Effects of Immigration on Business

The Effects of Immigration on Small Business

There are at least 36 million immigrants in the United States today, almost as many as those who came here between 1607 and 1960. As the number continues to sky-rocket, the effects on our nation become increasingly evident in all aspects. We see the majority of these affects in our business environment. Many of the nation’s immigrants have come to live the life of freedom and prosperity offered in the United States. Others came to get assistance and live with out contributing anything. While most are good workers, even this can affect the working end of business negatively by costing jobs for others (Buchanan, 2006). This, in turn, creates a large effect on the economy. While the land of the free is an exceptional opportunity, this paper is designed to show readers just what these effects are and how real they can be. Although opportunities for immigrants are wide spread, the recent high rate may be causing negative effects for those native to the United States.

Immigration has always been a part of our culture, but recent trends threaten to overwhelm our population capacity. With over 36 million immigrants and their children in the United States today, added to the 314 million natives, there are 88 inhabitants per square mile (Turner, 2006). Based on recent trends, non-European descendants will overwhelm the indigenous population in just a few short years. By the year 2010, just two years away, it is estimated that most suburban populations will contain a minority of European descendants. The majority of these immigrants will settle in distinct spatial locations and form their own close-knit community within those areas, often referred to as ethnic enclaves (Rasheed and Sequeira, 2006). The laws enacted in 1960 caused an extensive amount of chain migration, allowing family members to join the immigrant already here, that has fostered the growth of these enclaves. This has also allowed our population to triple in number over the last 100 years. The recent high influx of immigrants has crossed the United States borders in search of a promise. According to The Statesman’s Yearbook (2006) recent census statistics show a rise in the United States population by high rates. Figure 1 demonstrates the rise in population of European descendants as well as all other ethnicities. Figure 1 also shows how those of European background have been surpassed by those of other cultures. As one can see by this continuous rise in population, the estimated population of 315 million is not unreachable and is, in fact, highly probable.

Figure 1 - Growth of Populations through the 2000 Census

While the majority of immigrants have come to this country to live the American dream, still more come to take unjust advantage of that same dream. Most of the 36 million foreign born population came to America for the same reasons as our fore-fathers. They are lured by the promise of a new start and a chance to live in a less restricted, better environment than where they migrated from. Others have come merely to use the benefits for the poor: health care, education, and tax credits, for example. That is the vast allure of America, the home of the free. While this is a wonderful opportunity to offer, one can always be sure there are some who want only the benefits with none of the loyalty. Millions of these inhabitants remain loyal to their birth countries and do not honor the country’s laws. The exact number is unknown, but an estimated one million a year break the law just by entering the country (Buchanan, 2006). Still more immigrants retain dual citizenship. Why is it these immigrants are allowed to refute the Oath of Renunciation and Allegiance to the United States and still be supported by others work? The Oath of Renunciation clearly states “I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen.” Yearly even more of these citizens are welcomed and the population is rapidly changing faces.

While history has welcomed these changes and the newcomers, it has done so with some hopes of its own. Theodore Roosevelt declared just weeks before his death that immigrants must become “an American and nothing but an American…” and to become citizens and patriots (Buchanan, 2006). This approach certainly suggests that America should have wide open arms for those millions who come to become part of our national family. However, for the millions who have come simply to reap unwarranted benefits, there should be no tolerance. If a nation is to be successful then that nation must be unified. The