Rise in anti-immigration sentiments in the United States

Rise in anti-immigration sentiments in the United States

• While an anti-immigration debate had been building up in recent years, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks have clearly brought it to the front burner. This anti-immigration movement finds its intellectual support on both sides of the political spectrum.
• According to a popular economic argument, immigrants “steal American jobs”. Actually, they are contributing to U.S. economic growth: cities or states with a large immigrant opulation enjoy faster economic growth. It is also noteworthy that immigrants account for about one-third of the scientific workforce in Silicon Valley.
• Critics point to the immigrants’ failure to assimilate. However, given their strong desire to succeed, immigrant children work harder than their native-born classmates, usually earn better grades, and drop out less frequently.
• The security argument, although very potent, is totally irrational, given that many terrorists had proper visas or were American citizens. As a matter of fact everyone in the United States is an immigrant, in this generation or prior ones. Therefore, barring or greatly restricting immigration would be devastating and virtually unthinkable.

For the full analysis, see

Rise in anti-immigration sentiments in the United States. For more analysis see theDeutsche Bank Research website.