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The Effect of Immigration on Culture and the Economy

Immigration has been an issue of contention in the United States and has subsequently

sparked a lot of political debate for a number of years with policymakers sharing their economic,

humanitarian and security takes. Such a contentious issue has proved impossible to reform such

that congress often delegates major policy decision to the judicial and executive branches of the

government thus pouring gasoline into the fire. Different presidents have had different stances on

immigration and have implemented policies that match their stands. Americans hold different

views on immigration with most Americans believing immigration to be good and see the value

of the immigrant population on the economy. Despite the ongoing challenges of immigration

populations face as ethnic minorities the benefits of having an immigrant population far

outweigh the disadvantages (Radford, J. 2019).

The long standing belief that immigrant modest lifestyle could be detrimental to the

economy is quite untrue. In the contrary, immigrants in the US contribute to the economy

significantly because they constitute almost a third of the American workforce and work at

higher rates. Immigrants are geographically mobile and this is important for local economies

who often suffer worker shortages; immigrants provide much needed labor force that in absence

could easily weaken the economy. A lot of immigrants work with elderlies, supporting and

taking care of the aging population vastly increases amount of workers in comparison to the

retired workers who boost the Social Security and other medical trust funds (Sherman et al.,

2019).
 According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2018 foreigners comprised of 65.7%

of the labor force while native born Americans constituted 62.3% of the labor force. More of the

foreign population was employed than the native born. Immigrants are essential to the economy

because they hold jobs that are integral in their communities and to the economy. Those with no

college degree are found in all sectors of the economy and form a sizable portion of industries

like accommodation, construction, food manufacturing, fishing and farming. These industries

could run potential losses if they could no longer hire workers who permanently reside in the US.

While those non degree holders make up very little of the workforce population in some

industries they are heavily reflected in pertinent industries such as fishing, farming and forestry

(STATISTICS, U. B. O. L. (2018).

Immigrants fill sizeable roles in the US economy; recent findings show that the

immigrant population contribution to the economy can often go undetected due to the workers

mobility. Immigrants are often more responsive to calls about worker shortage than native burns

are. this ability to move and provide much needed labor fills gaps that native born would not

have filled and ensures productivity that would boosts the economy all while paying lower

wages. It would therefore be accurate to deduce that immigration significantly improves labor

market efficiency. This mobility inadvertently helps the housing market because as native

population growth rate reduces while the immigrant population continuously increases they form

a majority share of the housing. Since most immigrants move to America in search of a better

life, most are often poor and work in very low paying jobs and need the support of programs like

Medicaid and SNAP to survive. This is true for other native born American who stand to benefit

from these programs. Immigrants who are on these programs are employed in low paying jobs or

married to a person working these low paying jobs. Those who receive these benefits are much
more likely to be employed which is a reflection of the temporary nature of these beneficial

programs participation and how this overlaps with the benefits and employment rate year in year

out (Sherman et al., 2019).

Aging Population

Research shows that the national birth rate has steadily been decreasing in the last few

years. Decrease birth rate can be terrible for the labor force due to decreased population. This

coupled with reduced demand for housing and other industries means a less ideal economy.

Immigrants fill this much needed gaps. Immigrant play a crucial role in taking care of older

generations that have left the work force this bridging the gap left by retired workers. Immigrants

help balance the ratio of the young and mature in the labor force and since most of the young

people are college graduates not interested in low skilled jobs immigrants can successfully fill in

the gaps left. As the 2017 NAS report notes, “The vast majority of current and future net

workforce growth — which, at less than 1 percent annually, is very slow by historical standards

will be accounted for by immigrants and their U.S.-born descendants.” This inadvertently

improves the Social Security Trust Fund due to the increased immigrant population using the

fund. All other programs created to cushion the poor stand to benefit from use by employed

immigrants and so does the economy (Sherman et al., 2019).

Upward Mobility

The United States provides good grounds for self-improvement and this is evident in

upward social movement of children of immigrants. Denying entry of immigrants into the US

does not account fully for the immense contributions of immigrant children to long term

economy of the United States. Immigrant children, according to most research, are more
educated and have higher income in better paying jobs and occupations than their parents. There

is a significant economic gap between immigrant parents and their children which is a reflection

of good economic status. Children of immigrants perform better at school graduate high school

and even join some of the more prestigious colleges. Education levels is a true measure of social

mobility and immigrant parents who did not attain a high school education are able to educate

their children up to high school or college levels (Sherman et al., 2019).

Effect on the Family

Scholarship and family centered research has changed in the last few years to include

family environment, community contexts and individual attitudes to explain to describe the

impact of immigration the function and formation of immigrant families. The United States

primarily considers the nuclear family as founded in the national state therefore family studies

tend to focus their research on the interactions within families without engaging families across

the border. This results in the loss of monumental practices and cultures of transnational families

living in different countries. However, transnational families do not believe that nuclear families

are the core unit of the family and look forward to being reunited with their families (Mazzucato,

and Schans 2011).

Immigration is one of the leading causes of centering nuclear families due children

growing up without a wider family circle. Immigration has a direct impact on family structures,

households are fractured and families and split up when people immigrate to other geographical

areas. With immigration, kids at very young ages leave their houses and live in different houses

with different families. Most immigrant families who bring their kids along cannot take care of

them while working and are forced to leave them with the grandparents. Others have to leave
their children in their native countries which mean most immigrant children grow up without

their parents. We therefore cannot ignore the negative impact that immigration on the family

structure (Mazzucato, and Schans 2011).

