Immigrants and the Economy- High School

One of the most common reasons that people oppose immigration is because they believe that having more immigrants in the U.S. means that taxpayers’ dollars are primarily used for immigrants or that immigrants “take” the jobs of U.S. citizens. However, research on immigration’s role in the economy speaks otherwise. 

1. Children of Immigrants Give Back Big

• When looked at in the long-term for the economy, immigrants do so much more to help the economy than hurting it. 

• Children of immigrants are some of the highest-economic contributors in the United States. They frequently end up paying more in taxes than their parents do or than other U.S. citizens do. 

2. The Truth About Taxes

• A common question is ‘Do immigrants cost taxpayers money, or do they help fund the government?’

  • Both are true, but it depends on whether you look at it from a local perspective or a federal one.

  • On a local scale, a high concentration of immigrants may cause financial strain on local government budgets. 

  • When talking about the effect of immigrants on the federal government, however, the net contribution of immigrants to the economy outweighs the cost of the federal services they use. 

    • They work, pay taxes, and build lives here. Over a decade, immigrant contributions to the economy decrease the federal deficit by hundreds of billions of dollars (figure from CBO ).

3. Creating Jobs, Not "Taking" Them

• Many people believe that immigrants “take” the jobs of American citizens when they immigrate to the United States. This is almost entirely a misconception, by filling certain roles in a business, immigrants allow that business to expand and create more jobs for native-born U.S. citizens. 

• Rather than competing with native born citizens, immigrants contribute to the workforce in crucial ways.

4. New Ideas and Businesses

• Research shows that immigrants start businesses at practically double the rate of native-born citizens.

• By creating new and innovative industries, immigrants drive long-term economic growth for the United States.