them out. The United States would not be diverse as it is today without these immigrants.
Shivani Doshi
Period 2
Luke Emery
Period 6
Yes, the article did change my view on illegal immigration. I came in with the close-minded mentality that illegal immigration is terrible and everyone needs to stay on their side of the border. However, Welker's argument that they economically improve our country was very interesting and logical. They do take up necessary jobs and are able to make the living that they rightfully work for.
Samantha Fonseca
4th Period
My thoughts on immigration have stayed the same after reading Welker's article. I really like this article because rather than viewing immigration from a political standpoint with personal opinions on immigrants, it views immigrants from an economic standpoint to show how immigration isn't bad. There really is no debate when you look at the situation from an economic standpoint, the only problem with immigration is Americans not liking immigrants for their own personal reasons. When deciding whether immigration is good or bad, one should look at it from a standpoint that excludes personal opinion and is solely focused on the advantages and disadvantages. Immigration, despite what most people think, is actually advantageous to our country and is good for our economy. Most Americans would not do the jobs of immigrants at the wages that they receive and would want more money to do those jobs since they are deemed as jobs for minority people, which is less beneficial to our economy. I personally think the whole debate over immigration is stupid and a waste of time. Some Americans take pride in the fact that their country is the "land of the free" and the "land of opportunity" yet they are so quick to rally against immigration and have a strong disdain for immigrants for no other reason than that "they're taking our jobs." Which, statistics show that immigration only slightly affects Americans and their chances of finding jobs.
In my opinion it is very intresting seeing the new take on illegal immigrants in America. The idea that they are a source of labour has always been around, the real issue was that they took away outlets from legal citizens of the US. So his argument is definitely missing a few points. Additionally his idea that prisoners are the exact opposite is something i agree with whole-heartedly. They sit in prisons and siphon of taxfunds without doing any work.
Ashish Jain
4th period
After reading this article, my view on immigration has not changed too much. I have always thought that since America has prided themselves on being a "free country", there is absolutely nothing wrong with people from different countries coming into America to work and provide for their own families. Sure, there are some factors that immigrants bring with them to cause a higher unemployment rate and sometimes to "take" other American's jobs. No one can "take" anything from you, and it has been explained that nothing is given to you in this world. The immigrants are not "taking" American's jobs but simply earning them. In addition to this, I agree with Welker in his ideas about the prisoners who are like illegals in the sense that they do not pay taxes. This also enlightened me to see that they are also kind of like immigrants themselves. So, if we kick immigrants out for committing a crime of crossing the border and occassionally helping our economy in booming times, why don't we kick out people who are apart of this country who commit crimes and constantly hurting the economy?
Manon Hughes
6th Period
My opinion remains the same after reading this. I feel that as long as immigrants are playing some part in the economy then they should not be ragged on for being here with regards to economics. My family came to America from Ireland and Germany, as did very many other families, thus I think it is safe to say that America would be nowhere if it wasn't for it's immigrants. However, I do feel that immigration needs to be completed legally because if an individual wants to come into a nation that runs smoothly thanks to it's laws, then said individual needs to show that they are prepared to abide by those laws. Otherwise, the nation will see them as an element that needs to be eradicated. The United States is truly the land of the free, but our freedom is only because of the laws we as a nation follow. Immigration can be good, just as long as it is legal.
Julie Joy
Period 6
My thoughts on illegal immigration are pretty much still the same and this article really did;nt introduce any new ideas to me. I think as Americans we need to change the way we go about illegal immigration. We should stop the immigrants before they get to the border, instead we should be going into Mexico and helping the goverment make the country a better place to live and raise a family.
Jennie Chen
Period 2
I believe that the issue of immigration is not a negative thing. My view on immigration was not changed, however. If immigrants didn't move to America then many of us wouldn't have been American ourselves.The use of having children as an "anchor" so that adults could have the right and freedoms of an American is a positive thing. The nation is not suffering from having its immigrants who come over here looking for new opportunities. I can understand why people believe this is such a controversial topic, however, without immigrants, America loses what makes it unique. Who is really a true American when we have all came from the East side of the globe anyways. Everyone came over to America looking for something and who is to say people these days don't get the same benefits as our ancestors hundreds of years in the past. The government can't stop illegal immigrants from coming over the border and without some kind of drastic measures, it can't be prevented. We have so many families that are from foreign countries, what would we do if they couldn't come over here and live even if they were your parents.
