Immigration Change in America, Research Paper Example

It is no secret that immigration has been a matter of debate for centuries. Immigration in today’s society is as challenging as that of the 19^th and early 20^th centuries. The size and duration is similar to historical immigration experiences. Immigration has a direct effect on the for-profit (business), nonprofit, and public (government) sectors in America. With any social changes, there are direct advantages and disadvantages. This paper will address the immigration changes in America and its overall bearing on the three sectors. Immigration change in America has been a long-term concern with the growth in population and limitation of resources. After extensive research on the effects of this change, it is clear to see that immigration provides far more positive attributes than the potential negatives. Immigration changes in America offers cultural expansion, labor resources, and an overall positive effect on the government.

Immigration changes in America has brought about many social transformations. There are barriers that immigrants have to overcome to adapt to American society, one of the biggest is the language variations. Communication in some situations can prove to be challenging when the individuals speak different dialect. This creates a need for social change and understanding. The food and resource they are accustom to is different than what we are familiar with. They provide a new outlook on what we assume we may know. Reality and perceptions are two very different things. Assuming stereotypes and negative implications are factual can close off the opportunity for one to expand their knowledge. The cultural differences that immigrants bring can prove to be positive for society as well. It brings a variation in food, culture, and ways of life that may not have been present otherwise. Perhaps what we learn from each other will lay the groundwork for change that could better all cultures.

It is important to look at an in-depth effect that immigration change in America can yield. First, is the non-profit sector in America.The non-profit or the civil sector addresses the social sector that is not for profit. The demographics are changing rapidly, fueled primarily by immigration, which has increased the minority populations. Due to their lack of resources, they need special services from the nonprofit sector. “The function of the nonprofit sector is vital to the health of democracy. We think, if anything, these roles should be expanded, not contracted.” (Clotfelter & Ehrlich) This requires the non-profit sector to find the necessary resources to support the new and growing demands. When human rights are involved, it can be hard to balance resources to the human need. Ultimate is an individual is hungry, they need fed. If an individual is homeless, they need shelter. Non-profit sectors are set up to aid with even the most basic of human needs. This can become difficult if the funds and resource cannot meet the needs.

Obviously in light of the recent healthcare debate, it is important to consider how immigration affects this part of the non-profit sector. Another factor is turning away the need for medical attention. If a human is in need, immigrant or citizen, they are given the necessary treatment regardless if they have the money to pay or not. This can be a huge burden to take on with drastic financial repercussions. “Obama’s commitment to move an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants nationally “out of the shadows” would not end there. Under current law, it would also slowly open the door for them to qualify for public programs, including health reform’s massive coverage expansions.” (Whaley) The concern with immigrants having access to the same healthcare rights that we receive is that it will create a strain on the economy that could potentially be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

In rebuttal to the objections, these immigrants pay taxes just the same as the citizens. In fact they often are not eligible for the deductions and refunds that citizens are privy to. So in essence they are paying for their healthcare which would not create an excess strain on this part of the non-profit sector. By opening the door for immigrants to be eligible for these programs would mean they would have to do the same things that citizens do to use them. That means if medical coverage cost a citizen a $100 a month, the immigrant would be required to pay that as well. In the current standing, anyone, citizen or immigrant, that walks into an emergency room is eligible for treatment. If they cannot pay the bill, the hospital has no choice but to write it off. With the change in the non-profit health care sector, the individual would be paying for the health care coverage, which would greatly reduce the amount of write-offs.

Clearly when immigrants arrive, they are in need of help with clothing, a place to stay, and even with communication due to the language barrier. The non-profit sector has agencies that reach out to immigrants and help them in their time of need. “Again, the nature, structure and mission of the organization determine the type of funding they receive from both local or foreign donations as well as the possibility of qualifying for grants. In the case of registered Mexican Immigrant NPOs, the limitation on local donations and its management is only restricted by IRS regulations.” (Amaya) The amount of services they can offer is based on the funding they have available. Non-profit agencies are supported by governmental and other resources that dictate the terms of their services. They cannot provide services that they are not funded for. There are specific agencies that are in business to help immigrants with their needs. The funding has been provided, and no additional strain is put on this sector as a result. When the funds run out so does the services. The immigrants can then be referred to other agencies that have additional resources when necessary. This process is the same for citizens and immigrants alike. That is the purpose of the non-profit sector.

