Title: The Rights of Immigrants -ACLU Position Paper | American Civil Liberties Union
Headings: The Rights of Immigrants -ACLU Position Paper
The Rights of Immigrants -ACLU Position Paper
"This country has grown and prospered in a climate of constant refreshment by the introduction into our midst of adventurous spirits willing to leave the security and predictability of what they knew in the lands and rulers they adjured for the hope of full equality of rights and opportunities within our borders."
IMMIGRATION: MYTHS AND FACTS
Myth: U.S. Borders are Out of Control
Myth: Immigrants take jobs away from American Workers
Myth: Immigrants Drain our Social Services
TROUBLE AT THE BORDER
THE RIGHTS OF IMMIGRANTS
What's Wrong With "English Only" Laws?
IN SEARCH OF ASYLUM
Stay Informed

Content: They do this by forming new businesses, raising the productivity of already established businesses, investing capital and spending dollars on consumer goods. A 1994 study by Ohio University researchers, for example, found "no statistically meaningful relationship between immigration and unemployment.... [I]f there is any correlation, it would appear to be negative: higher immigration is associated with lower unemployment." Studies by the Rand Corporation, the Council of Economic Advisors, the National Research Council and the Urban Institute all came to the conclusion that immigrants do not have a negative effect on the earnings and the employment opportunities of native-born Americans. Myth: Immigrants Drain our Social Services
Fact: The Urban Institute has concluded that "immigrants actually generate significantly more in taxes paid than they cost in services." This is because undocumented workers, despite their ineligibility for most federal benefits, frequently have Social Security and income taxes withheld from their paychecks. In fact, immigrants pay substantially more in taxes every year than they receive in welfare benefits. As a result, one commentator has pointed out, "a senior citizen on Social Security who lives in rural Kentucky is indirectly being subsidized by an immigrant who washes dishes in a chic restaurant in Santa Monica."