Thread: TN : COMMON MYTHS ABOUT IMMIGRANTS AND IMMIGRATION

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Common Myths about Immigrants and Immigration

Myth #1: Immigrants take jobs away from native-born Americans.

In fact, the U.S. economy increasingly requires low-skilled workers, as the native-born workforce becomes better educated and less willing to take these jobs. In 1960, half of all American men dropped out of high school and joined the low-skilled labor force; now the number is about 10% (Manhattan Institute). According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there will be 10 million unfilled jobs in the United States by 2010, primarily in low-wage service industries (Financial Times). Between 1990 and 2000, the foreign-born population of Tennessee increased by 168%, and the unemployment rate decreased from 5.3% to 4.0% (U.S. Census and TN Dept. of Labor and Workforce Development).

Myth #2: Immigrants don’t pay taxes.

In fact, Tennessee is funded largely by sales and property taxes, and everyone pays these taxes (renters pay the property taxes of their landlords). Despite the legal obstacles, an estimated 60% of undocumented immigrants also pay federal income tax without access to the many federal programs they fund (Pew Hispanic Center). Undocumented workers also pay an estimated $7 billion in Social Security and $1.5 billion in Medicare taxes a year, with little hope of ever receiving benefits (New York Times). By the end of the 2000 tax year, there was $374 billion in the Social Security Suspense Fund from undocumented workers. A 2006 Texas study found that undocumented workers contribute considerably more in taxes then they receive in public benefits, on the order of $400 million a year (Texas Comptroller).

Myth #3: Immigrants come to Tennessee for public benefits like TennCare.

In fact, immigrants come to Tennessee to work, not to get public benefits. Undocumented immigrants have no access to TennCare, except for emergency care and vaccinations. There are tens of thousands of undocumented immigrants in Tennessee, and only 62 received emergency TennCare in July (Congressional Testimony, TennCare Deputy Commissioner). Even for lawful permanent residents, there is a five-year waiting period for most state and federal benefits. U.S. citizen children living with immigrant parents are eligible for some benefits, but they use them less often than children of natives, and their participation in the Food Stamps program has decreased by 35% between 1994 and 1999 (Urban Institute).

Myth #4: Immigrants don’t want to learn English and need government encouragement.

In fact, within ten years of arrival, more than 75% of immigrants speak English well. For long-term immigrants, less than 3% are unable to speak English well (National Academy of Sciences). Today’s immigrants understand that learning English is vital to full participation in society, and are learning English just like immigrants of the past. The best way to help immigrants learn English is to enable them to work and interact with native speakers, and to improve ESL programs in public schools and local communities.

Myth #5: Undocumented immigrants aren’t willing to play by the rules or wait their turn in line.

In fact, for essential low-skilled immigrant workers, no such line exists. Our economy relies on an estimated 485,000 new, low-skilled immigrant workers each year, but our immigration system provides only 5,000 visas (Pew Hispanic Center). That is a huge discrepancy between what our economy needs and what our immigration system allows. Undocumented immigrants come to this country to perform needed work and provide for their families, and do so through a broken immigration system.

Myth #6: Undocumented immigrants are criminals.

In fact, unlawful presence in the United States is a civil violation of federal law, not a crime. Therefore, undocumented immigration status does not make someone a criminal. While some public figures claim that immigrants are filling our jails, those same individuals support legislation that turns everyday activities into crimes—like driving to work or renting an apartment. According to U.S. Census data, immigrants have the lowest rates of imprisonment for criminal convictions in American society (Migration Policy Institute). The incarceration rate of the US born (3.51) is four times the rate of the foreign-born (.086). According to the DOJ’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, less than 5% of state prison inmates are non-U.S. citizens, which includes permanent residents, temporary legal residents, and undocumented immigrants. Between 1990 and 2004, the number of foreign-born in Tennessee increased by 267%; but in the last ten years, the overall crime rate has actually decreased, and the rate of violent crime decreased by more than 5% (Tennessee Bureau of Investigation).

Myth #7: Our immigration system can be fixed by spending more money on enforcement.

In fact, funding for border enforcement has increased ten-fold over the last 20 years and the number of border agents has quadrupled, with no corresponding decline in illegal immigration. Economic migrants are forced to cross in more remote parts of the border, lowering apprehension rates and tripling death rates (Cato Institute). Both President Bush and the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security agree that effective border control depends on creating new legal channels for hardworking immigrant families.

Myth #8: Our immigration system can be fixed with local law enforcement.

