Immigration: An Argumentative Essay Sample

Elie Wiesel once said, "You who are so-called illegal aliens must know that no human being is illegal. That is a contradiction in terms. Human beings can be beautiful or more beautiful, they can be fat or skinny, and they can be right or wrong, but illegal? How can a human being be illegal?'' An immigrant is a foreign-born noncitizen who is not a legal resident and most are unauthorized residents that either entered the United States without inspection or were admitted temporarily and stayed past the date they were required to leave (Davidson).

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Immigrants should be entitled to a less lengthy and inexpensive process to become United States citizens. This is because immigrants are an essential boost to the economy, are a positive element to society, and finally, are driven by a strong work ethic and an appreciation of American values. One might object that and say immigrants come to take Americans' jobs and lower wages hurting the poor (De Brauw). Nevertheless in the article, "Faculty Spotlight: Erik Hurst" it stated that seventy-five percent of leisure time falls into one category: video games. The average low-skilled unemployed man in this group plays video games an average of 12, and sometimes upwards of 30 hours per week. This change marks a relatively major shift that makes me question its effect on their attachment to the labor market." This implies that if younger, lower-skilled American men are more interested in playing video games in their parents' homes than working then this shows that immigrants are not taking jobs. The statistics show that they are willing and able hardworking individuals that contribute to the flow of the economy through supply and demand. By filling in those jobs positions that need workers they are helping continue the flow of the demand that consumers have and the supply that the market needs (Nowrasteh). Immigration is essential to boost the economy an example of this is seen in the article, "Why American Cities Are Fighting to Attract Immigrants" it stated that immigration upholds the workforce and sums up the nation's overall economic activity. An example is cities like New York and Los Angeles.

Chicago and Houston are both major immigrant destinations. They are also economic powerhouses for they account for roughly one-fifth of the country's gross domestic product. Additionally, New York immigrants made up 44 percent of the city's workforce in 2011 (Fiscal Year 2012 Annual Report to Congress). In Los Angeles, they accounted for a third of the economic output in 2007. This proves that once immigrants have learned English and became citizens, they contribute more to the economy. It is seen in these cities that immigrants work and contribute to the flow and they do not cause a burden but help in a big way that should not go unnoticed. This further justifies why immigrants should face a less lengthy and inexpensive process in acquiring U.S citizenship because of the boost they impart to the economy.

Immigrants influence the societies around them positively. Michelle Obama once said, "You see our glorious diversity, our diversity of faiths and colors and creeds that is not a threat to who we are, it makes us who we are." The pathos appeal is used to the emotion she is creating which is the feeling of unity. Going in depth to what she said, diversity makes America better because of the many different cultures and the people that are here and through immigration. This shows that immigrants help make this nation a land of diversity and rich in different cultures. The presence of immigrants drives communities of people with different cultures and heritages to come together and live amongst one another as neighbors. This is seen when people from all walks of life play on the same street or same neighborhood, getting along creating a safe and positive place to be because of the harmony created. The togetherness that is shown helps shape America into a melting pot, a melting pot of ethnic groups. Even though the immigrants share a common interest coming to the United States, each ethnic group still want to carve out their own special nook that represents who they are as individuals as well as getting along with others and spreading their cultures and positive outlooks.

Finally, immigrants should be entitled to a less lengthy and inexpensive process to becoming United States citizens because of their strong work ethics and their appreciation of American values. This is seen in the "Other Face of America" by Jorge Ramos. There are multiple testimonies but one stuck out to me the most. The story about a woman named Amelia. She came to the U.S illegally with her daughter and left her youngest child with her mother because she wanted a better life for her family. Once she got to the US, she had support from her sister and family that came before her. She worked for 2 years to be able to bring her mother and youngest child to the US. Amelia is a courageous, hardworking, and a dedicated person who is fighting for a better life and she admires the American dream. Because of this, she keeps striving and has the same values that everyone in America has, and that is to be a better person, have more than what is believed they can have and being able to most important value to dream and make dreams come true. The story of Amelia shows that immigrants come to the US with a strong mindset and are not coming to the US with an attention to take jobs, to cause trouble, or to take advantage. They are looking for opportunities and value the American dream that everyone has; to be able to do what they have a dream and make a difference in their lives and their children's lives. They value and admire how Americans dream and work they want to reach potential and start from the bottom as everyone does and build up (Nowrasteh). They are not coming in with anything. They start where everyone first starts, which shows they are fair and determined because they keep going and not giving up, another value that is important to have.

In conclusion, immigrants bring a boost to the economy, are a positive element to society, and finally have a good work ethic and value American values. This is seen in everyday life, although, most are not aware of this because they're stuck in their bubble. They are in schools as students, janitors, workers, gardeners etc. The positivity that immigrants show justifies that they deserve a less lengthy and inexpensive process to become United States citizens. They show positivity and potential by just wanting to come and make a difference in their lives and yearning better lives because they want to be able to dream and make things come true for them and their children. When Americans do not want to make their dreams come true and have a better life for themselves, immigrants work so hard to get where they need to be. When others see how much they struggle and how willing they are, they, they motivate them to work as hard and remind them of their dreams.

Works Cited

Davidson, Adam. "Q&A: Illegal Immigrants and the U.S. Economy." NPR, NPR, 30 Mar. 2006, www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5312900.

De Brauw, Alan and Russell, Joseph, Revisiting the Labor Demand Curve: The Wage Effects of Immigration and Women's Entry into the US Labor Force, 1960-2010 (December 31, 2014). IFPRI Discussion Paper 01402. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2545483https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Resources/Reports%20and%20Studies/H-1B/h1b-fy-12-characteristics.pdf

Nowrasteh, Alex. "Reducing Immigration Will Not Satisfy Trump Voters, and It's a Bad Idea Anyway." Cato Institute, 20 July 2016, www.cato.org/publications/commentary/reducing-immigration-will-not-satisfy-trump-voters-its-bad-idea-anyway.