The Effects of Immigration on the Economy of the United States

The United States has many illegal immigrants who struggle to live. There are also the legal citizens of the United States who were born in foreign countries and who abide by the laws of the United States. A lot of population growth has been witnesses in the United States due to the illegal immigration of people into the United States. A close examination of the differences in the lifestyles of the individuals from foreign countries and the people who have been born within the United States can reveal that there are considerable differences. Every year, many immigrant workers come to the United States and are employed in the industries and firms offering seasonal work for a little pay. The influx of immigrants in the United States affects the economy, diversity and the population of the nation.

According to the U. S Department of Labor, the U. S population is likely to increase by 50% in the coming 50 years. They also argue that the largest part of this population growth will be contributed by immigration and that other factors like the birth and death rates will only have a little effect. In Maryland, there is an estimated annual cost of incarceration of illegal immigrants of about $24,300. Another factor that would greatly increase the amount of money used if included is the estimates of the welfare benefits that are paid to illegal immigrants’ children as well as some other services like housing. In addition, the costs of education have been understated because they are not inclusive of the costs involved in the instruction for Limited English Proficiency or the costs that go to remedial education for the students that have gaps in their education.

According to the department of education, between 1996 and 2005, the enrolment of students from kindergarten to grade 12 dropped by 7. while the enrolment of students in the LEP classes rose by 96. Because black markets are neither regulated by the government, the services and products that are exchanged there do not contribute to the economy through taxes. Immigrants often use the black markets so that they are not detected, this puts more burden on the tax-paying citizens of the United States. The worst effect that McDonald predicts is the destabilization of the foreign markets. The high rates of emigration from foreign countries destabilizes them and reduces their ability to import the goods that are produced within the United States. One such an example is Puerto Rico which is a territorial part of the United States and so there are not many restrictions on migration to the United States.

percent.   Granting legal status to all undocumented immigrants in the United States as part of a comprehensive immigration reform and allowing them to work legally would increase their state and local tax contributions by an estimated $2. billion a year. Their nationwide effective state and local tax rate would increase to 8. percent. Hanson focuses on the costs on the economy and the benefits that accrue to the economy from the presence of cheap immigrant labor in the market. His conclusion that the stemming of illegal immigration into the United States may cause a net drain in the economy of the United States questions the proposals that are being advanced to increase the amount of federal funds allocated to the protection of the borders to prevent illegal immigration. Hanson states that the guest worker programs that the Congress is now considering do not account for the incentives that cause illegal immigration, which is of benefit, not only to the undocumented workers desiring to live and work within the United States, but also to the employers seeking labor of low cost that is flexible (Hanson).

Hanson explains that if policy makers do not engage in coming up with a system of legal immigration which reflects the advantages economically that accrue from illegal labor, the programs will not be effective in the reduction of illegal immigration. Maha and Liviu-George in their article "The impact of illegal immigration on US economy” published in 2010 claim that the United States was founded as a land of immigrants and without them it would not have risen to the level where it is today. They give examples of some of the successful innovative companies in the United States economy like Google, eBay, Intel and many others which have been started by people who migrated into the United States only recently. The opportunities available in the United States for immigrants to succeed and advance have saved the United States from many types of threats on internal security that have been a problem in some European countries for a long time where immigrants tend to be marginalized.

Therefore, it can be seen that immigrants are essential to the prosperity of America, and will continue to be important in helping the United States to remain strong. In conclusion, despite the thoughts of some people that immigrants are a pure economic burden to the United States, there are many benefits that the economy of the United States reaps form the presence of immigrants in the country. The first advantage is the provision of cheap labor and the fact that they contribute a great deal to the taxes which contribute to the economy.  ITEP, 2017, https://itep. org/undocumented-immigrants-state-local-tax-contributions-2/. Accessed 13 June 2018. Hanson, Gordon Howard.  The economic logic of illegal immigration. McDonald, Michael. Ways Illegal Immigration Affects You Financially".  Gobankingrates. Com, 2015, https://www. gobankingrates. edu/issues/2016/1/27/the-effects- of-immigration-on-the-united-states-economy. Accessed 13 June 2018.