The business sector creates another area for debate on how immigrants put a strain on America’s resources. They take jobs from citizens, leaving unemployment high rate. With the economic strain and the decline in jobs, this creates even more animosity between citizens and the newly joining immigrants. Citizens argue that immigrants are chosen for reasons they have no control over. Immigrants will do jobs cheaper than others, making them the obvious choice for employers. Long-hours, and at times, almost exploitive wages and work environments make these immigrants a target for employers who are trying to save money at any cost. They can afford to bring in two immigrant employees for the price of one citizen. They do not have to provide benefits and they can dictate the terms of employment. This is because the labor-laws did not offer the same protection for immigrants as it did for citizens. These workers may be protected by some of the labor laws, but they are often scared to seek help. Employers who are exploiting these workers prevent any outside protection by threatening that they will turn in the undocumented employees. This allows the employer to dictate the environment in which these immigrant work without any type of legal ramifications. They do not have to pay minimum wage, benefits, implement regulated breaks, and can choose to pay them completely off of the books.

Due to the arguments on immigrants working in the United States, there has been a lot of research on the different types industries that employ them. In the Agribusiness, they rely heavily on the immigration workforce for their business to be successful. “The argument of agribusiness lobbyists that increased labor costs would push food prices to unacceptably high levels is completely misleading because it is based on greatly exaggerated estimates of the extent of price increases.” (Loewenberg)Agribusiness owners use immigrants to work in the fields and to the manual labor that citizens would demand a higher wage to do the same job. This would increase the price of the product, or eliminate the profit essentially dooming the business to fail. If an industry cannot be competitive in price and production, they will not find success as well. This would cause one supplier to go out of business, and allow the other suppliers a bigger opportunity to dictate the prices. Immigrants are not taking jobs from citizens, they are just doing them at a price that citizens are not willing to work for. This keeps the cost low and the production high, which provides a direct benefit to the economy.

In response to the argument of job shortages, there are still many available resources. “While there is no evidence of a nationwide labor shortage, businesses intending to replace their illegal immigrant work force may have to offer wages that are at least equal to what legal workers receive. This is likely to augment the pool of available native workers and prevent the labor crisis predicted by industry spokesmen.” (Ruark) This levels the playing field of the labor market. No longer can the business sector exploit laborers based on legal rights. It allows citizens and immigrants to apply to any job they are qualified for, and they are entitled to the same compensation. So the immigrant will not get preference based on working for lower wages. Offering the same wages to any employee prevents selection based on cheap labor and ends that argument against immigrants in the business sector.

In many cases, the jobs that immigrants take are jobs that the native-born workers have no interest in taking. “Immigrants generally do not have a direct negative impact on the earnings of native-born workers, as native-born workers and immigrant workers generally complement each other rather than compete for the same job. Native-born workers and immigrants tend to have different skill sets and therefore seek different types of jobs. Thus, immigrants are not increasing the labor market competition for native-born workers and therefore do not negatively affect American workers’ earnings.” (Kugler) Immigrants take the jobs that citizens do not necessary want. They have different skills and trainings which in most cases do not overlap. Because of this, the argument that immigrants are taking the jobs of citizen has not relevance. The business sector can be strengthened by immigrant workers and citizens equally. In the end, society is the one who directly benefits from the business sectors success.

Lastly is the concern of the strain on the government sector. This dates back all the way to the 19^thcentury immigrants and their overall effect on the government’s resources and financial aspects. Inhumane environment, low wages, and long hours requires the government to create new alternatives to prevent this from taking place. The creation of new laws and enforcement practices could be a costly requirement for the government. “Exploited immigrant workers who become whistleblowers will be allowed to apply for special visas that are currently reserved for crime victims, called U-Visas. Typically, employers who underpay and abuse workers can stop them from filing claims with the threat of outing them to authorities.” (Dwoskin) With the new laws on immigration it prevents these trends from continuing on. With the proper tools to enforce these laws, it will protect all employees, immigrants and citizens equally. Allowing the business sector to succeed on equal rights and wages for all employees. It protects the vulnerable or defenseless portion of society and creates an equality for all humans in America regardless of their status.

