How Did a Nation of Immigrants Come to Fear Immigrants? Your North American Neighbor

                                                

This nation, since the beginning, has always been built by immigrants. Currently in the political state of our country, there’s an ongoing debate over immigration and immigrants. Growing up, I learned about my own community’s experiences and watched the way immigrants, especially from Mexico are treated, I started to question, how can a country built by immigrants also be a place where so immigrants are rejected, feared, or pushed aside? Over the years, the country has passed harsh laws, carried out mass deportations, and treated people as outsiders, despite their important contributions to American life. Not all immigrants have the same immigration status. Those who come to the U.S. through legal pathways with visas, green cards, or refugee status, these are documented. Those coming without legal permission are undocumented. Both groups contribute deeply to this country and face challenges, but undocumented immigrants often face the harshest treatment and are unfairly blamed in political debates. It’s important to understand the difference when talking about immigration.

As the philosopher George Santayana once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” (Santayana).  Fear, racism, and exclusion that shaped past attitudes toward immigrants still affect how they’re treated now. Some people say, “that’s in the past,” but these ideas haven’t disappeared, they’ve just taken new forms. With everything that has been going on and what’s waiting in the future, it makes me think that as a nation, we are going back rather than going forward. The rhetoric used by presidents; and the unfair assumptions about immigrants. Immigrants today are workers, taxpayers, parents, and your neighbors. They’re essential to America’s success. If we want to move forward as a nation, we need to see immigrants not as a threat, but as the strong, valuable people they’ve always been. They are the backbone of this nation.

In recent years, immigration has again become a main issue in American politics. Mexican immigrants are usually the ones targeted in these issues. Political debates have focused heavily on border security, undocumented immigrants, and deportation policies. Policies that continue to marginalize Mexican immigrants. Rhetoric used by presidents, especially Donald Trump’s presidency, paint Mexican immigrants as criminals, drug dealers, and threats to American safety.

 Time Staff from Time Magazine state that for Donald Trump, immigrants bring crime, “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best…They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing drugs, they’re bringing crime, they’re rapists and some, I assume, are good people.” (p. 6). This horrible and offensive rhetoric gives Americans anxiety and fear towards Mexican Immigrants that live in the United States. Generalizing Mexican immigrants as criminals. According to Ariel G. Ruiz Soto Senior Policy Analyst at MPI (Migration Policy Institute), “A growing volume of research demonstrates that not only do immigrants commit fewer crimes, but they also do not raise crime rates in the U.S. communities where they settle. In fact, some studies indicate that immigration can lower criminal activity, especially violent crime, in places with inclusive policies and social environments where immigrant populations are well established.” (Soto).  Ruiz Soto adds, “Immigrants in the United States have had lower incarceration rates than the native-born population since at least 1870 (when such data were first recorded). In 2020, immigrants were 60 percent less likely to be incarcerated than the U.S. born, according to a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research…And though a 2021 Justice Department study points out prosecutions of immigrants increased between 1990 and 2018, nearly 90 percent were for violations of immigration-related laws. Notably, U.S.-born citizens were ten times more likely than immigrants to be incarcerated for committing weapons-related offenses, five times more likely for violent offenses, more than twice as likely for property crimes, and nearly twice as likely for drug offenses.” (Soto).

 Especially Undocumented immigrants, Ruiz Soto also adds, “Some research suggests that unauthorized immigrants are less likely to commit crimes because they are aware of a “constant threat of deportation” and have more to lose than other groups if they violate the law. This in turn may result in lower crime rates in U.S. communities” (Soto). Why would an undocumented immigrant just break the law after going through so much to come to America? It doesn’t make sense. These facts prove that the idea of immigrants and undocumented immigrants being “more dangerous” is simply not true.  