Immigration choices are often grounded in a desire to meet the family’s needs and in the

past decade research has shed light on economic effects of immigration without devoting time to

the effects immigration on individual members in the families. This gap in research has resulted

in much needed information on the psychological effects and well-being of immigrant

populations and their families. Transnational families are common in the United States due to the

strict immigration policies that often make it impossible for families to immigrate together in

attempts to leave their country (Mazzucato, and Schans 2011).

Immigration tends to have a negative impact on natural resource allocation in the migrant

country. Most immigrant workers move to rural areas in the US since they are focused on low

skilled work such as farming and fishing which is concentrated in rural areas. The early 1980s

and 1990s was characterized by an increase in population growth which has had immense effects

on the natural resources. This prompts research to critically examine the relationship between

population growth and increase and the consequences on the management of natural resources

(McCool and Kruger. 2003).

The summer of 2000 was marked by increased number of wildfires in West Coast;

private lands nearing Idaho and Montana were severely ravaged by extensive fires. Drought, fuel

accumulation and low moisture content played a significant role in creating environments prone

to wildfires. An increased fire outbreak in the west is symptomatic of the social changes that

have occurred due to increased immigrant populations working in the vast fields and vineyards.
Fires are not the only effect of increased population; natural resources are increasingly depleted

in overpopulated areas. Timber harvesting dramatically increases and encroachment into

otherwise public lands are all effects of an increased population (McCool and Kruger. 2003).

Immigration has been known to affect the political institutions due to the toggle in supply

and demand. Immigrant make choices based on the climate of their country and their movement

is often an attempt at escaping political instability and corrupt regimes. This prompts home

countries to create policies that offer better institutions for immigrants. One can draw from the

interactions between democracy and immigration policies. While most immigrants are

uneducated and therefore are unlikely to spark political debate when oppressed they are often

incentivized to seek education thus increase their wages. Increased education prospects and

chances of higher wages can often mitigate the adverse effects that low skilled immigrant

workers could have on the political and economic institutions (Lodigiani, 2016).

Immigration and Crime

Most immigrants form part of the ethnic minority since they immigrate and settle in

similar areas; they predominantly represent ethnic minorities and their specific needs. This

presupposes the notion that ethnic minorities are quite vocal in their opposition of governments

thus they creating a less pluralistic society. Less pluralistic societies tend to have most stable

governments and a thriving democracy. This has been coined as the “exit voice” models where

political decisions instituted allow people to walk away from discriminatory or autocratic

systems (Mariani, F., & Mercier, M. 2021).

for a number of years. However public discourse and research fails to adequately correlate

increase in crime with the increase in immigrant populations. The undocumented population has

tripled in recent years and this has sparked controversial and heated debates around criminality

of these illegal aliens. This inadvertently created changes in policies and immigration reforms

reactionary to the crimes that many would associate with illegal aliens. This was evident in the

Supreme court decision to invalidate California as sanctuary due inability to arrest illegal aliens

who commit crimes and go back to their communities (Mariani, and Mercier 2021).

Law enforcement has primarily been dealing with the criminal concerns of illegal

immigration so much so that the government in recent years has spent millions more on

immigration and criminal law enforcement than on any other criminal laws. These practices and

policies have been shortsighted in their review of criminality among the undocumented. Most

research shows that illegal immigrants are far less likely to commit crimes than their native

counterparts. To fully understand the relationship between criminality and illegal immigration

one has to look at it from various angles. Is the criminality between native born similar to that of

illegal immigrants? Are illegal immigrants more prone to commit crimes more than their native

peers? Is there specific crime that illegal immigrants commit more? (Mariani, and Mercier 2021).

Despite evidence that contradicts the conflation between criminality and illegal

immigration; illegal aliens are still more likely to be arrested for crimes they did not commit.

How immigrants are portrayed in the media has a significant impact on the general outlook and

attitude that native population has. Numerous portrayals of immigrants as the enemy and

negative story lines around immigrants have significantly contributed to the policy changes that
criminalize immigration. Latinos are often depicted as threatening and unwilling to assimilate

into the US. Images of immigrants in detention facilities or in the custody of immigrant officials

further the notion that immigrants are inherently criminal. This myth of increased criminality

among the immigrant population greatly impeded social acceptance into the American fabric

(Farris and Mohamed. 2018).

Migration is responsible for the rich and diverse cultures, races and ethnicities in the

developed world. Those who immigrate often cite stress due to loss of religious norms, cultural

practices and social supports while adjusting to new environments with new cultures that tend to

change self-perception and identity. Mental illnesses have increased in ethnic minorities and

most mental health specialist report that the needs of this vulnerable population ought to be met.

The immigrant population is made up of diverse cultures which can make it quite difficult for

mental health practitioners to fully understand the cultural experience of immigrants and

diagnose their illnesses (Light, et al., 2020).

Culture is crucial while studying how illnesses present in the different cultures because it

has a profound effect on the diagnosis and treatment of immigrant populations due to the vast

differences in religious, linguistic and social. Mental illnesses present differently in the various

cultural ethnicities thus illustrating the interplay between psychological, biological and social

factors that affect the well-being of an individual. Healthcare provision among different

communities is hinged on social, political and economic factors well outside the group’s control.

Diagnostic tools and treatment plan sought to account for cultural differences to be effective

(Bhugra and Becker 2005).

Conclusion
The immigrant population is steadily increasing and a critical look at their benefits to the

environment should prompt policy makers to create laws that are favorable to them. Despite the

increased population and the strain on the natural resources, immigrants bridge a very important

gap in the labor force. Their disadvantages do not match up to the added advantages of

multicultural society is a society primed for a thriving democracy and society bent upon

inclusion.
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