Fear is a normal part of human nature. Fear has helped us survive, but it has also been used by politicians to control our thinking. In 2018 a PBS Makes Sen$e article dealt with our fears about what immigration does by exploring four economic myths:
- Immigrants take more from government and contribute less. Undocumented immigrants pay an estimated $11.6 billion a year in taxes. They receive less in public benefits since they must be lawful permanent residents for five years.
- Immigrants take American jobs. Immigrants make up 17 percent of the labor force but this does not come at the cost of Americans jobs or wages, since they often take jobs requiring either less education or that Americans tend not to take.
- Our economy does not need immigrants. Our nation’s birthrate is declining. If not for immigrants, our workforce would be shrinking. This would create significant problems for private business and government by lowering our GDP.
- The economy would be better if immigrant children were not citizens. Children with citizenship are more productive workers. Repeal of birthright citizenship would hurt the economy because citizens have more job opportunities (paying higher taxes) and rely less on government assistance.