  What’s even more ironic is that many immigrants, documented and undocumented work hard, pay taxes, and still are falsely accused of draining public resources. Programs like Social Security and Medicare, which many undocumented immigrants contribute are resources that they can’t even access! Kevin Appleby a Senior Director of International Migration Policy states, “According to the American Community Survey (ACS), immigrants paid $382.9 billion in federal taxes and $196.3 billion in state and local taxes in 2022. Undocumented immigrants, using Individual Tax Identification Numbers (ITIN) numbers, paid $59.4 billion in federal and $13.6 billion in state and local taxes in 2022.” And “Undocumented immigrants also paid $25.7 billion in Social Security taxes, $6.4 billion in Medicare taxes, and $1.8 billion in unemployment insurance in 2022, programs for which they are ineligible. (Appleby). The truth is that immigrants both documented and undocumented give so much. In 2022 alone, they paid billions in taxes and programs. Helping keep the country running while being denied support.

And according to Davis, Carl, et al., “undocumented immigrants pay sales and excise taxes on goods and services like utilities, household products, and gasoline. They pay property taxes either directly on their homes or indirectly when these taxes are folded into the price of their monthly rent. And they pay income and payroll taxes through automatic withholding from their paychecks or by filing income tax returns using Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs). (Carl, et al.). They also add, “undocumented immigrants and the citizen members of their families are ineligible for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). While some states have moved to make more taxpayers eligible for state EITCs regardless of immigration status, most states still exclude taxpayers filing with ITINs. On top of that, only qualifying taxpayers with children with Social Security Numbers (SSNs) qualify for the federal Child Tax Credit (CTC) and a few states with CTCs have chosen to mimic this restriction in their own CTCs. While some kids with valid taxpayer identification numbers may qualify for the Credit for Other Dependents, the credit value is only one-fourth the size of the federal CTC and is not refundable.” (Carl, et al.) The stereotype that immigrants and undocumented immigrants don’t pay taxes and drain government resources is simply false.

                                                          Photo: USDA by Lance Cheung

Some Americans believe that immigrants are taking jobs from the American people, but the jobs they’re talking about are jobs that Americans don’t want to do. Immigrants contribute to so many occupations, mostly in agriculture. Alejandro Gutiérrez-Li states, “Agricultural jobs tend to be physically demanding, pose risks such as pesticide exposure, are often in remote areas, and do not offer a career ladder as other fields do. Because manual labor is not generally considered a socially prestigious occupation, even in periods of high unemployment and recessions, American-born workers do not view agriculture as a viable employment option. At the same time, economic and population growth have increased the demand for fresh produce (fruits and vegetables), the production of which mostly still requires human labor. In this context, immigrants play a vital role in keeping the agricultural sector working. Today, foreign workers both documented and undocumented play a disproportionate role in ensuring a reliable supply of food for American households.” (Gutiérrez-Li). Fung, Wenson, et al. states, “Almost two-thirds (61%) of crop workers interviewed in fiscal years 2021–2022 were born in Mexico, 32 percent were born in the United States or Puerto Rico, 6 percent were born in Central America, and the remainder originated from various other regions, including South America, the Caribbean, Asia, and the Pacific Islands.” (Fung et al.). Many of the roles’ immigrants fill like in agriculture are though, low paying and often avoided by American born workers. Immigrants take on this hard work to feed the nation and keeping essential industries running.

Documented and undocumented immigrants do many hard jobs that keep the country running, like farming, construction, and food service. Donald Trump proposed on deporting all undocumented immigrants, but Kevin Appleby states, “Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has called for the mass deportation of the undocumented population, a plan which could have devastating moral, fiscal, and economic consequences for the nation. According to estimates, the plan could cost over $500 billion to implement and would sacrifice billions in tax revenue per year. It also would lead to labor shortages and reduce the GDP by $5.1 trillion over the next ten years.” (Appleby). Deporting millions of undocumented immigrants isn’t just a political decision, its one with real human and economic consequences. Forcing them out would cost the country over $500 billion, drain billions in tax revenue, and hurt the economy.

The most important is agriculture, high numbers of immigrants and undocumented workers, work in agriculture. Hanna Tremblay et al. states, “Farmworker Justice estimates that 70 percent of farmworkers are immigrants (about 40 percent of which are undocumented).4 Within agriculture, crop production employs the most immigrants (59 percent of farm laborers) while approximately 45 percent of livestock workers are foreign-born.5 Overall, the percentage of foreign-born workers has increased over the past several decades.” (Tremblay et al.). Agriculture is important and vital to the United States, it feeds the people of our nation, since agriculture is a job that most Americans don’t do, immigrant labor is needed. Agriculture is physically demanding, often seasonal, and low paying, making it difficult to fill this job with native born workers.