Finally, the debate of immigrants and their cost on the government. It is costly to provide benefits and other resources, as well as monitor and deport immigrants when necessary. “Last year, the US spent more than $1.2 billion to deport parents of US-citizen children. This is money that could instead be spent on improving the health and well-being of families and children.” (Farhang) Separating children from their parents can prove to be quite costly as well. Children who are born in the United States from immigrant parents still become legal citizens based on birth. If their parents are deported they become a financial burden for the government. Instead of allowing the parent to stay and work to raise their child, they take on the responsibility and this could put a strain on the government. This is a lot of money that could be used for other things that benefit the country. With the new laws that have been created with immigration, it will allow families to stay together and the government will benefit financially instead of assuming that burden.

Immigrants working are not eligible for the tax cuts and benefits that citizens can get. They pay in all the taxes and do not get any back. Allowing the immigrants the same benefits and rights as the natural-born citizens will not have an extensive effect on the government. “Government revenue might not change much with legislation. Most illegal immigrants who don’t pay taxes probably work in the cash economy – as nannies or gardeners – where taxes probably work in the cash economy – where tax compliance among citizens is low. Costs, of course, would increase. Only once they became citizens, immigrants would be entitled to the same array of government benefits as other Americans.” (Porter) Citizens and immigrants alike are required to pay taxes for the wages they earn. The benefits such as earned income and other tax breaks are only available to citizens. This means that immigrants have a higher tax responsibility than citizens. This obviously benefits the government.

Clearly the government benefits from immigrants being in America than the money spent trying to deport them. “Taken together with the labor market evidence, it seems that the direct economic impacts of immigration on existing native residents of major U.S. cities are relatively small, and may well be positive.” (Card) Citizens who oppose immigrants clearly need to look at the objections that they have. Having no negative effect on the non-profit sector, and a positive effect on the business and government sectors, immigrants can bring a new work-force and cultural expansion to their community.

Immigration changes in America offers cultural expansion, labor resources, and an overall positive effect on the government. These newly joined individuals have face their fair share of rejection, exploitations, and difficulties. However, they have proved to provide a positive effect on the non-profit, business, and government sectors. Immigration changes in America have been debated for many reasons, however the positive continually outweighs the negative. Wasting resources by deportation and incarceration is nothing more than a costly burden for the government that is not necessary. Incorporated these immigrants into the society that we know will allow an open door for understanding differences and learning for each other’s culture. All-in-all it creates a much stronger and more diverse America.

Works Cited

Amaya, Gustavo A.Immigrant non-profit organizations: How do they serve their constituencies? May 2001. Print.

Card, David. How Immigration Affects U.S. Cities. June 2007. Print.

Clotfelter, Charles T. &Thomas Ehrlich. Philanthropy and the Nonprofit Sector in a Changing America. 2001. Print.

Dwoskin, Elizabeth. What Will Immigration Reform Do to America’s Worst Workplaces? May 2013. Web.

Farhang, Lili. Assessing the Health Impacts of Immigration Policy. 17 June 2013. Print.

Gonzales, John M. How not including undocumented immigrants affects Obamacare. Mar 2013. Web.

Kugler, Adriana. Immigration Helps American Workers’ Wages and Job Opportunities. Aug 2013. Print.

Loewenberg, S. Immigration Laws Dry up Farming Work Force. Politico. 24 Oct. 2007. Print.

Porter, Eduardo. Immigration Reform Issues: The Effect on the Budget. 5 Feb. 2013. Print.

Ruark, Eric A. Illegal Immigration and Agribusiness: the Effect on the Agriculture Industry of Converting to a Legal Workforce. April 2011. Print.