Top 10 Immigration Myths and Facts
Myth Fact Source
1. Immigrants don’t
pay taxes
All immigrants pay taxes, whether income, property, sales, or
other. As far as income tax payments go, sources vary in their
accounts, but a range of studies find that immigrants pay
between $90 and $140 billion a year in federal, state, and local
taxes. Even undocumented immigrants pay income taxes, as
evidenced by the Social Security Administration’s “suspense file”
(taxes that cannot be matched to workers’ names and social
security numbers), which grew $20 billion between 1990 and
1998.
National
Academy of
Sciences, Cato
Institute, Urban
Institute, Social
Security
Administration
2. Immigrants come
here to take
welfare1
Immigrants come to work and reunite with family members.
Immigrant labor force participation is consistently higher than
native-born, and immigrant workers make up a larger share of
the U.S. labor force (12.4%) than they do the U.S. population
(11.5%). Moreover, the ratio between immigrant use of public
benefits and the amount of taxes they pay is consistently
favorable to the U.S., unless the “study” was undertaken by an
anti-immigrant group. In one estimate, immigrants earn about
$240 billion a year, pay about $90 billion a year in taxes, and
use about $5 billion in public benefits. In another cut of the
data, immigrant tax payments total $20 to $30 billion more than
the amount of government services they use.
American
Immigration
Lawyers
Association,
Urban Institute
3. Immigrants send
all their money
back to their
home countries
In addition to the consumer spending of immigrant households,
immigrants and their businesses contribute $162 billion in tax
revenue to U.S. federal, state, and local governments. While it
is true that immigrants remit billions of dollars a year to their
home countries, this is one of the most targeted and effective
forms of direct foreign investment.
Cato Institute,
Inter-American
Development
Bank
4. Immigrants take
jobs and
opportunity away
from Americans
The largest wave of immigration to the U.S. since the early
1900s coincided with our lowest national unemployment rate
and fastest economic growth. Immigrant entrepreneurs create
jobs for U.S. and foreign workers, and foreign-born students
allow many U.S. graduate programs to keep their doors open.
While there has been no comprehensive study done of
immigrant-owned businesses, we have countless examples: in
Silicon Valley, companies begun by Chinese and Indian
immigrants generated more than $19.5 billion in sales and
nearly 73,000 jobs in 2000.
Brookings
Institution
5. Immigrants are a
drain on the U.S.
economy
During the 1990s, half of all new workers were foreign-born,
filling gaps left by native-born workers in both the high- and
low-skill ends of the spectrum. Immigrants fill jobs in key
sectors, start their own businesses, and contribute to a thriving
economy. The net benefit of immigration to the U.S. is nearly
$10 billion annually. As Alan Greenspan points out, 70% of
immigrants arrive in prime working age. That means we
haven’t spent a penny on their education, yet they are
National
Academy of
Sciences, Center
for Labor Market
Studies at
Northeastern
University,
Federal Reserve
1 Due to welfare reform, legal immigrants are severely restricted from accessing public benefits, and undocumented
immigrants are even further precluded from anything other than emergency services. Anti-immigrant groups skew
these figures by including programs used by U.S. citizen children of immigrants in their definition of immigrant
welfare use, among other tactics.
transplanted into our workforce and will contribute $500 billion
toward our social security system over the next 20 years.
6. Immigrants don’t
want to learn
English or
become
Americans
Within ten years of arrival, more than 75% of immigrants speak
English well; moreover, demand for English classes at the adult
level far exceeds supply. Greater than 33% of immigrants are
naturalized citizens; given increased immigration in the 1990s,
this figure will rise as more legal permanent residents become
eligible for naturalization in the coming years. The number of
immigrants naturalizing spiked sharply after two events:
enactment of immigration and welfare reform laws in 1996, and
the terrorist attacks in 2001.
U.S. Census
Bureau,
U.S. Department
of Homeland
Security (Bureau
of Citizenship
and Immigration
Services)
7. Today’s
immigrants are
different than
those of 100
years ago
The percentage of the U.S. population that is foreign-born now
stands at 11.5%; in the early 20th century it was approximately
15%. Similar to accusations about today’s immigrants, those of
100 years ago initially often settled in mono-ethnic
neighborhoods, spoke their native languages, and built up
newspapers and businesses that catered to their fellow émigrés.
They also experienced the same types of discrimination that
today’s immigrants face, and integrated within American culture
at a similar rate. If we view history objectively, we remember
that every new wave of immigrants has been met with
suspicion and doubt and yet, ultimately, every past wave of
immigrants has been vindicated and saluted.
U.S. Census
Bureau
8. Most immigrants
cross the border
illegally
Around 75% have legal permanent (immigrant) visas; of the
25% that are undocumented, 40% overstayed temporary (nonimmigrant)
visas.
INS Statistical
Yearbook
9. Weak U.S. border
enforcement has
lead to high
undocumented
immigration
From 1986 to 1998, the Border Patrol’s budget increased sixfold
and the number of agents stationed on our southwest
border doubled to 8,500. The Border Patrol also toughened its
enforcement strategy, heavily fortifying typical urban entry
points and pushing migrants into dangerous desert areas, in
hopes of deterring crossings. Instead, the undocumented
immigrant population doubled in that timeframe, to 8 million—
despite the legalization of nearly 3 million immigrants after the
enactment of the Immigration Reform and Control Act in 1986.
Insufficient legal avenues for immigrants to enter the U.S.,
compared with the number of jobs available to them, have
created this current conundrum.
Cato Institute
10. The war on
terrorism can be
won through
immigration
restrictions
No security expert since September 11th, 2001 has said that
restrictive immigration measures would have prevented the
terrorist attacks—instead, they key is good use of good
intelligence. Most of the 9/11 hijackers were here on legal
visas. Since 9/11, the myriad of measures targeting immigrants
in the name of national security have netted no terrorism
prosecutions. In fact, several of these measures could have the
opposite effect and actually make us less safe, as targeted
communities of immigrants are afraid to come forward with
information.
Newspaper
articles, various
security experts,
and think tanks
Prepared by the National Immigration Forum, June 2003

