When I started this op-ed, I was really passionate about the topic of immigration because it’s personal to me. I knew what I wanted to say, but at first, I didn’t worry too much about the format or the word choices—I just wanted to express how I felt and tell the truth about how important immigrants are in this country. For the final portfolio, I worked on organizing my points better and making my argument stronger with real examples and facts, like the statistics about taxes and immigrant labor. I also cleaned up some grammar and tried to make my message more clear for the reader. Something I still want to work on is improving how I transition between ideas and paragraphs so everything flows better. I also want to get better at using more precise language while still keeping my personal voice and experiences in the piece.

March 4 2025

                How are immigrants the key to the United States

I come from an immigrant family. They came to the United States for a better future.  I really get frustrated when people talk about immigrants. I dislike when I see in the news or on social media people saying ”immigrants come to take our jobs”. They made them take their jobs. Immigrants make a big essential part here in America. They are the reason who help in the economy. We are the people who will be working in industries and agriculture. We are the ones  keeping things running smoothly, especially during tough times. Like in covid-19 a lot of our doctors and nurses were the ones helping us in this hard time. And in that moment no one saw who was helping and it was immigrants.  On top of that, business owners who start companies and create jobs play a key role in driving the economy, providing new services, and supporting communities. 

One of the examples I will give is that the co-founder of Google is Sergey Brin, a Russian immigrant. As a latina we have Sofia Vergara. She has her own beauty and fashion brands. She comes from a Colombian family who immigrated to America. There are a lot of them but they come for a better future and after getting their future, they help other immigrants to be successful like they are. It is sad to see that doors are closing for the new wave of immigrants who we all know the good benefits they will make. We have a labor shortage. We have American people who rather take aid to help them rather than going to work and save “ their America”. We should be making it easier, not harder, they just make it harder for them. Without jobs what money is moving? It is just harder for everyone.

Immigrants keep the American economy on the move. According to the first source I saw How does immigration affect us economy?  (Pew Research center) It said as of 2022, nearly 48 million immigrants lived in the U.S., making up about 14% of the total population. Their work and spending contributed around $1.6 trillion to the economy and $579 billion in taxes. I am not good at math but all that money is the one who pays for our streets, roads, our doctors, police, teachers, public schools. Just imagine with more money we get the more money our teachers get paid and a better education for your kids, even though a lot of the immigrants are not able to file taxes since they don’t have a social number. Immigrants fill critical jobs that are facing serious worker shortages like agriculture and  construction. I know a lot of born and raised Americans who will never step foot in a strawberry field or fix and how to build a house. Without immigrant workers, a lot of these industries wouldn’t function properly. 

On January 20 2025 Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 47th president of the U.S. We all know his ideas and plans. In my opinion his favorite topic is immigration. He knows immigration is clearly a benefit to the U.S., he has made policies that have made it harder for people to enter or stay. Stricter border policies, fewer work permits. I saw ICE taking away people and bringing them back to their house since there was no room to store everyone and there was no money to send them back.  There are a lot of points  that since the U.S.-born workforce is growing at a much slower rate, the economy actually depends on immigrant labor to keep expanding. When fewer immigrants are allowed in, businesses can’t find enough workers, which leads to lower productivity, higher costs, and even some businesses shutting down.  If you go on Business insider you will see more information. 

Beyond economics,immigration has deeply shaped American culture. I don’t know about other states but I know New York the amount of diverse culture we have is amazing. Living in Bushwick Brooklyn  I could walk down and see my Dominican food, Ecuadorian food, Honduran , Chinese, Indian, Arabic and ect.  All of these restaurants are just a small example of how immigrants bring cultures with them. This shows how diverse America is. Not to mention how we celebrate St Patrick’s day to honor St. According to “https://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day” it said “ Ireland’s patron saint, and to celebrate Irish culture”. On this day we see people wearing green and drinking beer.  All these immigrants come to share a bit of their country. It is a big celebration. One that was recent was Lunar New Year, we were honored enough to have the day off.  This is an Chinese & other Asian immigrants) – Big celebrations in cities like San Francisco, NYC, and LA. It’s the little things that count. From food to music to dance you name it.  

On a personal level, my father receives Social Security benefits, which are funded in part by immigrant labor. Immigrants contribute to programs that support older generations, including Social Security and Medicare. If fewer immigrants are allowed to work and pay taxes, these programs will face even greater financial strain.

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At the end of the day, immigration is not just a political issue—it is an economic necessity. Immigrants work hard, pay taxes, and bring valuable skills that benefit everyone. Restricting immigration does not protect American jobs; it weakens businesses, slows innovation, and makes life harder for everyone. Instead of treating immigration as a problem, we should recognize it as the key to a thriving economy and a stronger nation.

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