Legalization Of Undocumented Immigrants

Legally speaking, an American citizen is defined as someone who is “born or naturalized in the United States.” However, is the true meaning of an American simply a textbook definition? Although the “Irish who built the canals, the Chinese who built the railroads, [and] the many Latinos who clambered over construction sites” may have been from lands afar, they all shared one commonality; the goal to better not only themselves but also our country as a whole. Being an American is not only having legal documentation but rather being able to recognize the beliefs of freedom, equality and opportunity put forth by the Founding Fathers of our nation. It is difficult to define an American when we are a country that was settled by immigrants. Dating
Currently, there are about 11 million undocumented immigrants residing in our country. This number may seem large, however, it is proven that immigrants have largely benefited our country as a whole. The 2005 ERP found that “most immigrant families have a positive net fiscal impact on the U.S., adding $88,000 more in tax revenues than they consume in services; and social security payroll taxes paid by improperly identified (undocumented workers have lead to a $463 billion funding surplus.” One of the most important jobs of a US citizen is to pay taxes to the government, and it is quite evident that immigrants are a large part of our tax revenue. In fact, many undocumented immigrants are paying taxes for programs such as Social Security which they aren't even eligible to receive. Immigrants contribute to our economy not only by paying taxes but they are also consumers who “…don’t just cash their paychecks and hide it under the mattresses. They cycle money back into the economy by buying goods and services…” Immigrants often create jobs for people through starting a business, as they are “30 percent more likely to start a business in the United States than non-immigrants” and “employed an estimated 4.7 million people in 20008…generating more than $776 billion annually.” Immigrants are clearly benefiting our economy and the people of our country which is a job of an “American.” They also contribute to the better of our society and advancement of technology being that “immigrants represent 33 percent of engineers, 27 percent of mathematicians, statisticians, and computer scientist, and 24 percent of physical scientists” Even immigrants are playing roles as “Americans” by striving to reap the benefits of equal opportunity and getting the education it takes to become a mathematician or an engineer, two jobs which significantly contribute to the advancement of technology and knowledge we have. If it weren't for the minds