Myths and Facts in the Immigration Debate
Anti-immigration groups, in their efforts to further restrict immigration and oppose any
positive reforms to our immigration system, often propagate myths to support their
agenda. Several of these myths are addressed below—together with facts to set the
record straight.
Myth Number 1: Immigrants take jobs away from Americans.
It is not true that immigrants take jobs away from Americans. Here’s why:
• Immigrants do not increase unemployment among natives. A study by economists
Richard Vedder, Lowell Gallaway, and Stephen Moore found that states with relatively
high immigration actually experience low unemployment. The economists believed that
it is likely immigration opens up many job opportunities for natives. They wrote, “First,
immigrants may expand the demand for goods and services through their consumption.
Second, immigrants may contribute to output through the investment of savings they
bring with them. Third, immigrants have high rates of entrepreneurship, which may
lead to the creation of new jobs for U.S. workers. Fourth, immigrants may fill vital
niches in the low and high skilled ends of the labor market, thus creating subsidiary job
opportunities for Americans. Fifth, immigrants may contribute to economies of scale in
production and the growth of markets.” 1
• Research on immigration’s labor market consequences on minorities has also
yielded information that suggests little negative impact. In her study on
immigration’s impact on the wages and employment of black men, the Urban Institute’s
Maria E. Enchautegui concluded, “The results show that in the 1980s black men were
not doing worse in areas of high immigration than in other areas and that their
economic status in high-immigration areas did not deteriorate during that decade.”2 The
National Academy of Science study The New Americans, while finding there may be
some impact of immigration on some African Americans locally, concluded that “While
some have suspected that blacks suffer disproportionately from the inflow of lowskilled
immigrants, none of the available evidence suggests that they have been
particularly hard-hit on a national level.”3
______________________________________
American Immigration Lawyers Association
918 F Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20004-1400
202.216.2400
2
• Even in particular sectors of the economy, the evidence of a negative impact of
immigrants on natives is limited. A review of studies by Jeffrey Passel of the Urban
Institute found that “The majority find no more evidence of displacement than is
revealed by the aggregate data. Even studies of more highly skilled occupations, (e.g.,
registered nurses), find no strong evidence of displacement.”4
• Immigrants fill niches at the high and low ends of the labor market. This will be
increasingly important in the future. As the U.S. population ages, many skilled workers
and professionals will retire, leaving gaps for employers. Meanwhile, as jobs in the
skilled professions become more attractive, natives will continue the trend of gaining
higher levels of education and abandoning lower skilled jobs. (Today, less than 10
percent of native-born Americans have not completed high school.) That will create
gaps at the lower end of the job market, as the demand in health care, hospitality, and
other service jobs increases as the U.S. population ages.
• Some wage studies are dubious. Harvard economist George Borjas has argued that
immigrants lower the wages of native high school dropouts. His theory is that these
impacts do not show up locally, since natives move out of state in response to
immigrants moving into an area. However, research by Columbia University economist
Francisco L. Rivera-Batiz shows the flaw in Borjas’ theory, since Rivera-Batiz found
that native out-migration in states that receive many immigrants is barely measurable
and to the extent it occurs it is college-educated natives who have left, presumably for a
variety of reasons. Rivera-Batiz concluded that “Although the supply of workers with
less than a high school education has been increased by immigration, both theory and
empirical evidence suggest that there has been very little, if any, impact of immigration
on the wages of high-school dropouts.”5
• There is no such thing as a fixed number of jobs. Contrary to the belief that an
increasing number of people compete for a static number of jobs, in fact, the number of
jobs in America has increased by 15 million between 1990 and 2003, according to
the Bureau of Labor Statistics (U.S. Department of Labor).6 Between 2000 and
2010, more than 33 million new job openings will be created in the United
States that require only little or moderate training, according to the Bureau of
Labor Statistics. This will represent 58 percent of all new job openings.7
Myth Number 2: Most immigrants are a drain on the U.S. economy or treasury.
Here’s the truth about immigrants, taxes and the economy:
• All individuals who work in the United States are required to pay federal income
taxes. The only exception is if they are exempted due to their level of earnings, a
provision of the tax code that results in no taxes, or a bilateral tax treaty.
• Significant total taxes are paid by immigrants. Immigrant households paid an
