Topic > Persuasive Essay on Immigration - 1070

Although the stereotypical complaint against illegal immigrants is that they take jobs away from people already living here, research suggests that immigration is not responsible for illegal immigrants taking jobs away from legal citizens. Eddy Jerena, a carpenter of Sicilian origins, says: “'My brother has a business, and the Mexicans work hard for him, 12 hours a day, and they don't complain. Take these American born kids, they don't work like that. This country was built by immigrants. Mexicans deserve to be here'” (cited in Roberts and Glastris). In addition to taking jobs, illegal immigrants also create jobs through the establishment of Mexican restaurants or small clothing factories, or jobs abandoned when people leave urban areas and move to the suburbs. A U.S. Department of Labor study states that illegal immigrants taking jobs away from American workers is "'the most persistent fallacy about immigration in popular thought'" (qtd. in Limón) because it is based on the incorrect assumption that there is only a fixed number of jobs system. Many Americans don't even want the jobs that illegal immigrants want. Illegal immigrants benefit many U.S. employers who desperately need unskilled workers. The Rev. Richard Ryscavage, a Jesuit priest, says: “'A strong anti-immigration sentiment that is so distinguishable and identifiable that you can almost smell it. Most people calling for reduced immigration would die if they didn't