Tiffani Weir
6th Period
I, like many other kids at this school, have immigrant parents and it has caused me to believe that immigrants are not as detrimental to this country as politicians express they are. After reading this article, my opinion has not changed but it is more enlightened. Considering that the success of this country is based off immigration, forced and not, you would think that this issue would not be so controversial. Honestly, I believe that land is essentially owned by no one and anyone who wants to go on that piece of land should not be beraded.
Slyssa Wilson
6th Period
This is a great and insightful article on immigration, but this is a topic that's kind of difficult to change an opinion on. I feel like I cannot argue with the facts that are stated in the article, and so yes, an influx of immigrants can be great for the US economy. However, I feel as though it is selfish of anyone in our country to believe that it is a good idea to accept immigrants under the premise that it will stimulate our economy, and forget the damage being done to the other countries. If the citizens that are not able to get jobs or move up in society constantly leave the country instead of airing their grievances and being heard by their government, how will those countries ever move forward? So I still feel like immigration is a bit of a double edged sword.
*I mispelled my name, sorry!
Alyssa Wilson
6th Period
This is a great and insightful article on immigration, but this is a topic that's kind of difficult to change an opinion on. I feel like I cannot argue with the facts that are stated in the article, and so yes, an influx of immigrants can be great for the US economy. However, I feel as though it is selfish of anyone in our country to believe that it is a good idea to accept immigrants under the premise that it will stimulate our economy, and forget the damage being done to the other countries. If the citizens that are not able to get jobs or move up in society constantly leave the country instead of airing their grievances and being heard by their government, how will those countries ever move forward? So I still feel like immigration is a bit of a double edged sword.
Yassin Bennis
Period 2
In my opinion I think it's good that economists are aware of illegal immigrants only being good for labor. It's good for us in the end so I don't really see it as being as being a problem having illegal immigrants. Illegal immigrants are only a small portion and don't really cause any harm so why not just let it be.
Caitlin Davis
Period-2
After reading this article my views on immigration did not change that much. I felt as if the immigration could be a help to this country. It could help and be a useful source of labor. Their ability and willingness to work would boost the economy in ways that naturalized citizens could not. I believe this what Obama sees as he is pushing for open immigration.
Kimberly Mendez
Period 4
Although Welker provided a substantial argument from an economist’s point of view, my opinion regarding immigration remains the same. Immigration provides both pros and cons to the nation receiving and an immigrant’s host country. Thus, it is almost impossible to find absolution when regarding immigration without sacrificing some pros and receiving some cons. For instance, although many illegal immigrants provide an influx in the country’s economy and help stabilize economic pressures, allowing all illegal immigrants entrance into the United States does not eliminate the issue but rather creates internal strife within the nation. On the other hand, America is the land freedom and opportunities and by restricted entry to illegal immigrants the nation’s premise seems almost ironic. Thus, the conundrum that is immigration ensues.
Brian Huynh
Period 4
After reading this article, my views have not really changed. I do not like illegal immigrants. It's not fair for the people who actually went through the process of becoming of a citizen. Although illegal immigrants are a positive in terms of labor in economics, remember the immigrants who became citizens. You can't just let illegal immigrants cross so easily just because of economic reasons. However, I do believe that not all illegal immigrants are created the same. For the true immigrants who want to work and live here, we need to do something to help them.
Christine Nguyen
period 6
Even though Welker had a very good argument on immigration in an economical stance, I don't feel any different about immigration. I was never against immigration, considering that my whole family were immigrants and all my childhood friends' parents were immigrants. However, I am against the fact that people make such a huge deal out of illegal immigrants and want to block anyone foreign out for their own selfish reasons. If entering our country and becoming a citizen wasn't such a picky and difficult process, then maybe there wouldn't be such a big problem with illegal immigrants. People want to enter this country looking for a better life and better opportunities. This country was built off of the idea that it was a "land of opportunity" for those who struggled in their home country, yet us "Americans" refuse to accept others into our country.
Economically, illegal immigrants are useful and help this economy flowing, so why do we reject them?
