U.S Economy are Mostly Attributable to Undocumented Immigrants

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Problems with the U.S Economy are Mostly Attributable to Undocumented Immigrants From Latin America
Introduction
The U.S. has for a long time been associated with freedom, democracy and prosperity. It is perhaps why the nation is referred to as ‘the land of opportunities.’ The country’s economic success has in turn resulted to increased possibilities for people, especially when it comes to employment and even standards of living. This has in turn resulted in an influx of immigrants, all seeking to come into the country, so as to also seek their own taste of prosperity. Historically, the U.S. was built by immigrants. With increased immigration however, comes the problem of undocumented immigrants, who come into the country, mostly from Latin America. While they might be undocumented, they are not the reason for problems with the U.S. economy.
Undocumented Immigrants and U.S. Economy
It is quite interesting to note that a nation, whose foundations were set by immigrants, is the one currently under the notion that immigrants are the source of its economic problems. These undocumented immigrants come into the country to seek employment, and in the process, contribute towards economic development through the increased profitability of the industries they work in. It is therefore not appropriate to have the notion that problems with the U.S economy are mostly attributable to undocumented immigrants from Latin America.
It is worth noting that the major determinants of the economic ‘health’ of any given country in the world, are government’s policies, political environment, population, and the infrastructure. For a considerable time, undocumented immigrants from Latin America have been linked to the problems with the economy of the U.S. However, none of these claims can be substantiated. In fact, many studies complement the (2008/2009) Top Ten Global Economic Challenges report which noted the most crucial issues affecting the U.S government (Hollifield et.al. 56).
Among the ten challenges, none of them mentioned illegal immigrants as a key issue. It is indeed true that there are several compelling reasons why having a big number of undocumented persons in a country poses serious problems for a country, but, in truth, the economy is none of the many problems. The major economic problems of the U.S cannot be solely blamed on the immigrants. As the illegal Latin American immigrants have faced fierce criticism, many studies show that most of the undocumented immigrant in the U.S are employed, remit taxes appropriately, and are opening their personal businesses. As such how would we blame them for the economy? Therefore, it is apparent that the undocumented immigrants from Latin America instead contribute to economic development and not depressing the economy. Besides, they play a very important role in the economy by taking up jobs in the fields of construction and agriculture – opportunities that would otherwise remain open with no labor.
As mentioned above, many undocumented immigrants are engaged in various employment opportunities. They fill up positions in various industries and companies. According to many studies, the sole reason the undocumented Latin America immigrants come to the United States is to seek employment. According to Hollifield et.al., (49), the same studies show that most of these immigrants are in “the prime of their working years,” that is, between the years 25 to 64. The same studies also confirm that these undocumented Latin America immigrants do not take up positions meant for the U.S citizens, neither do they displace them.
With the immigrants, the U.S is able to produce enough food to feed themselves and export some. All these directly or indirectly point to economic growth. If over half of the population working in the fields and farms are the undocumented Latin American immigrants, then it is accurate to assume that U.S citizens are not interested in the jobs. Alternatively, we could argue that they offer affordable labor. The impact of affordable labor on the agricultural sector reflects on increased production and...