Undocumented Immigrants In America

Although there are many compelling reasons as to why having undocumented immigrants in America could be a problem, there are also many benefits that are overlooked. Undocumented immigrants do not take up a lot of the American population, but they are the main topic of discussions in politics and have been since the 9/11 attack. Since the attack, citizens of the United States worried about the country’s security and safety. Immigration laws were created that made it harder for refugees, immigrants, and even migrants to come and gain citizenship in the United States. Now, many of these undocumented people work silently in America while paying taxes, not committing crimes, and abiding by all local laws. These people travel from different countries …show more content…
This is important because undocumented immigrant students do utilize their social capital by using a framework of empowerment within their community. The reasoning and support behind this is that undocumented immigrant students participate in patchworking, the hap-hazard piecing together of various resources such as clubs, in order to achieve their educational goals. Immigrants are taking advantage of educational opportunities even if it includes long processes and major support from everyone around them. It relates to other sources because it shows that undocumented immigrants pose no harm to America or it’s economy. Because these children have grown up in the United States and completed a gracious amount of their education in U.S. schools, undocumented immigrant youth are practically indistinguishable from their legal peers. “They perform as substantive members of American society by participating in educational institutions, getting good grades, and being civically engaged (Perry, 2006)” (Enriquez 482). However, a closer look at the high school experiences of undocumented immigrant youth reveals that legal status creates an undocumented student experience defined by unequal access to higher education and limited educational resources and …show more content…
“Data gathered by the Mexican Migration Project demonstrated that undocumented immigrants do pay taxes; 66% of undocumented migrants reported that their employers withheld Social Security taxes from their pay and 62% that employers withheld income taxes (Massey 2005)” (Nadadur 1049). Undocumented immigrants still pay their taxes, even when they are discriminated against by the law. Not even all Americans pay their taxes, which is why undocumented immigrants should have a path to citizenship. In addition to paying taxes, they also pose as consumers for businesses which helps the economy. There has been a price increase in matrı́cula cards, which are photo ID cards given by the Mexican government to their people who reside outside of the country. Most of the Mexicans that do receive this card, are undocumented in the country where they are residing. “These cards are accepted as valid identification by companies such as Sprint, Costco and Wells Fargo, which has, for example, opened 525,000 matrı́cula accounts (6% of the bank’s total)” (Nadadur 1046). Meaning that because undocumented immigrants desire to be in America, they are willing to pay whatever they have to, and in turn the United States gains

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