Essay: Immigrants and Refugees in the United States

The U.S defines immigrants as a person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country meanwhile refugees are people who cannot return to their country of national origin because of persecution or a well founded fear of persecution due to race, religion, nationality, social group or political opinion. I believe all of us want to fight for our human rights just the same as another people who fight for it by coming to our country for their better lives, as one of world citizens we need to contribute by the simplest thing by accepting them in our country and culture for a better and safer world. Accepting immigrants and refugees is not just a moral thing to do is in everyone best interest.
The newly-elected United States President, Donald Trump, has said he will build a wall to refuse refugees and immigrants. One of his immigration plan was renewal of his call to build “great wall along the southern borders,” to be staffed with an additional 5000 border agents. Beside that, he said to complete shut down to Muslims due to safety concerns and people trauma after big terrorist attack in the United States. It creates controversies for a lot of people, showing that they are disagree with these statements. The people believe that it is impossible and also just a waste of money. By building a wall or complete shutdown to Muslims will not change a thing. However, millions immigrants and refugees currently live in the United States, and most, if not all, of them are not terrorists. They are human beings who want to live peaceful, productive lives just like everyone else. Being open for any kind of immigrants has always been part American culture and society.
America has always been a nation of immigrants. Even the original Native Americans traveled by foot from Asia. Every immigrants have their own characteristics that they bring from their home country, and it is not always bad most American can feel their existence bring a better life for themselves and even others. According to Duignan, Peter, and Others from World &Amp: I p. 18-37, immigration has made and remade America. America was generally open to all kinds of immigrants. In the words of George Washington “the bosom of America is open to receive not only the opulent and respectable strangers, but the opposed and persecuted of all nations and religions, whom we shall welcome to a participation of all our rights and privileges”.  Our country’s Founding Fathers were mainly from English, Welsh, and Scotch-Irish stock. The nation they started has welcomed people of all colors and religious persuasions to come and join the great experiment that is America. Immigration can possibly be controlled, especially in this age of terrorism, but it cannot be stopped, just as the rushing streams were harnessed to drive America’s Industrial Revolution, so the tide of immigration can be sensibly directed to help further present-day American business and politics. America today has done a long and historical journey with any kind of immigrations. Immigrants have give and take relationship with the U.S, not only they make differences in economy but sharing culture as well. As long as more benefits that we take from immigrants why should we try to refuse them to come in the U.S. Immigration and Immigrants are part of our history we can not ignore them who want to come to this country and we have always been open to any kind of immigrants. (Duignan, Peter and others)
Secondly, immigrants and refugees add to the economy. “Refugees adapt quickly to the U.S Economy, complement existing workers, and settle rapidly into their new homes,” argues Alex Nowrateh, an immigration specialist at the Cato Institute. Economist also shown that immigrants generally increase the host country’s overall gross domestic product (GDP). When immigrants and refugees come to United States it does not mean that they come with empty hands, it can be they do not have money but they bring the skills that they can use to settle new life in the host country and contribute to it. According to Veronique De Rugy in article entitled “Taking in refugees is good for America” states that  not only immigrants do not harm America but they have benefited it. The Wall Street Journal calls for high levels immigration because it means more consumers, more workers, and a larger economy. Immigrants labor, moreover, keeps prices, supplies, and services available and cheap. Economy has been being one of an issue that everyone cares about. A lot of Americans complain that everything become more expensive by the time goes by, in fact that immigrants can help to keep everything cheap and available are an amazing result to accept immigrants for better economy. I believe all Americans want their country’s economy become better and increase their own welfare as well. By accepting immigrants we can help each other for our better income.
Additionally, millions of foreigners enter the U.S each day. Most are not immigrants planning to settle permanently. But about 2,600 daily become legal U.S residents and other 1,400 are added to unauthorized foreigners. The arrival of many foreigners are always welcomed by the Americans. The United States has always celebrated  its immigrants heritage. In fact that most of them are open and have a helping hands both for the newly moved immigrants and visitor foreigners. According to Martin, Philip, and Elizabeth Midgley in article entitled “Immigration: Shaping and Reshaping America” from Population bulletin states immigration has a major effect on the size, distribution and composition of the United States population. Because fertility and mortality are relatively low in the United States, immigration contributed at least a third to the total population increase between 1900 and 2000, as the number of foreign-born U.S residents rose from almost twenty million to over 31 million. More Americans are dying as birth rates hit records low. It becomes our concern now because younger Americans more likely delaying having children and an exceptionally large group of Americans reaching mortality, the gap between births and deaths in the U.S. is the smallest it’s been in nearly four decades, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Census. The increasing of fertility and mortality can help to produce more young generation for United States. In fact that we lack on that issue, that is why we need immigrants roles. More young generation can help the country for better future.
Next, we can save the lives of innocent people who are escaping war. The United States plans to increase the number of refugees it takes from 70,000 to 100,000 over the next two years. New York, Los Angeles and 16 other cities have urged President Obama to accept even more refugees from Syria. Many states and non profit organization are prepared to accept refugees and in fact there are still a lot space available for them to settle new life and work in United States. According to Sophie Quinton in article entitled “Are cities and states prepared to host more refugees?” states  that every states except Wyoming has a partnership with federal government and local non profit organizations to provide aid to refugees. States such as Washington, Minnesota and Michigan take more refugees per 100,000 residents. However, facts prove that the U.S still has a lot of space and ability to accommodate refugees, why should we think twice to accept them.
Lastly, Georgetown University’s Ann Speckhard, who studies terrorist psychology, says “Experience from many conflict zone teaches us that the longer these refugees are left to languish in despair, the more prone they become to radicalization.” In other words, there are serious security downsides to not accepting refugees. When a big country try to refuse them or not giving them chance for Asylum they will feel more despair and under pressure, with helping hand from a country that have a power like United States to accept refugees we can help to reduce radicalization which is become an essential issue these days. According to Veronique De Rugy in article entitled “Taking in refugees is good for America” states that before refugees are cleared to enter the United States, they must undergo a rigorous security check to make sure they are not affiliated with a terrorist organization or a rebel group. United States has a good safety protection for all its citizens by how strict their rules at the airport and so on. The fact that all the terrorist are not coming from refugees, it should not become a burden and a terror for U.S government and citizens for accepting them to settle live in the U.S. This is one of the reason that accepting immigrants and refugees should not be limited by safety concerns, because most of terrorist attack they are from illegal visitor not from immigrants or refugees.
Taking in immigrants and refugees is good for America, they have benefited a lot for our country both in economy and cultural aspects. Accepting immigrants and refugees is not just a moral thing to do is in everyone best interests. Even the newly-elected United States president want to extreme decreasing immigrants and refugees who are coming to the U.S by building a wall and complete shutdown for one specific religion are not a smart thing to do, it is against our country natural soul that we are always have been a country of immigrants. As young generation we need to be more open and see this issue in a positive way, we will lead this country for the next few years, let us have a new better perspective and help others, help change the world and make the world as a better place.