Research Paper on Immigration

All humans have needs and desires. If a person’s current situation does not provide them with the opportunity for an ideal life, then it is reasonable for them to search for these opportunities somewhere else. Humans have found a solution through immigration. Immigration is the act of going into another country which is not native to oneself with the intention of becoming a permanent resident. It is natural for a person to want a better life for themselves and family despite the risk and opposition the governments of recipient countries have. Not only is immigration a natural occurrence in life stemming from a person’s needs to fulfill one's necessities and desires, but immigrants can also have a positive effect on the recipient country’s economy by providing employers with a workforce as well as creating employment opportunities.

First and foremost, Immigration is a natural occurrence in life that stems from needs and desires. Many people immigrate to different parts around the world for different reasons. Some seek food and shelter. Others seek job opportunities or a higher education. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs describes these needs. As told by SimplyPsychology.com, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs has five basic needs from lowest to highest: “physiological (food and clothing), safety (job security), love and belongings (friendships), esteem, and self actualization“(McLeod, 2020). These needs motivate humans to move forward in life.

Aside from being a natural occurrence, immigration benefits the recipient countries by providing employees in times of labor shortages . In the segment aired by PBS NewsHour The US has a thirst for Immigrant workers. Why do so many struggle to get legal status? journalist Paul Solman interviews various people from undocumented workers, employers, and legal experts on the topic of employing undocumented workers. The interview states that many undocumented people are sought after by employers to fill in and “do jobs nobody else will” (Solman, 4:09). The United States needs these immigrants because of the country's “thirst for this work force.” (Bracco, 1:12).

Not only does immigration provide a workforce in times of labor shortages, but immigrants also help provide employment opportunities in the recipient country by starting businesses. In the article How 12 Immigrant Entrepreneurs Have Made America Great written by Michael Neibert provides information on immigrants who have become entrepreneurs in coming to America and have bettered the country. Entrepreneurs such as Hamdi Uluykaya (founder of Chobani) have hired laid off factory workers for his company and Levi Straus, (founder of Levi Strauss and Co.) has hired “over 13,000 people worldwide”(Neibert, 2018) as well as Andy Grove (founder of Intel) who hired “64,000 people during his leadership”(Neibert, 2018). As you can see, these immigrants are beneficial to the U.S. economy as they create employment.

Despite how natural the reasoning behind immigrating might be, many of the causes of immigration are artificial and have dire effects on the recipient country. Situations like  “colonialism, inequality, war, and climate change” have destroyed many countries to the point of being inhabitable ( Mehta 2:15). These are some reasons why many immigrants leave their home country, but they are not all. Immigrants such as John Muir and Joni Mitchell who leave their native countries either for religious or artistic pursuits (Blakemore, 2015) Aside from this, another argument against immigrants states immigrants cause the wages in the recipient country to go down due to many employers preferring “to hire illegal immigrants over American citizens, because they're pliable, they will do menial jobs for very low wages.”(Stein 2021 6:02). The problem does not come from the immigrants, but from the ethics of the employers who commit wage theft. Employers create an environment for immigrants which is “ripe for abuse and exploitation”(Bracco, 6:59).

At the end of the day, we are all just humans. Even with opposing opinions and ideas, we can all agree that we all want to lead good and fulfilling lives. Some of us are just not born in the most welcoming and resourceful environments to create that ideal reality. With this in mind, we need to be more sympathetic and see ourselves in the shoes’ of many of these immigrants who seek to better their lives. Topics such as immigration are hard to agree on, but with some compromising and planning both immigrants and recipient countries can benefit from the situation in the long run.