So, because so few Americans are willing to take on difficult, seasonal work in farming, the U.S created the H-2A visa program, a temporary work visa that allows foreign workers to come the U.S. to do seasonal agricultural work, this sounds like a good program, which the farmer and farmworker can benefit from but this system has its flaws. According to Alejandro Gutiérrez-Li, “Mexico plays a large role in feeding American households both by sending its workers and shipping food directly to the U.S., Mexican workers on U.S. farms perform manual labor under H-2A visas or as undocumented or do highly specialized work increasingly with TN visas. Without them, many U.S. farmers would not be able to sustain their operations.” (Gutiérrez-Li). Also, Tremblay et al. states “Farmers must provide worker housing and transportation as part of the program and must pay workers a standard, state-set minimum wage. The program may sound like an ideal fix for farmers and farm workers, but it has drawbacks for both sides. For farmers, the H-2A program requires paperwork and application expenses. Bureaucratic delays can impact access to labor and the program, which doesn’t allow for year-round workers and is unsuitable for some agricultural industries like dairy. Because H-2A workers’ visas, legal status and housing are tied to their employer, workers can be vulnerable to exploitation and workplace abuses.” (Tremblay et al.). The H-2A visa program brings in temporary foreign workers to help, but it ties workers to employers, risking exploitation. Without these workers, U.S farms would struggle to survive. But it’s important that these workers aren’t exploited. Everyone deserves fair treatment, and proper pay.

This program isn’t perfect even though its essential to keeping the U.S. agriculture running, it’s making workers vulnerable even though they are here legally. According to Tremblay et al., “Farm work is grueling and dangerous. The risks associated with farming are compounded for immigrant farmworkers who do not have the same access to healthcare, legal protections and other resources as American-born workers. There were more than 21,000 injuries reported in agriculture between 2021-2022 and the fatality rate in the agriculture industry is five times more than the national average among other industries.” (Tremblay et al).

Documented Immigrant and undocumented immigrants work in harsh conditions that later can lead them to serious health problems, especially undocumented immigrants, due to their immigration status, they don’t have health insurance, many avoiding going to the doctor or delaying care, leading to worse health problems. Tremblay et al. states, “Immigrant farmworkers are one of many marginalized communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis. A study by the American Immigration Council found that 13.7 percent of H-2A laborers are required to work in temperatures that exceed 90 degrees, and one in four workers in southern states work in high temperatures. As climate change worsens, heat-related health problems such as kidney disease and heat related illnesses are expected to increase among farmworkers.” (Tremblay et al).  Not only do they work in the heat, but they also work in pesticide-filled air, which over time can have serious health effects, Tremblay et al. explains, “In addition to extreme weather events, farmworkers also face high levels of pesticide exposure from their direct handling of crops and soil. Pesticide exposure causes skin and eye irritation, nerve damage and a higher risk for some cancers.” (Tremblay et al). Protective clothing and gear aren’t always provided for these farm workers. The reality is the agriculture work system is broken, flawed, and exploitative. We will keep depending on documented and undocumented workers for this kind of work, we need immigration policies that treat farmworkers fairly and with respect. Everyone who helps grow our food deserves safe working conditions, dignity and basic human rights, no matter where they come from.

Well, why don’t they do it the right way? Why can’t they simply apply for citizenship while living here? Many Americans ask regarding undocumented immigrants living in the United States, even calling them criminals for illegally crossing the border. Lauren Scheid states, “In reality, most immigrants, especially from Mexico or South America, likely come to the U.S. seeking better job opportunities, to be with already established family members, to go to school, or to escape persecution, among other reasons…Legal immigration is not a quick process, so many immigrants enter the country in search of a better life illegally because it is simply easier to do” (Scheid, pg. 527). I’ve heard of many undocumented immigrants living in the United States, working, paying taxes, and have a clean record for 25+ years, yet they don’t qualify for citizenship. According to the American Immigration Council, “Many people wonder why all immigrants do not just come to the United States legally or simply apply for citizenship while living here without authorization…Even though more than 80 percent of undocumented immigrants have lived in the United States for over 10 years, many could live out the rest of their lives without any opportunity to become legal residents of this country” (American Immigration Council). The reality is, for most, that path doesn’t exist. Many come to the U.S for safety, family, or opportunity and while they live here for decades, work hard, the system offers them no way to become legal.

