FAQ / Myths Busted

(This page is still under construction.)
  • Immigrants commit a lot of crimes and crowd up our courts and prisons.
    • There is no reliable data to confirm that immigrants commit crimes at higher rates than native-born Americans.  There is plenty of evidence to support the fact that the vast majority of immigrants do not commit crimes and are here to make a better life for themselves and their families.  
    • It is a proper function of government to deal with those who violate the rights of others.  Criminals, whether foreign-born or home-grown, should be dealt with by the police and the courts.
    • Immigrants with criminal records should not be allowed into the US in the first place.
  • Open immigration will cause America to be over-crowded and put a strain on the country's natural resources.
    • Capitalism, with its new inventions and innovation will solve the logistical problems of modern society. 
    • America has plenty of room (especially if the government would sell off the western part of this country, of which it is a majority land-owner.)  All you need to do is take a trip in an airplane to see that most of the country is not urban cities and there is plenty of room for countless more human settlements.
    • America has plenty of natural resources.  The Dakotas are booming with new oil production, and if environmentalists and the government would get out of the way, there'd be even more opportunities in natural gas, coal and oil.  And with future innovation, who knows what products will be created to make our lives even easier than they are now?  Perhaps we'd have a way to desalinate sea water at an affordable rate!
    • The population density of America is not that high.  At 32 people per square mile, we've got plenty of room to spare.  (Compare that with 203 people per square mile in Asia or 134 people per square mile in Europe.) Besides, you can own as much land as you want to purchase.  What business is it of yours who buys the rest of the land, as long as they're not violating your rights?
  • Immigrants take jobs that Americans need and want, and they drive down wages.
    • No person has the right to a job.  Businesses are owned by the business owner and they have property rights, including the right to hire and fire whom they please.  Employment is a contract between the job-seeker and the business owner.  The two parties should be left free to negotiate the employment terms as they see fit, including hours worked, wages paid, benefits to be earned, etc.  
    • You do not have the right to tell another property owner what to do with their property.  As long as no one is violating your rights, you have no say in the matter.  Employment is voluntary and if you do not like the wages or other benefits an employer is offering you, you are not required to take or keep that job.  
    • Many times, immigrants work jobs that no Americans want anyway.  There is plenty of evidence in the media right now when it comes to farm jobs.  Farmers literally have produce rotting in the fields due to recent immigration laws which have made it difficult to hire migrant farm workers.  Many farmers have tried hiring Americans, but most of them quit by lunch time, with the remainder quitting within a day or two.  Despite being paid $10-12/hour, some work is so difficult and so labor-intensive, that most native-born Americans are simply not willing to do it.
    • Many times, immigrants create jobs for Americans and other immigrants.  Have you ever heard of Google, Ebay, Yahoo, Intel, Liz Claiborne, or Sun Microsystems?  Or how about that immigrant that owns that wonderful restaurant near your home or office, or the neighborhood convenience store or the dry cleaner?  Many times immigrants come to the US specifically to start their own business since it's easier to start a business in the US than in many other countries.
    • Immigrant labor makes the products and services that all Americans use more plentiful and affordable.  This is not only good for the US economy, but good for the pocketbook of Americans and immigrants alike.
  • Should we allow everyone to become a citizen?
    • The US needs to redefine what it means to be a citizen.  There are many native-born Americans who shouldn't have the right to vote or other privileges that come along with being a citizen.  Citizenship should not be automatic for anyone or based on where you happen to be born.
    • Peaceful people should be allowed to come into the country legally, pursue their happiness, live their lives, look for work and if they so choose, apply for and earn citizenship. 
  • Immigrants don't pay taxes, yet come here to get on welfare and use our health care system.
    • Immigrants do pay taxes.  Whether the social security number is fake or not, most immigrants have social security taxes, income taxes and Medicare/Medicaid taxes withheld from their paychecks.  (And many of them will never be able to make a claim against those assets due to the false social security number!)  In addition, they pay all sorts of other taxes, such as gas, sales and property taxes (which usually pay for their children's education in the public school system.)
    • If immigrants pay taxes, why shouldn't they have access to taxpayer services such as food stamps and schools?  
    • More importantly, no American or immigrant should be taxed for or have access to welfare or government-run health care.  The problem with the welfare state is not immigration.  The problem with the welfare state is that socialism never has and never will work.  Perhaps we should disallow immigrants access to social and welfare services and  cut their taxes proportionately.  Then we should go about weaning all Americans off social services and the associated taxes that pay for them.
    • The bottom line is that a country gets the immigrants it deserves.  If a country is a welfare state and encourages its citizens to be lazy, that is the immigrants it will attract.  If a country values hard work and earning a living, it will attract that sort of immigrants.
    • Capitalism is the only socioeconomic system that does not reward "free riding."  In a capitalist society, free riders would be fewer and farther between and inconsequential.
  • America is a nation of laws.  Some immigrants have broken the law by coming to this country and they ought to be prosecuted.  We should follow "the rule of law."
    • Saying that America is a nation of laws is not only an understatement, but really means nothing when it comes to morality.  America is a nation of too many laws, most of which are very bad, violate individual rights and ought to be repealed.  The only proper, moral function of government is to protect individual rights.  Any laws on the books that do not protect individual rights, ought to be repealed.  This includes most, if not all, immigration laws.  The immigration laws of this country repeatedly violate the rights of employers to their property (their businesses), and the rights of individuals to pursue their own happiness.
    • Most Americans violate multiple laws every day of their lives, and they certainly do not deserve to be arrested for it!  There is everything from revenue-generating traffic laws (many of which do not ensure public safety) to the countless regulations on all sorts of businesses.  It's impossible for any American to be aware of all the laws that deal with nearly every aspect of his life, much less adhere to them all.
  • Immigrants burden the US economy.  There just isn't enough wealth and prosperity to go around.