Jesse Avila
Period 4
Illegal immigration has always been a big issue in the United States. It is understandable that people that are immigrating from other countries come to the United States for a better lifestyle and opportunities. While I agree that there are pros and cons concerning immigration, I believe the pros outweigh the negatives. Yes, illegal immigration can potentially cause overpopulation within an extended period of time, but the article states that the jobs performed by immigrants help to boost the economy by increasing production of goods. Democrats and Republicans believe that the flow of immigrants should halt however without many immigrants desperately seeking jobs, many of the jobs for necessary labor would not be filled. Despite the fact that more people decrease wages, we live in a nation which has obviously become multiracial and if illegal immigrants are helping the economy and accepting lower paying jobs, then we should be thanking them instead of pushing them out. People generally tend to argue that allowing immigrants into America causes the country to lose its way of life, but that does not seem to be an issue in this situation, since just at a glance, America is already a “melting pot” of numerous cultures.
George Waterous
Period 4
After reading this article, my opinions regarding immigration have remained the same. I do believe that illegal immigration is as issue in the United States, but legal immigration can be extremely beneficial regarding the booming businesses and industries. I feel that immigration is a political issue, not an economic one, because there have been countless debates over it. I feel that the only thing immigration does for economics is either boost industry production or decrease it, depending on the flow of workers. I feel that stricter immigration laws, like the ones the US has started, are good for the people as a whole because they lose less threat to crimes and other issues regarding illegals. Immigration can boost opportunity, especially if moving to a more beneficial place for work and home.
Audrey Hermes
Period 2
After reading this article, my views on immigration have not changed, as this article just reiterated what I always believed. I do not understand all the fuss about immigrants entering our country. They are a source of labor, and they are willing to do all the jobs that we Americans are "to good" for. Also, maybe illegal immigration wouldn't be such a problem if the process of coming to this country legally wasn't so difficult. This country is a country of immigrants, and I think we often times forget that. All in all, I think the government has bigger fish to fry than illegal immigration.
Caroline Van Nuis
6th
My views did not change that much. I feel that the immigrants' desire to live in our country and make a living could boost our economy from their hard work. President Obama chooses to push for immigration laws because he probably sees this as well. I don't think illegal immigrants cause too much trouble so therefore we should just allow them to stay and work.
Troy Lilly
Period 6
The article did alter my view on illegal immigration. Although I did not expect a change in mindset going into reading the article, I quickly changed some of my view points on immigration based on Welker's argument. Welker's argument supporting the way illegal immigrants can help to stimulate our economy was very interesting and was backed with logical information. They create jobs that they rightfully work for and deserve. They earn their living with the same amount of work, if not more, than any legal citizen.
Celine De Leon
2nd Period
My views still remain the same on immigration. I feel as though it is not fair to American citzens for illegai immigrants to reside here, however I also believe immigrants that are legal really do help the economy. I think illegal immigrants are not necessarily informed about the process of becoming a citizen and take the illegal route. I think information needs to get passes to these countries that the immigrants come from in order to make the illegal immigrants number decrease and the legal immigrants number increase.
Lillian Nguyen
Period 2
My thoughts remained the same after reading Welker's article, but his arguments against the two reader arguments caught my eye. When the second reader states that the illegal immigrants take advantage of emergency rooms, Welker's brings up an eye opening counterargument, which 49 million Americans are not medically insured and also take advantage of the emergency room services. In addition, the last statement of Europe allowing labor to freely cross borders and how Britain receives labor from Eastern Euopean countries confirmed by my own view on immigration.
Lillian Nguyen
Period 2
My thoughts remained the same after reading Welker's article, but his arguments against the two reader arguments caught my eye. When the second reader states that the illegal immigrants take advantage of emergency rooms, Welker's brings up an eye opening counterargument, which 49 million Americans are not medically insured and also take advantage of the emergency room services. In addition, the last statement of Europe allowing labor to freely cross borders and how Britain receives labor from Eastern Euopean countries confirmed by my own view on immigration.
I had always thought that immigrants take away jobs from “natural” citizens in the United States. However, after reading Welker’s article, I now see that this is not the case. From an economic standpoint, the flow of immigrants is beneficial to a country’s economic well-being. High immigration rates allows the United States to produce goods and services with low pay rates. This gives the US a comparative advantage in production and decreases the outflow of capital. If illegal immigration were to be halted, it would end up hurting the US because jobs would be outsourced to other countries with cheaper labor.