Despite contributing to the economy and their communities “no matter how long they have been in the United States, most undocumented immigrants have no way of achieving legal status. Even those who pay taxes, work hard, and contribute to their communities have no way to “get in line” unless Congress creates a new pathway to legal status.” (American Immigration Council). Scheid states, “While there is likely no correct approach to applying executive authority to regulate immigration policy, we must at least work to shift its focus to directives that will address the administration’s concerns in a workable and impartial manner.” (Santayana, pg. 536).  While there might not be the perfect solution, but we should at least try to make immigration policy fair and effective. For most undocumented immigrants, there is no clear “line” to get into, no legal pathway they can follow, even if they’ve lived in the U.S. for years, raised families and paid taxes.

Immigrants, especially those from Mexico are not people who should be feared, hated and exploited, they are not a burden to this country but rather the backbone of it. They pick your food, contribute billions in taxes and into the Unted States economy, and are part of our communities around the nation, they are even your friend. Yet, they continue to be feared, excluded, because of harmful political rhetoric. It’s unfortunate that this continues to be relevant today, especially when most of the country voted for a president who doesn’t care about the American people and much less those who aren’t considered “American.” But what can we do?

First things first, being open minded. Start with awareness, listening, learning and treating immigrants with kindness. We need fair laws that protect immigrant workers, keep families together, and giving those who have contributed so much to this country with their hard work for many, many years, a real chance to become citizens, giving those who lived here for decades, pathway to citizenship. Not only would this allow immigrants to finally have the same opportunities as a native-born citizen, boost the economy even more, but they will also get to reunite with their families that they haven’t seen in decades. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” (Santayana). We’ve seen this cycle of discrimination before and it’s still happening. Breaking the cycle will lead to change.

Work Cited                                                   

Staff, TIME. “Here’s Donald Trump’s Presidential Announcement Speech.” TIME, Time, 16 June 2015. https://time.com/3923128/donald-trump-announcement-speech/.

Ruiz Soto, Ariel G. “Explainer: Immigrants and Crime in the United States.” Migrationpolicy.org, 17 Oct. 2024, https://www.migrationpolicy.org/content/immigrants-and-crime.

Appleby, Kevin. “The Importance of Immigrant Labor to the US Economy.” The Center for Migration Studies of New York (CMS), 2 Sept. 2024, https://cmsny.org/importance-of-immigrant-labor-to-us-economy/.

Davis, Carl, et al. “Tax Payments by Undocumented Immigrants.” Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, 30 July 2024, https://itep.org/undocumented-immigrants-taxes-2024/.

Kurn, Jessica. “Immigration and the Food System – Farm Aid.” Farm Aid, 24 Aug. 2018, https://www.farmaid.org/blog/fact-sheet/immigration-and-the-food-system/.

American Immigration Council. “Why Don’t Immigrants Apply for Citizenship?” American Immigration Council, American Immigration Council, 7 Oct. 2021,  https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/why-don%E2%80%99t-they-just-get-line.

Gutiérrez-Li, Alejandro. “Feeding America: How Immigrants Sustain US Agriculture.” Baker Institute, 19 July 2024, https://www.bakerinstitute.org/research/feeding-america-how-immigrants-sustain-us-agriculture.

Scheid, Lauren. “Immigrants Make America Great: Contemporary Overview of the Executive Authority for Regulation of U.S. Immigration Policy.” Indiana International & Comparative Law Review, vol. 30, no. 3, July 2020, pp. 525–36. EBSCOhost, research.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=ef54aa44-8623-3777-b0ff-6ae27801f737.  

Santayana, George. “George Santayana (1863-1952).” Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, https://iep.utm.edu/santayan/ .

Fung, Wenson, et al. “Findings From the National Agricultural Workers Survey (NAWS) 2021–2022: A Demographic and Employment Profile of United States Crop Workers.” U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Office of Policy Development and Research, 2023, www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ETA/naws/pdfs/NAWS%20Research%20Report%2017.pdf.