The Pew Research Center estimates that in the United States there are 11 million undocumented inhabitants. According to popular belief these immigrants are mainly Hispanic, and mostly Mexican, but this is not true.
Immigration to the US began during the sixteenth century, when Spanish explorers occupied lands in what are now the states of California, Oregon, New Mexico and Louisiana. In the seventeenth century, English immigrants arrived in the country in search of better life opportunities. From that moment until today, immigration continues to be the main source of population and wealth both cultural and economic in the country. Some facts to consider: » The majority of the Hispanic population in the United States is born in the US. » Since 2013, India and China are the leading countries for legal and undocumented immigration to the United States, followed by Mexico. » Immigrant workers do not take away American citizens’ jobs. In fact, not only do they not “take” those jobs, immigrants create new jobs. They stimulate the economy through the consumption of goods, and according to the Pew Research Center, in 2014 undocumented immigrants accounted for only five percent of the country’s workforce. » Some people assume that immigrants do not want to learn English. However, many immigrants find themselves in need of learning the language in order to work, study, interact with their children’s schools, attend medical appointments, pay taxes, and perform daily living tasks such as buying groceries. » Some spread the false idea that immigrants are the worst people in their countries of origin. However, according to FBI estimates, immigrants, whether legal or undocumented, are detained and imprisoned in much smaller numbers than nationals born in the country. » Regarding the wall that the current administration wants to build between the United States and its southern neighbor: whatever its effect on unauthorized immigration, it would endanger species at risk of extinction endemic to that region and damage the region’s economy. » According to the Pew Research Center, approximately half of the undocumented population do not enter the country by crossing the border. Instead they visit the US with valid documentation such as work permits, tourist or student visas, and exceed the limits of their visas. » In Alaska only, according to 2015 population statistics from the website migrationpolicy.org, the total of legal and undocumented immigrants of Asian origin is 32,697; Hispanic origin, 10,556; and European origin 9,045. |