In fact, local law enforcement officers are not trained in immigration enforcement because it would compromise their primary mission: to ensure the safety of our communities. The effectiveness of local law enforcement depends on community trust. If the police asked every victim of a crime for immigration papers, immigrant victims would cease to report crimes, making them easy targets, increasing the overall crime rate, and putting every Tennessean at greater risk. State and local attempts to fix a federal problem promise only to divide our communities, threaten public safety, and escalate anti-immigrant sentiment and discrimination.

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http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cache:I3 ... ent=safari

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Immigrants Are Vital to Tennessee’s Future

Immigrants share American values. This country was founded by refugees escaping religious persecution. Immigrants are Americans by choice, people who want a better future for their families and believe in the American dream. It’s not “usâ€

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We Need Comprehensive Immigration Reform Now

The US immigration system should reflect our nation’s values of family, hard work, and fairness.

Our immigration system is broken. The evidence is all around us: millions of undocumented immigrants, exploited workers, divided families, deaths in the desert, fake documents, criminal smugglers, community tensions, public frustration, etc.

The U.S. economy depends on hardworking immigrant families. The economy depends on hundreds of thousands of new, low-skilled immigrant workers every year, but the immigration system provides only 5000 visas for these workers. Immigration reform must reflect this underlying economic reality.

‘Family values’ means reuniting American families. Currently, countless American families and legal permanent residents are separated due to immigration backlogs. A U.S. Citizen can wait decades to sponsor his/her own adult child from Mexico. A lawful permanent resident might wait 10 years to bring his or her spouse into this country. Reform must include a reduction in the backlog of family visas.

Immigration reform must be comprehensive, realistic, and bipartisan. We need legislation that can work on the ground and that can pass Congress to become law. Reform proposals must reunite families, bring undocumented immigrants out of the shadows, shut down the black market of smuggling and fake documents and exploitation, restore the rule of law at our borders, and encourage those who settle here along the path to citizenship.

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http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cache:I3 ... ent=safari

What a pile of propaganda!!!

http://politicalhumor.about.com/library ... foolme.htm

Come to my neighborhood and see Illegal Imigrants and there crime. I invite you to spend a few days. If that does not change your mind then you need to move to Mexico.

Originally Posted by Paige

Come to my neighborhood and see Illegal Imigrants and there crime. I invite you to spend a few days. If that does not change your mind then you need to move to Mexico.

It wouldn't do anything to change their mind.

What we see as unacceptable......crime, living conditions, etc.......is simply viewed as nothing more than what is "neccessary" to feed their families or otherwise survive, or as a "cultural" disparity.

Originally Posted by zeezil

What a pile of propaganda!!!

http://politicalhumor.about.com/library ... foolme.htm

Loved the link!

Tennessee must be the exception.......Let me break this down on a national level.....

Originally Posted by GeorgiaPeach

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In fact, the U.S. economy increasingly requires low-skilled workers, as the native-born workforce becomes better educated and less willing to take these jobs. In 1960, half of all American men dropped out of high school and joined the low-skilled labor force; now the number is about 10% (Manhattan Institute). According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there will be 10 million unfilled jobs in the United States by 2010, primarily in low-wage service industries (Financial Times). Between 1990 and 2000, the foreign-born population of Tennessee increased by 168%, and the unemployment rate decreased from 5.3% to 4.0% (U.S. Census and TN Dept. of Labor and Workforce Development).

Americans make up the vast majority of low-skilled labor according to a congressional study.

In fact, Tennessee is funded largely by sales and property taxes, and everyone pays these taxes (renters pay the property taxes of their landlords). Despite the legal obstacles, an estimated 60% of undocumented immigrants also pay federal income tax without access to the many federal programs they fund (Pew Hispanic Center). Undocumented workers also pay an estimated $7 billion in Social Security and $1.5 billion in Medicare taxes a year, with little hope of ever receiving benefits (New York Times). By the end of the 2000 tax year, there was $374 billion in the Social Security Suspense Fund from undocumented workers. A 2006 Texas study found that undocumented workers contribute considerably more in taxes then they receive in public benefits, on the order of $400 million a year (Texas Comptroller).

Illegals cost us $30 billion a year in social services they use. And an additional $35 billion in lost tax revenue for not paying income taxes. A combined $65 billion a yea. Or, the cost of a Katrina every 3 years.