Nina Jiang
Period 4
Amy Nguyen
Period 6
My opinion on immigration after this article still has not changed. It was interesting to see immigration being viewed as the flow of labor between countries rather than seeing it as a negative thing with the drug cartels. However, my opinion about illegal immigrants is on the fence because on one hand America is the "land of opportunity" but on the other side, I am a selfish person. With adding more citizens to United States, it means that there is lesser chance of me getting Social Security and all of those things, with the addition that prisoners do get Social Security even though they do not do any good for United States. Immigration is a controversial topic that I do not believe that people should take sides by seeing things black and white. Rather, they should have a little grey because a person cannot just be all for immigration and give every illegal immigrant citizenship or vice versa.
Justin Freker
Period 4
After reading this article my view on illegal immigration is still the same. Immigration into this country is not as bad as people believe it to be as long as the immigrants are not doing damage to the country. But for the most part in my opinion it is not a big deal. I do think that if they have the opportunity to make it legal then that is good, but some people are in situations where they cannot take the time to go through the whole process. After all America is full of immigrants.
Guadalupe Alvear 2nd pd
My thoughts on immigration remain roughly the same after viewing this article. With all of the talk on immigration recently it is hard to not focus on this important topic. It was interesting to have the perspective of an economist who gives key points on how immigration is actually effecting the economy. Furthermore, I found Welker's points on how immigration can help the economy as intriguing. I also enjoyed many of Welker's responses to questions or problems the readers posed. One side of the government seems to focus more on the actual well being of the country's economy and the other is largely concerned with the social aspect.
Todd Podbielski
Pd 6
Personally, I go both ways with this. America was a country founded on immigrants, immigrants are what make this country so special. However, there are a percentage of immigrants that come to America and cause serious issues in the border states near Mexico. But, majority that come to America, help and contribute to the economy. This is infact the land of opportunity, so if anybody wants to come to America and contribute and increase competition and overall wealth of the country, there is no reason why they shoudln't.
Cecil Sabu
4th period
After reading this article, my views on immigration have not changed, but I do see it in a different light. I have never been against immigration, considering that I myself am an immigrant. In my mind, immigrants weren't necessarily bad because they added diversity and culture to America, and they took up jobs that no one else would, allowing this economy to keep flowing. Welker makes good points when he says that stopping illegal immigration and restricting it will cause labor to be immobile because it is the immigrants who take up those undesirable jobs that no one else wants, but this society needs. Therefore, the restrictions and laws against illegal immigrants should be relieved because this economy needs these illegal immigrants, despite what the politicians tell us.
Brayden Theriot
4th Period
I completely agree with Welker, and his argument of immigration does in fact effect the economy. Coming from an all American background, I found out quickly that jobs were free and nobody wanted to take them, and foreigners grasp the opportunity and take that job, because the more jobs that are taken and done help the economy going, or have a jumps start. To be honest, I don't follow politics, therefore, I have no opinion about what both parties are arguing. But what I have read or heard is the law granting citizenship to approximately 5 million southern immigrant puts a smile on face because these people, mainly children, can now participate in the world's largest economy and make a difference in their path.
My views of immigration slightly did not change but I totally agree with this article by Welker. He supports immigration and that he points how immigration is important to the economy. It is really important and helpful because there are many jobs available. These immigrants will most likely earn more money than what they earn in their home country. I say we must think a lot of positives about
immigrants. The United States has almost every nationality living here.
Rizwan Khan
6th per.
Christian Do
Period 4
My thoughts on immigration hasn't really change much after I have read this article. I do believe that illegal immigration does eventually take a toll on the economy, but ever so slightly. Most jobs illegal immigrants can take up are labor intensive ones, not even at restaurants due to their lack of identification. However, legally, they do impact the economy by their children taking advantage of the American education system and may take the jobs or rolls of Americans who are citizens. However, I also think that the American government was right to allow 5 million immigrants to get a citizenship since we are the world leader in economics, and helping as many people as possible should be one of our goals, as well as maintaining our own prosperity. Overall I do not mind granting the people here citizenship, but I do support the enforcement against illegal immigration.
