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With so much attention given to the issue of undocumented immigrants, it’s easy to overlook the fact that most of the foreign-born living in the United States have followed the rules and have permission to be here. Of the more than 31 million foreign-born people living in the United States in 2009, about 20 million are either citizens or legal residents. Of those who do not have authorization to be here, about 45 percent entered the country legally and then let their papers expire.

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When did your ancestors immigrate? Do you know what the entry requirements were at the time? For about the first 100 years, the United States had an “open immigration system that allowed any able-bodied im- migrant in,” according to New York University immigration historian David Reimers. The biggest obstacle would-be immigrants faced was getting here. Today there are many rules about who may enter the country and stay legally. Under current policy, many immigrants who came to this country between 1790 and 1924 would not be allowed in today.

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Do you know the rules to enter the country legally and stay here to work? The simple answer is that there is no “line” for most very poor people with few skills to stand in and gain permanent U.S. residency. Generally, gaining permission to live and work in the United States is limited to people who are: 1) highly trained in a skill that is in short supply here; 2) escaping political persecution; or 3) joining close family already here.

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How long did it take your ancestors to stop using their first language? “Earlier immigrant groups held onto their cultures fiercely,” notes Reimers. “When the United States entered the First World War [in 1917], there were over 700 German-language newspapers. Yet, German immigration had peaked in the 1870s.”

While today’s immigrants may speak their first language at home, two-thirds of those older than 5 speak English “well” or “very well” according to research by the independent, non-partisan Migration Policy Institute. And the demand for adult ESL instruction in the United States far outstrips available classes.

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What does it mean to blend into American society? In 2010, about 500,000 immigrants became naturalized citizens. They had to overcome obstacles like getting here, finding a job, overcoming language barriers, paying naturalization fees, dealing with a bureaucracy and taking a written citizenship test. This is not the behavior of people who take becoming an American lightly.

The reality is that the typical pattern of assimilation in the United States has remained steady, says Reimers. “The first generation struggled with English and didn’t learn it. The second was bilingual. And the third can’t talk to their grandparents.” If anything, the speed of assimilation is faster today than at any time in our past, mainly because of public education and mass media.

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According to the Immigration Policy Center, a non-partisan group, research indicates there is little connection between immigrant labor and unemployment rates of native-born workers. Here in the United States, two trends—better education and an aging population—have resulted in a decrease in the number of Americans willing or available to take low-paying jobs. Between 2000 and 2005, the supply of low-skilled American workers slipped by 1.8 million.

To fill the void, employers often hire immigrant workers. One of the consequences, unfortunately, is that it is easier for unscrupulous employers to exploit this labor source and pay immigrants less, not provide benefits, and ignore worker-safety laws. On an economic level, Americans benefit from relatively low prices on food and other goods produced by undocumented immigrant labor.

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Nationally, since 1994, the violent crime rate has declined 34 percent and the property crime rate has fallen 26 percent, even as the number of undocumented immigrants has doubled. According to the conservative Americas Majority Foundation, crime rates from 1999–2006 were lowest in states with the highest immigration growth rates. During that period the total crime rate fell 14 percent in the 19 top immigration states, compared to only 7 percent in the other 31. Truth is, foreign-born people in America—whether they are naturalized citizens, permanent resident or undocumented—are incarcerated at a much lower rate than native-born Americans, according to the National Institute of Corrections.

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Undocumented immigrants pay taxes every time they buy gas, clothes, or new appliances. They also contribute to property taxes—a main source of school funding—if they buy or rent a house, or rent an apartment. The Social Security Administration estimates that half to three-quarters of undocumented immigrants pay federal, state and local taxes, including $6 billion to $7 billion in Social Security taxes for benefits they will never get. They can receive emergency medical care and schooling, but not welfare or food stamps.

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As a percentage of the U.S. population, the historic high actually came in 1900, when the foreign-born constituted nearly 20% of the population. Today, about 12% of the population is foreign-born. Since the start of the recession in 2008, the number of undocumented immigrants coming into the country has actually dropped. Many people also accuse immigrants of having “anchor babies” who allow the whole family to stay. According to the U.S. Constitution, a child born on U.S. soil is automatically an American citizen. But immigration judges will not keep immigrant parents in the U.S. just because their children are U.S. citizens. Between 1998 and 2007, the federal government deported about 108,000 foreign-born parents whose children had been born here. These children must wait until they are 21 before they can petition the government to allow their parents to join them in the U.S. That process is long and difficult. In reality, there is no such thing as an “anchor baby.”

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Is someone who jaywalks or who doesn’t feed a parking meter a criminal? Only very serious misbehavior is generally considered “criminal” in our legal system. Violations of less serious laws are usually “civil” matters and are tried in civil courts. People accused of crimes are tried in criminal courts and can be imprisoned. Federal immigration law says that unlawful presence in the country is a civil offense and is, therefore, not a crime. The punishment is deportation.

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Refugees

They have no need of our help
So do not tell me
These haggard faces could belong to you or me
Should life have dealt a different hand
We need to see them for who they really are
Chancers and scroungers
Layabouts and loungers
With bombs up their sleeves
Cut-throats and thieves
They are not
Welcome here
We should make them
Go back to where they came from
They cannot
Share our food
Share our homes
Share our countries
Instead let us
Build a wall to keep them out
It is not okay to say
These are people just like us
A place should only belong to those who are born there
Do not be so stupid to think that
The world can be looked at another way

(now read from bottom to top)

By Brian Bilston

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With your breakout group, "travel" to EACH of the following Immigration MythBusters Stations (COLUMNS). Read the information, and discuss in your small group. Consider what the information teaches you about immigration. It can be something that you learned in your head or your heart--or both. Then discuss:

Where you think this myth comes from?

Who benefits from this myth?

Finally, add a POST at the bottom of each station (one person post for the team), with something that it taught you and your ideas about the root cause of the myth and who benefits.

THEN, read the poem "Refugees" by Brian Bilston, and share your thoughts and feelings about it.