What is the impact of immigration on employment in America?

Question

Pros and Cons

Answer 1

Pros: Employers get new workers and help fulfill their need (demand) for many jobs that are hard labor.  Immigrants do a lot of hard jobs that require long hours and low pay...a lot of the jobs get people from other countries.  Examples include restaurant workers, farmworker s, and landscapers.

Pro: Many immigrants can also find jobs working for restaurants in different cultural areas.  I know that some Chinese immigrants work at Chinese restaurants.   Strong bonds of community can be formed.

Pro: Families of immigrants in other countries will get money from the immigrants.

CONS

1. A lot of immigrants are exploited.  There are a bunch of under-the-table deals.  Many immigratns work for pretty low wages- below minimum wage and do so because its hard to find work at times (and because they do need the money in order to survive).  Rights of immigrant laborers are limited at times and there have been some who have been denied their rights.

2. There is a debate over whether immigrants burden social service.  I have heard different studies, but there is just too much debate to be clear as to whether they actually put strain upon social services and welfare.  Some say that they committ many crimes, but that's controversial.  So I can't find many researchers who have consensus on this.  I don't think they are a burden, but I can see why some people think they are.

3. A lot of tension rises between those born in the US and those who are from another country.  There has been much anti-immigrant feelings in the USA.