estimated $133 billion in direct taxes to federal, state, and local governments in 1997,
according to a study by Cato Institute economist Steve Moore.8
• State level tax payments approximate natives. Immigrants in New York State pay
over $18 billion a year in taxes, over 15 percent of the total, and roughly proportional to
3
their size in the state’s population, according to a study by the Urban Institute. Average
annual tax payments by immigrants are approximately the same as natives—$6,300 for
immigrants versus $6,500 natives.9
• Long-run benefit. The National Academy of Sciences concluded that “Over the long
run an additional immigrant and all descendants would actually save the taxpayers
$80,000.”10
• States come out ahead. In Congressional testimony, University of California,
Berkeley economist Ronald Lee, the principal author of the fiscal analysis in the
National Academy of Sciences study, concluded that a dynamic analysis, with the
appropriate assumptions, would likely show that 49 of the 50 states come out ahead
fiscally from immigration, with California a close call.11
• Some of the Academy study is misused. Professor Lee testified that some have
misinterpreted the Academy study’s use of the annual costs of immigrant households to
argue that immigrants are a large fiscal cost to states. He has stated that “These
numbers [annual costs of immigrant households] do not best represent the panel’s
findings and should not be used for assessing the consequences of immigration
policies.” He found that it is misleading, on an annual basis, to calculate the schoolage,
native-born children of immigrants as costs caused by immigrant households but
not to include the taxes paid by those children when they enter the workforce.
Professor Lee also testified: “Reducing immigration would make it more difficult to
support the health and retirement of the baby boom generation.”12
• Overall economic benefits of immigration. The report by the National Academy of
Sciences also found that immigrants benefit the U.S. economy overall, have little
negative effect on the income and job opportunities of most native-born Americans, and
may add as much as $10 billion to the economy each year. As a result, the report
concluded, most Americans enjoy a healthier economy because of the increased supply
of labor and lower prices resulting from immigration.13
• Economists agree on immigration’s benefits. In a poll of eminent economists
conducted by the CATO Institute in the mid-1980s and updated in 1990, 81 percent of
the respondents opined that, on balance, twentieth-century immigration has had a “very
favorable” effect on U.S. economic growth.14 Moreover, 56 percent of the economists
polled believed that more immigration would have the most favorable impact on the
U.S. standard of living, while another 33 percent felt that the current levels of
immigration would have the most favorable impact.15
Myth Number 3: America is being overrun by immigrants.
Here are the facts on immigration statistics:
• The number of immigrants living in the United States remains relatively small as a
percentage of the total population. While the percentage of U.S. residents who are
foreign-born is higher today than it was in 1970 (currently about 11 percent), it is still
less than the 14.7 percent who were foreign-born in 1910.16
4
• The annual rate of legal immigration is low by historical measures. Only 3 legal
immigrants per 1,000 U.S. residents enter the United States each year, compared to 13
immigrants per 1,000 in 1913.17
• The 2000 Census found that 22 percent of U.S. counties lost population between
1990 and 2000. Rather than “overrunning” America, immigrants tend to help revitalize
demographically declining areas of the country, most notably urban centers.18
Myth Number 4: Immigrants aren’t really interested in becoming part of American
society.
Here’s information about immigrants’ feelings about the country and the future:
• Immigrants more optimistic about nation’s future. “A poll of Hispanics finds they
are far more optimistic about life in the United States and their children’s prospects than
are non-Latinos,” according to an August 2003 New York Times/CBS News poll.19
• Immigrants identify with America. “Nearly 70 percent of foreign-born Hispanics say
they identify more with the United States than with their country of origin,” according
to the New York Times/CBS News poll. Only 16 percent, including those here fewer
than 5 years, said they identify more closely with their native country.20
• Immigrants believe in the American Dream. A CNN/USA Today poll reported that
more immigrants than natives believe that hard work and determination are the keys to
success in America, and that fewer immigrants than natives believe that immigrants
should be encouraged to “maintain their own culture more strongly.”21
• Immigrant children learn English. In San Diego 90 percent of second-generation
immigrant children speak English well or very well, according to a Johns Hopkins
University study. In Miami the figure is 99 percent.22
• Naturalization rates rising. Statistics from the 2000 census indicate a steady rise in
the naturalization rates of immigrants. In 2000, slightly more than 37 percent of all
foreign-born residents were naturalized, a 3 percent increase from 1997.23
• Immigrants want to become proficient in English. Reports from throughout the
