Immigration: Myths and Realities

Adapted from Immigration: The Ultimate Teen Guide by Tatyana Kleyn

RULE OF THREE!

1. Less than 1% of the world’s immigrants come to the United States

•TRUE! • Of the 175 million migrants in the world, the U.S. admitted 1,063,732 documented immigrants in 2002. Undocumented immigration adds approximately 350,000 people per year by INS estimates.

New Vocab!• Refugee: someone who has been forced to flee his or her country

because of persecution, war, or violence. A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.

• Asylum: the right to be recognized as a refugee and receive legal protection and material assistance. An asylum seeker must demonstrate that his or her fear of persecution in his or her home country is well-founded.

• Economic migrant: leaves a country voluntarily to seek a better life. Should he or she decide to return home, they would continue to receive the protection of his or her government.

New Vocab!• Department of Homeland Security: The newest

Cabinet-level Federal department, formed after 9/11 to coordinate protection against terrorist attacks, man-made accidents and natural disasters.

• USCIS: US Citizenship and Immigration Services – the US government agency responsible for overseeing lawful immigration. Formerly INS.

• USICE: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement – the US agency responsible for immigration law enforcement and removal operations.

• USCBP: US Customs and Border Patrol – the US agency tasked with preventing illegal substances and unauthorized persons from entering the United States.

2. Anyone who enters the country without government authorization is a criminal.•FALSE!

• Federal immigration law says that the unlawful presence in the country is a civil offense, and therefore not a crime. The punishment is deportation.

New Vocab!

• Undocumented Immigrant: a foreign national who resides in a country illegally.

• Deportation: to force a person who is not a citizen to leave a country.

Immigrants are taking American jobs.• FALSE:

• Immigrants often come to the United States because of the availability of jobs. These jobs are usually low-skill, low-wage jobs such as those in agriculture or service. There are also jobs that require specific skills that American workers may lack.

• The National Journal published a report on 3/22/2013 summarizing reports from both conservative and liberal political research organizations, and the results were the same: the hiring of undocumented workers has no effect on American unemployment numbers, and may in fact create more jobs for Americans.

4. Immigrants today are less successful than those from earlier generations.

•FALSE!• Success of immigrants is often measured by looking at the second or third generations. A recent study showed that present third generation immigrants’ educational progress was equal to or greater than that of Euro[ean immigrants of the 19th and early 20th century.

5. Most immigrants enter the country without authorization.

• FALSE!!!• Around 75% of todays immigrants have legal permanent (immigrant) visas; of the 25% that are undocumented, 40% overstayed temporary (non-immigrant) visas.

New Vocab!

• Visa: an endorsement on a passport indicating that the holder is allowed to enter, leave, or stay for a specified period of time in a country.

• Green Card: a permit allowing a foreign national to live and work permanently in the US. (permanent residence). A green card does not give the holder US citizenship.

• Naturalization: the process of becoming a citizen.

6. Most legally authorized immigrants come to the United States to join close family members.

•TRUE!!• Most legal immigrants (about 75%) come to the US to join close family members. Employment and escaping persecution are tow of the other main reasons people come to the US.

7. Immigrants come to the United States and resist learning English.

• FALSE: • Most immigrants do learn at least some English. Their children sometimes learn only English.

• 2011 Pew Research found only 12% of US-born Hispanics speak English “less than very well.”

• In WI in the 19th century, 35% of 2nd and 3rd generation German immigrants still spoke only German.

8. Immigrants commit crimes at a lower rate than US citizens.

• TRUE!!• 3.5% of American men between 18-39 years old are in prison.

• 0.7% of Immigrants between 18-39 years old are in prison.

9. Nearly all undocumented immigrants come from Mexico.

• FALSE!!• 56% of undocumented immigrants come from Mexico. 22% are Latinos from other countries, while the remaining 22% come from other parts of the world. (Pew 2010)

10. Undocumented Immigrants do not pay taxes and take advantage of government services.

•FALSE!!• Undocumented immigrants pay taxes in the following ways:

• Sales Tax• Property Tax• Social Security: $6.8B/year (NY Times, 2005)

• ¾ of illegal aliens have taxers withheld!

11. Undocumented immigrants entering the United States through the Mexican border do not have ties to terrorism.

• TRUE!!!•Not a single terrorist has been caught crossing the US-Mexico border. All 9/11 hijackers entered the country illegally.

•Drugs are the major concern that Americans have related to people crossing the Mexican border. 8 out of 10 arrested for drug smuggling are American citizens. (Center for Investigative Reporting, 2013)

12. If undocumented immigrants make the effort, they could change their status.• FALSE!!

• It is nearly impossible for most people who are labeled “illegal aliens” to change their status.

New Vocab!

•Amnesty: granting legal status to a group of individuals unlawfully present in a country.

13. Most children of undocumented immigrants are living legally in the United States

•TRUE!!• Two-thirds of all children with undocumented parents (about 3 million) are US-born citizens who live in mixed-status families.

• 7% of persons under 18 in America have at least one parent who is an undocumented immigrant.

US Constitution

Amendment 14, Section 1, Clause 1:All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.

The myth of “anchor babies”

• There is no “automatic citizenship” for the parents of US citizens. To apply for citizenship, the parent of a child born in America would have to leave the country for 10 years, AND they would have to wait until their child turns 21 and can sponsor them.