The history of America is the history of immigration. Despite a large influx of immigrants in the past 150 years, negative attitudes and myths about immigrants stubbornly cling to the American mentality landscape. Despite the fact that the Irish, Italians, and Jews all immigrated to this country and were initially ostracized, stereotyped, and considered a detriment to the country’s economy, people today seem to forget that most of them now have children and grandchildren who we view as Americans. Yet, we still look at today’s immigrant populations, Hispanics, Cubans, Filipinos, Latinos, etc., through an ethnocentric and stereotypical eyepiece. This analysis sets out to put the lie to many of the myths concerning modern immigrants, including the myths that they have a deleterious effect on the economy, steal jobs from Americans, and refuse to adapt to American culture.
One of the largest myths about immigrants is that they are a drain on the U.S. economy. This is completely untrue. A study on the effects of immigration on the economy was recently conducted by the Alexis de Tocqueville Institution. When it came to immigrants and the economy, the study found some interesting results that prove immigrants are a vital and contributing part of the American economy “It found no statistical support for the conventional wisdom that increased immigration leads to higher unemployment. No statistically meaningful relationship was found between immigration and unemployment at the state level in recent years. The 10 states with the lowest concentrations of immigrants in 1980 had a typical unemployment rate nearly one-third higher than in the states with relatively high immigrations”(Lambro 1).
Further, the majority of immigrants are employed, have a sound work ethic, and add to the economy like most people do, through the pursuit of the American dream. They dream of owning televisions, stereos, refrigerators, cars, and homes...