I’ve seen too many people characterize immigrants as “job stealers” and “wage-takers”, and write them off as a scourge on our society.  According to the Pew Research Center, 35 percent of Americans believe a majority of immigrants are illegal. In actuality, 75 percent of immigrants enter the country legally.  How could this misperception be happening? The facts and the perceptions clash harshly, and I think this undermines the role that immigrants take. Immigrants contribute so many benefits and yet few people realize what they do.

U.S. Immigration has been a topic for most of the 20th and 21st centuries, providing a platform for extreme political discourse. The economics are pretty straight forward, yet few seem to discuss it as we shift our attention towards illegal immigration. Legal immigrants, like most Americans, pay their taxes and contribute capital gain that will inevitably promote growth.  Immigrants hold deep value in American ideals. The “melting pot” metaphor that teachers seem to drill students with was created because immigrants increase our prosperity, not take advantage of it.

We need to step aside from our prejudices and the battling “alternative facts” and begin an honest dialogue about the economic benefits and hazards of both legal and illegal immigration and how it affects our attitudes.  People need to remember that easy, two-word lesson that we learn as kids: everyone matters.