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Cultural Conflict - Immigration in the United States  
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Tags: immigration, US, laws, Social, problem, culure, conflict, interest, personal, politics, immigrants, aliens

Cultural conflict exists throughout the world, including right here, within the borders of the United States. The immigration issue is one of those conflicts.

	The issue of immigration in the United States is a two-headed monster. We must concern ourselves not only with the culture clash that it can cause, but also the economic drain it inflicts on our nation. Can we honestly still say “give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” and mean it? Or is immigration something that is so economically devastating that policies need to be put in place to cut off the “monster’s” head?
	In 2005, there were 35 million immigrants in the United States who made up approximately half of the 1990s job growth (adding 2.3 million workers) (Freeman). Those are some pretty significant numbers, especially considering the numbers continue to grow today. These facts are the backbone of much political debate in recent years.
	Most of this debate surrounds the issue that the addition of immigrants to the labor force makes it harder for previous Americans to find work. It is safe to assume that immigration is associated with unemployment and that immigration does add undue stress on small businesses.
	“Now, as in the past, advocates of restraining immigration contend that newcomers displace native workers in the labor market and create a fiscal drain by costing the government more in services than they pay in taxes.“ (Citrin 858).
	Like most things, it is not completely a black-and-white issue. Many people still firmly stand by the American “melting pot” cultural theory. But where do you draw the line? Allowing immigrants as a part of out workforce can have both negative and positive effects. For the blue-collar working American, immigration substantially adds to the already competitive workforce. For the white-colored businessmen and people on Wall Street, immigration has more of a positive effect.
	A good example comes from the Monterey County newspaper “The Herald” where a Hershey chocolate factory in San Joaquin Valley was closing down and moving those jobs to a plant it will build in Monterrey, Mexico. This happened the same week that many illegal immigrants were rallying for legal status.
	“These two events framed up our schizophrenia on the issues very nicely. As a society, we say we want to stop illegal immigration, but for economic reasons we don't. We also say we want to keep jobs from leaving this country, yet corporations that ship them abroad get rewarded by Wall Street.” (Boren 1).
	A majority of the impact immigration has on the American economy stems from this central issue. It is cheaper to produce goods with Mexican labor; whether it is American-based businesses hiring Mexican immigrants, or American businesses leaving this nation to actually build factories in Mexico.
	However, looking at it from the perspective of the United States’ economy as a whole, it is impossible to say for certain that immigration does inevitably hurt the American economy. Much of this depends on the education and skill level of the immigrant population. Obviously with less-skilled labor, wages go down and the workforce as a whole becomes less productive.
	“In theory, the labor market impact of immigration depends on how the skills of immigrants compare with those of nationals in the host country” (Coppel 14).
	There is no one answer. In fact, it is almost a trail-and-error process. Immigration policies are in place, and are always a topic of debate in Washington as well as California.
	“The Immigration Acts of 1965 and 1990 widened America’s door to newcomers, but in sharp contrast, the current legislative landscape is strewn with proposals to reduce immigration, seal the border with Mexico, and pare government expenditures by limiting immigrants’ access to government services and benefits” (Citrin 858).
	Sources
	Boren, Jim. “Immigration schizophrenia.” Monterey County: The Herald. 7 May 2007. Opinion page. Final ed.
	Citrin, Jack; Donald P. Green, Christopher Muste, Cara Wong. “Public Opinion Toward Immigration Reform: The Role of Economic Motivations.” The Journal of Politics. Vol. 59, No. 3 (Aug., 1997), pp. 858-881
	Coppel, J., J. Dumont and I. Visco (2001). “Trends in Immigration and Economic Consequences.” OECD Economics Department Working Papers. No. 284. OECD Publishing, pp 1-32.
	Freeman, Richard B. “Immigration’s Economic Impact.” Britannica.com. 7 May 2007.

Lister: Pratt
Source: See above

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