Immigration In America Summary

It was a pleasure to attend the lecture titled “The Economic Contribution of Immigration in America” by Dr. Alfonso Morales. As a Latina I am always happy to attend a lecture that is a part of the Latino Heritage Lecture Series. I strongly believe it is important to learn about different cultures, and these lectures are always very informative. For this lecture, I was especially excited to hear Dr. Morales discuss not only the economic contributions of immigration but also the more culturally inclined aspects of immigration. I found that even though his lecture was titled the “economic contributions of immigration”, he strongly emphasized more life enriching aspects like diversity and culture. As someone who isn’t very interested in economics, I appreciated that Dr. Morales mentioned what he called a “non-economic stance” where he focused on things that immigrants are bringing to the US that can’t be quantified. He mostly highlighted culture as a huge contribution. There is no question that immigration is adding culture and diversity to the US. As a young college student I can see how artists and public figures are more open about ideas and they help influence change. In today’s society we
see a huge mixture of ideas, values, and cultures that add to our daily lives. Personally, I know that I have been fortunate enough to grow up with two different cultures. I am a part of the Hispanic and American culture. I definitely agree that immigration contributes to an enriched life. I’ve lived it first hand. I know many different ways of thinking and living. I genuinely feel that knowing two different cultures has helped me become and open and understanding person.
Also, another idea that Dr. Morales’ brought up of how immigration adds to the economy and culture of the entire US rang very true.. He mentioned that immigration adds to the economy because of labor. It is no secret that many immigrants work difficult jobs for a smaller pay. Also, contrary to a common belief, many immigrants pay taxes just like everyone else. Economically, communities are also making more money because immigrants are making and spending more money within the community. Immigrants are also adding their culture to the community. We as a community gain from immigration because it’s an opportunity for us to learn something new. We get to try new foods because immigrants bring with them their best traditional foods. It is great to see a well rounded community that has a lot of diversity. It is nice to be able to go to a city and know that they will have a wide variety of authentic restaurants and different shops. Culture and diversity is what makes life interesting.
The most critical thing I learned from the lecture was that it is a controversial topic.
So many people view immigration in a very negative way. They believe that all immigrants do is take from the country without adding anything too it. This lecture really opened my eyes to the various ways that immigration truly does add to the country. I liked how Dr. Morales talked about it. He said that it is hard to weigh out the pros and cons because things like cultural contributions can’t be quantified and measured the way economic contributions can. That is why so many people focus on the economical aspect of immigration. It was critical for me to hear from someone else that money sometimes isn’t the most important thing. I wish many more people would start to this this way as
well.
All in all, Dr. Morales thoroughly explained how immigration contributes to the countries’ economy. It happens through cheap labor. He also explained how more importantly immigrants add to a communities’ culture. Diversity enriches lives. However, of course many people only focus on the economic aspect and I believe it is going to change soon. Like Dr. Morales mentioned music and culture are huge leaders of change. I hope that with time more people will start to appreciate immigration and the different culture it brings into their lives.