United States indicate that the demand for classes in English as a second language far
outstrips supply. Data from fiscal year 2000 indicate that 65 percent of immigrants
over the age of five who speak a language other than English at home speak English
“very well” or “well.”24 The children of immigrants, although bilingual, prefer English
to their native tongue at astounding rates. In fact, the grandparents and parents of
immigrant children have expressed some concern that their youngsters are assimilating
too quickly.
• Immigrants learn English. Only 3 percent of long-term immigrants report not
speaking English well, according the National Academy of Sciences.25
5
Myth Number 5: Immigrants contribute little to American society.
The facts show that immigrants contribute significantly to America:
• Immigrants show positive characteristics. A Manhattan Institute report showed that
immigrants are more likely than are the native born to have intact families and a college
degree and be employed, and they are no more likely to commit crimes.26
• High levels of education for legal immigrants. According to the New Immigrant
Survey, which measures only legal immigrants, “The median years of schooling for the
legal immigrants, 13 years, is a full one year higher than that of the U.S. native-born.”
The New Immigrant Survey is a project headed by the Rand Corporation’s Jim Smith.27
• Immigrants help with the retirement of baby boom generation. While countries in
Europe and elsewhere will experience a shrinking pool of available workers, the United
States, due to its openness to immigration, will continue healthy growth in its labor
force and will reap the benefits of that growth. Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan
Greenspan has stated that “Immigration, if we choose to expand it, could prove an even
more potent antidote for slowing growth in the working-age population.”28
• Foreign-born expertise aids U.S. research and development. Foreign-born scientists
and engineers make up 28 percent of all individuals with PhDs in the United States
engaged in research and development in science and engineering, helping to spur
innovation.29
• Immigrants contribute to entrepreneurship. Inc. Magazine reported in 1995 that 12
percent of the Inc. 500—the fastest growing corporations in America—were companies
started by immigrants.
Our understanding of the meaning of American patriotism would not be complete without
considering the pride and commitment immigrants demonstrate on behalf of the United
States. According to the U.S. Department of Defense:
• More than 60,000 immigrants serve on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces.
• Immigrants make up nearly 5 percent of all enlisted personnel on active duty in the U.S.
Armed Forces.
• Nearly 7 percent of U.S. Navy enlisted personnel are immigrants.30
Historically immigrants have made significant contributions to the defense of
America:
• More than 20 percent of the recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor in U.S.
wars have been immigrants, a total of 716 of the 3,406 Medal of Honor recipients have
been immigrants.
• 500,000 immigrants fought in the Union Army during the Civil War.
6
• A special regimental combat team made up of the sons of Japanese immigrants was the
most decorated of its size during World War II.
• Major U.S. weapons, such as a more advanced ironclad ship, the submarine, the
helicopter, and the atomic and hydrogen bombs were developed by immigrants.31
• On July 3, 2002, President Bush recognized the contributions of immigrants in the U.S.
Armed Forces by signing an executive order that provided for “expedited
naturalization” of noncitizen men and women serving on active-duty since September
11, 2001. The order granted some 15,000 members of the U.S. military who served
fewer than three years the right to apply for expedited citizenship in recognition of their
service.
• After the passage of Section 329 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 143,000 noncitizen
military participants in World Wars I and II, and 31,000 members of the U.S.
military who fought during the Korean War, became naturalized American citizens,
according to White House statistics.32
• At a time when Americans value patriotism more than ever, immigrants demonstrate
that they are a part of this spirit through their service in the military. Paul Bucha,
President of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, has stated: “I put to you that
there is a standard by which to judge whether America is correct to maintain a generous
legal immigration policy: Have immigrants and their children and grandchildren been
willing to fight and die for the United States of America? The answer right up to the
present day remains a resounding ‘yes.’”33
Conclusion
In sum, who are these people we call immigrants? They could be your parents, your
grandparents, your teachers, your friends, your doctors, your policemen, your grocer,
your waiter, your cook, your babysitter, your gardener, your lawyer, your favorite actor,
actress, or sports hero, your shopkeeper. Immigrants permeate the fabric of America.
They are an integral part of our society, its goals and its values. The backbone that helps
make this country great, they set us apart from every nation in this world. In short, they
are us.