In fact, immigrants come to Tennessee to work, not to get public benefits. Undocumented immigrants have no access to TennCare, except for emergency care and vaccinations. There are tens of thousands of undocumented immigrants in Tennessee, and only 62 received emergency TennCare in July (Congressional Testimony, TennCare Deputy Commissioner). Even for lawful permanent residents, there is a five-year waiting period for most state and federal benefits. U.S. citizen children living with immigrant parents are eligible for some benefits, but they use them less often than children of natives, and their participation in the Food Stamps program has decreased by 35% between 1994 and 1999 (Urban Institute).

28 hospitals closed in California due to treating illegal immigrants.

In fact, within ten years of arrival, more than 75% of immigrants speak English well. For long-term immigrants, less than 3% are unable to speak English well (National Academy of Sciences). Today’s immigrants understand that learning English is vital to full participation in society, and are learning English just like immigrants of the past. The best way to help immigrants learn English is to enable them to work and interact with native speakers, and to improve ESL programs in public schools and local communities.

The majority of los Angeles residents speak a language other than English in their hous-holds. If they speak Enlgish so well, why not speak it at home?

In fact, for essential low-skilled immigrant workers, no such line exists. Our economy relies on an estimated 485,000 new, low-skilled immigrant workers each year, but our immigration system provides only 5,000 visas (Pew Hispanic Center). That is a huge discrepancy between what our economy needs and what our immigration system allows. Undocumented immigrants come to this country to perform needed work and provide for their families, and do so through a broken immigration system.

LOL at "no line exists." We DO NOT have a shortage of workers in this nation, and certainly not low-skilled workers....If we did, we would see a rise in wages and health care coverage because of the shortage......the opposite is happening.

In fact, unlawful presence in the United States is a civil violation of federal law, not a crime. Therefore, undocumented immigration status does not make someone a criminal. While some public figures claim that immigrants are filling our jails, those same individuals support legislation that turns everyday activities into crimes—like driving to work or renting an apartment. According to U.S. Census data, immigrants have the lowest rates of imprisonment for criminal convictions in American society (Migration Policy Institute). The incarceration rate of the US born (3.51) is four times the rate of the foreign-born (.086). According to the DOJ’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, less than 5% of state prison inmates are non-U.S. citizens, which includes permanent residents, temporary legal residents, and undocumented immigrants. Between 1990 and 2004, the number of foreign-born in Tennessee increased by 267%; but in the last ten years, the overall crime rate has actually decreased, and the rate of violent crime decreased by more than 5% (Tennessee Bureau of Investigation).

Nationally, 29% of federal prison inmates are illegals according to FAIR using Federal Prison Bureau statistics. According to GWB 1 in 12 illegals caught by ICE from 2000-2005 have criminal records. MS-13 and The 18th Street Gang are primarily illegal immigrant gangs, and are the bloodiest in LA history. Illegals account for the rise in gang violence, and are responsible for making Arizona the leading state in crime according to the FBI.

In fact, funding for border enforcement has increased ten-fold over the last 20 years and the number of border agents has quadrupled, with no corresponding decline in illegal immigration. Economic migrants are forced to cross in more remote parts of the border, lowering apprehension rates and tripling death rates (Cato Institute). Both President Bush and the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security agree that effective border control depends on creating new legal channels for hardworking immigrant families.

LOL at citing the Cato institute as a source for fair analysis on immigration. Immigration enforcement is a joke. The government has not tried in the slightest to get tough on the border. For a better example you might want to check out the San Diego border fence. San Diego used to be the #1 crossing point......Until the fence went up, and now smuggling of people and drugs has dropped almost 100%.

In fact, local law enforcement officers are not trained in immigration enforcement because it would compromise their primary mission: to ensure the safety of our communities. The effectiveness of local law enforcement depends on community trust. If the police asked every victim of a crime for immigration papers, immigrant victims would cease to report crimes, making them easy targets, increasing the overall crime rate, and putting every Tennessean at greater risk. State and local attempts to fix a federal problem promise only to divide our communities, threaten public safety, and escalate anti-immigrant sentiment and discrimination.

LOL so it is better just to allow illegal crimials to stay in the nation

Originally Posted by tancredofan

Originally Posted by zeezil

What a pile of propaganda!!!

http://politicalhumor.about.com/library ... foolme.htm

Loved the link!

Yeah, I always use that quote any time the subject of the 86 amnesty comes up

Oh, I just gotta chime in on this one as well......
[quote="GeorgiaPeach"](quote)

Immigrants Are Vital to Tennessee’s Future

Immigrants share American values. This country was founded by refugees escaping religious persecution. Immigrants are Americans by choice, people who want a better future for their families and believe in the American dream. It’s not “usâ€