Immigration has been at the heart of American elections since at least the 1920s, beginning with the Immigration Act of 1924, and has remained so ever since. Historically, it has been greatly debated, and present days prove no different.  ,
In 2022, Gallup found,” 18 % of Democrats, 39 % of independents and 68 % of Republicans … worry ‘ a great deal’ about illegal immigration”. Additionally, according to their data,” Democrats (86 % ) are nearly twice as likely as Republicans ( 46 % )” to think of immigration as a positive quality of the US.
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These patterns appear to indicate that Americans typically view immigration in two different ways: first, where they are concerned about immigration, especially if it is “illegal,” and second, where they see immigration as inevitably beneficial. In consequence, modern public policy has taken quite opposing viewpoints on immigration to the forefront.  ,
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which protected about 700, 000 illegal immigrants from deportation, was established in 2012 by then-President Barack Obama. Deferred Action for Families of Americans and Constitutional Permanent Residents, a plan he and his parents had previously attempted to create, but it fell short after receiving opposition from several states.  ,
Additionally, former President Donald Trump’s laws while in office were far greater on immigration. He banned incoming travellers who were residents of the countries of Iran, Syria, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Venezuela and Yemen, promised to build a boundary wall, and attempted to step out DACA — a shift finally overturned by the Supreme Court in 2020.  ,
Also, immigration has also been a heated topic of debate on the position level. For instance, Texas Gov. In March 2021, Greg Abbot launched Operation Lone Star, which, according to The Washington Post, “has expanded far beyond establishing a Texas rules police presence on the Rio Grande” to give local and state law enforcement the authority to “jail immigrants on intruding fees.”
Trump’s and Abbot’s tight immigration laws, and other related ones, coincide with the social view that immigration is a risk to the life of American people. Immigrants are stealing jobs from Americans, thereby denying American citizens economic opportunities, as is commonly believed.  ,
Trump used this kind of rhetoric throughout both during and after his election as president. While delivering a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, he claimed,” Illegal immigration is also deeply unfair to American workers and taxpayers”, and that it is” not compassionate. It’s inhumane, unjust, and cruel”.
Citizens who oppose harsh immigration laws frequently share similar sentiments. They warn,” Immigrants steal jobs from Americans and drag down the standard of living”, as NPR highlighted.
Despite the widespread use of this justification, data consistently demonstrates that immigrants are actually helping to boost the American economy and not stealing American jobs.  ,
According to social policy research from the Urban Institute, the three occupations that immigrants “without a high school diploma are maids and house cleaners, cooks, and miscellaneous agricultural workers” are the most prominently held by them. Meanwhile, the three occupations most prominently held by American citizens without high school degrees “are cashiers, truck drivers, and janitors and building cleaners” . ,
Even with the same level of education as Americans, immigrants ca n’t compete with Americans for the same job positions because of the differences between these professions.
In fact, according to Pew Research Center, “people across all racial, ethnic, and political groups generally concur that immigrants, whether they are undocumented or living legally in the country, tend to not generally hold the jobs that Americans want.”
Similar to this, senior fellow Vanda Felbab- Brown of the Brookings Institution has affirmed that “many of the jobs occupied by undocumented workers in the United States are physically demanding jobs that Americans do not want.”
With regard to economic stimulation, Brookings also found that diversity, often created by immigration, correlates with increased innovation and productivity growth, which are key to job creation.  ,
Furthermore, The Washington Post noted,” Immigration has propelled the U. S. job market further … helping cement the country’s economic rebound from the pandemic as the most robust in the world”.
The overwhelming evidence shows that immigrants are not stealing the jobs Americans want, and they are even fostering economic growth and opportunities in the United States. The public should acknowledge immigrants for their tireless efforts to improve our nation, including how frequently they fill necessary gaps in the labor force.  ,