Miguel!!!!!!!!!





well done brother!!!!!!!!!!

To Miguel

thank you guys
just a bit of information
for those who lack of it
and judge without seeing the whole picture

awesome, miguel!!!

thank you...

Um...what about the fact that they are here illegally?

I love how these statistics list them as "immigrants". I have no problem with immigrants, I have a problem with the illegal variety.

different people, different views

interesting...thank you

Whomever you are, whatever your view, the truth is this: if they broke the law to get into the country, they are >illegal< immigrants.

Proverbs 17:15
He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, Both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD.

what about those that never stop all the way at a stop sign? that's illegal...or those that practice sodomy...that's illegal...or them damned jaywalkers!

drug users are breaking the law, too...i'd rather send THEM out of the country.

legas or illegals? not the main question
what can we do?
how can all benefit of this?
how tolerant are we?
how are these people damaging you?
how can we fix this acting like humans?

"Proverbs 17:15
He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, Both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD."

i would argue that just because something is legal does NOT make it right...just as illegality doesn't necessarily make something "wicked".

agreed my sister

Once again, if you come here legally welcome to America, if you come here illegally get the hell out or be deported.

once again different people, different views
we will see (if we are alive) who is right.

walks in and seeing the idiocy of anarchy, walks out to throw random people from a cliff. Who needs laws? I'll do whatever the hell I want to as long as I feel it is right. Unless it is something I oppose eh? Hypocrisy wins again? Nope. Not a chance. The majority has spoken. The geese will always gather and cackle. In every battle there is a loser.

You want my plan?

1) Secure the borders, all of them.
2) 23% of our prison's inmates are illegal aliens. Send them all home and reduce the crime rate. Just so that there are no broken homes, the wives, children and other relatives of felons will be sent packing too.
3) Enforce SEVERE penalties on any employer who hires illegal aliens.
4) Any Illegal alien who is discovered will be sent back to their country of origin, along with their family (We don't want to break up the families).

secure the borders?
did u know that the guys from washington reduced from 6000 to 3000 the national guard members securing the border.
Apparently, ur politicians don't agree with ur plan.
ironic, ain't it?

Nope. They haven't manufactured enough mines yet. Silent security. Cross the border legally and be welcomed. (concerning the mine statement, kids, don't try this at home)