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Aimee Constantino

Prof. Lee

AAS 201

03 April 2017

Should We Support Undocumented Immigration?

We should support undocumented immigration because these people make a significant

contribution to Americas economy and workforce. The majority of those considered

undocumented immigrants who live in America are of Latino ethnicity, and with almost two

million Latino-owned businesses in the United States, [they] generate $222 billion in revenue,

with 29,168 of them generating $1 million or more (Aguirre, 193). These people have a

positive effect on the American economy, and they help keep the money circulating. With so

many undocumented immigrants in the United States, America may be different than what we

know it to be if we had to go on without them. As found in American Ethnicity, a 2008

American Community Survey done by the US Census Bureau found that of Latinos 16 years

and older, 18 percent work in management, professional, and related occupations; 18 percent

work in production, transportation, and material moving; 24 percent work in service occupation;

20 percent work in sales and office; and 20 percent work in farming, fishing, and forestry

(Aguirre, 193). Based on this 2008 survey, Latinos, with a good amount possibly being

undocumented immigrants, are ready to start working at a young age and are able to make a

contribution in more than one field. The undocumented citizenship status of many Mexicans is

what makes people consider them as cheap labor because, according to American Ethnicity,

undocumented aliens will rarely protest wages and working conditions -- unless they are willing
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to run the risk of being deported (Aguirre, 207). Many employers take advantage of others

undocumented status, and it compels those employees to be more cooperative and to do better.

These people also end up working the kinds of jobs that most Americans would not do. America

can not complain about these people working the lower jobs unless they suddenly would rather

work those jobs instead, for someone has to get the job done.

We should support undocumented immigration because America, being the strong and

helpful big brother type of country we are, it is our duty, our responsibility, or our chance to

provide help to those in need. Even if they are poor, in America, people are able to utilize

health care services [made] available through social welfare programs (Aguirre, 198). In

America, certain individuals without health insurance would be able to receive coverage through

Medicaid or SCHIP (Aguirre, 199). According to American Ethnicity, Latino newborn babies

are more likely to have a low birth weight compared to those newborn babies who are not Latino

(Aguirre, 198). Our country has the kind of medical resources that other countries, perhaps like

the ones people immigrate from, are lacking. There is a reason why people want to leave their

home countries and why they chose America as the place where they want to rebuild their lives.

We should support undocumented immigration because the reasons why whites fear

immigrants are invalid and unreasonable. According to American Ethnicity, there is a concern

of the broader American public about whether or not Latinos will become assimilated into the

Anglo-Saxon core (Aguirre, 202). There is also this idea that English as the national language

is being threatened by Hispanic immigration (Aguirre, 202). People probably do not want to

have to deal with the language barrier or the possibility of a single ethnic group taking over.

However, people should not worry about people like foreign-born Latinos, for instance, not
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being able to speak English well enough because studies have shown that by the third generation,

they will most likely be fluent in English (Aguirre, 202). People probably worry about America

becoming something that they can not recognize anymore.

We should not support undocumented immigration because these people are the reason

why the United States will, if not already, acquire an overpopulation issue. According to

American Ethnicity, Latinos will, within thirty years, [make up] half of the population of the

western United States, and by 2050, 31 percent of the total population in the United States will

be of Latino ancestry (Aguirre, 190). America is a land of diversity, but if the population of a

single ethnic group gets too high, then it threatens that title. The undocumented immigrant status

is not exclusive to Latinos, but the status is first commonly associated with Latinos. It is easier

for Mexicans to enter the country compared to others possibly because they simply cross the

border. Therefore, it is easy to assume that Latinos constitute the majority of those who are

considered undocumented immigrants. Overpopulation leads to an increase in competition

within the workplace and even in higher education. America can only provide so many

resources for its own people but to have to accommodate others will surely use up those

resources faster.

We should not support undocumented immigration because a good portion of these

people who come to America in hopes of leaving their old struggles behind in order to have a

better life fail to even do just that. They fail to properly utilize this opportunity to have a second

chance at building a better life and do not make a significant positive impact. Undocumented

immigrants, specifically Latinos, contribute to Americas poverty rates and low educational

attainment. Even government-sponsored anti poverty programs have not been very successful
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(Aguirre, 190). Due to their status and limited qualifications, there is not much that people can

do to provide proper assistance to them. According to American Ethnicity, Latinos generally

have lower rates of educational attainment than those who are not Latinos (Aguirre, 195).

According to a 2008 survey, only 13 percent of Latinos who are 25 years and older had at least a

bachelors degree (Aguirre, 192). Their status or financial instability may be the reasons why the

statistics are what they are. However, it can also show that these people do not want to put in the

work in order to achieve bigger and better things. There must be some sort of explanation as to

why Latinos are stereotyped as being dumb or uneducated. America is about hard work, and in

order to come here and to make a life for oneself, it takes hard work.

We should not support undocumented immigration because a good portion of these

people come to our country but fail to make an effort to assimilate. It is not until generations

later when they are able to communicate in English well (Aguirre, 202). Not being able to

understand and speak English well not only makes things harder for the individual but also for

the individual they are communicating with. For instance, someone may be trying to help this

Spanish-speaking person but can not due to the language barrier. The language barrier serves as

a significant disadvantage to all. Undocumented immigrants contribute to the rise of minorities

self-segregating themselves, meaning that they stay within their own society and culture

(Aguirre, 349). According to American Ethnicity, due to ghettoization of undocumented

immigrants, there has been very little progress in reducing Latino segregation from the general

population [within] the last twenty years (Aguirre, 201). Undocumented immigrants often keep

to themselves or around those with similar backgrounds in order to blend in and avoid being

caught and sent back to their home country. They also do this probably because it is easier for
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them to not go through such change. Coming to America and choosing not to embrace the

culture and people in some way is unfortunate.