dairymilknn

  In practicing immigration law, I've found that in our society there are several misconceptions related to immigration and the immigrant population. In a series of upcoming columns, I'll address some myths. Myth 1: Immigrants take jobs away from Americans. Fact: Economic studies show that immigrants actually increase economic productivity and the wages of American workers. The most common immigration myth I hear is that immigrants are taking all of "our" jobs. In reality, studies support the proposition that immigrants, whether here legally or illegally, not only don't take jobs from native-born citizens, they actually create jobs and increase the economic output and salaries of American workers. One of the major findings in a 2007 report by the White House Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) to the Executive Office of the President was that, on average, U.S. natives benefit from immigration because immigrants tend to complement U.S. natives and do not substitute ...

  Anti-immigrant sentiment goes by a lot of names. Most broadly, people who don't want the presence of immigrants in the U.S. are accused of "xenophobia," which is "an unreasonable fear or hatred of foreigners." On a more localized level, individuals who disapprove of immigrants on the basis that they hurt the U.S. economy are termed "protectionist" and the most extreme opponents of an "open border" are sometimes referred to as "isolationist." But at what point does anti-immigrant sentiment become just another pseudonym for plain-old racism? In a society that strives to seem politically correct, one must feel very secure in one's company to voice opinions that denigrate a person or group of people solely on the basis of race. I have noticed, however, that the same taboo does not appear to apply to conversations about immigrants (and particularly illegal immigrants), where society seems to assume that "reasonable" minds...