Tom King,
Period 6
I'vent thought much about immigration before I read the article. But I suppose I do agree with Welker that immigration, from an economic standpoint helps the nation and is therefore to be encouraged. Whether its legal or not doesn't matter the flow of labor will continue. So in restricting illegal labor I believe we can increase legal labor coming in. This is definitely a very rational way to look at things. Just cause people have a culture to stand by doesn't give them the right to take jobs from ordinary people with same problems. The level of skill/ experience should be the first priority in hiring an employee and not a social security card. Adam smith agrees with this theory when he says that the market should be free and competition would decide the best companies and the fittest would survive. But in limiting the opportunity of others, we're interfering with the invisible hand's operation.
After reading this article, my opinion on immigration hasn't changed at all. I always thought immigration is a good thing because mostly everyone in this country comes from an immigration background at some point through history. On the other hand though, immigration is abused by some which is why its such a big debate in this country. Yes, many come the America for a better life and to get a good job to support their families, but other come here knowing that the government with help them for as long as they need, which could be a lifetime. Some abuse the help they are given which is ruining it for the people that come here with motivation to work and contribute to our large economy. I know people that came here to work and are a great example of someone who had great motivation, but I also know people who came here and haven't worked since. This is partially the reason so many look down on immigration. Its very controversial and hard to pick a purist decision on immigration.
Krista Killam
period 6
Joshua Roy
Period 2
After reading and reflecting over this article, I feel that my overall views on immigration have not altered too much and overall have remained the same. Honestly speaking, legal immigration is a benefactor within society itself, as many foreigners find a new window of opportunity from the countries they previously lived in; however, illegal immigration is detrimental, and barriers need to be placed on the issue. Overall the article was well-written. The author seemed to be very knowledgeable on the topic and was able to support his viewpoint. In terms of politics, Welker's response/thoughts parallel with those of the political parties. One party focuses on the stability of the nation's economy, while the other focuses on the interactions/affects that immigration has on people
Benjamin Kurian
Period 4
The topic of immigration is very controversial. In my opinion, I think immigration is not a bad thing to have because it can really be helpful. It can help a countries economy go up from all the additional people spending money. Another example is like Saudi Arabia. They need a lot of immigrants to help with the oil. On the other side of the topic, having a lot of immigrants in a country can cause political upheaval or uprisings which can be hard to control. Another thing is that these illegal immigrants work in horrible conditions for horrible pay and amnesty is the only way to find a solution to that problem.
Justin Hoang
6th Period
In my opinion, I have no problem with immigrants coming to America and seeking a better life. America is the "land of opportunity", so giving them a chance to have a better life can't hurt anyone. As long as they work hard and earn their own money then so be it. There are some immigrants that come to America and make more money than some of the average American with an office job. It just goes to show that anybody can come to America and make money as long as they work hard.
As an immigrant myself I have never really agreed with arguments to restrict immigration of any. This article has served to back up the opinions I have already held with certain facts. As Welker states illegal immigrants often take the jobs that American citizens are not seeking to do, and would otherwise remain undone or at the very least be understaffed. Thus arguments that "they're taking our jobs" seem irrelevant, at least to me. Also, if America is the "Land of Opportunity" shouldn't that opportunity be readily available to everyone and not just a select few? Sure, someone could struggle through the immense amount of paperwork and pay the large costs related, but it is possible to be denied citizenship. Crime would not stop being an issue if we stopped letting people in. So my opinion is, if they want to do honest work, let them.
Tosin Olabinjo
4th period
Joel Thomas
Period 4
My thoughts on the politics over immigration stay the same. I don't think immigration is a good thing when we talk about illegal immigrants because we have people that technically dont even count in our country making money. If that doesn't sound extremely foreign and out of this nation, then I don't know. Having work with no effect on our GDP is wrong and I feel more control should be on Immigration.
Yash Mathur
Period 6
with immigration being the contraversial topic it is I o beleive immigrating to the uniites states is good thing, however doing it illegaly is something that only does harm. with the unemployment rate already being at the state it is in, adding illegal workers into the workforce only inflates the unemployemtn rate by making more people surface around the already cyclical unemployment rates.
Muizz Soomar
2nd Period
After reading this article, I still see immigration as a good thing. Regardless of what people say, there is more good from immigration than there is bad. Immigrants tend to take jobs that are vacant and not many citizens want. Immigration is good in the sense that they take up the jobs that we as citizens don't want and it adds on to the nations diversity. As Welker stated, that if immigration was band, the unwanted jobs would still be vacant, and there would be much less diversity. So overall, it is a good thing to have immigration to a certain extent.
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