Misconceptions about immigration

Immigration has always been quite a controversial topic in the US. Opinions regarding the immigration system are varied and usually change depending on the political opinion of citizens, as well as the position of the country’s administration.

Speaking specifically about the current administration of the US, President Trump, along with his cabinet, constantly refers to immigration with a negative connotation, stating that it affects and harms the economic system, American workers and increases the local unemployment rate.

Adding to that, in multiple public speeches and without citing reliable sources, President Trump has linked immigration to crime and the lack of job opportunities for local workers.

However, several recent studies and investigations show that these accusations are not always true and that the Trump administration’s opinion has affected the way in which the local population relates to immigration.

Let’s see some important facts:

1. A recent study conducted by Gallup reveals that 42% of the American population still associates immigration with crime and the opinion of the Trump administration also contributed to this misconception.
2. The National Academy of Sciences of the US (PNAS) recently conducted a study, which reveals that immigration does not affect or increase the country’s crime rate, contradicting the opinion of the Trump administration regarding immigration.
3. In 2016, the CATO institute released a report called “Why Unemployment Is Lower When Immigration Is Higher,” which reveals that immigrants do not reduce job opportunities for American workers, nor do they increase the local unemployment rate. It means that “Higher immigration is not associated with higher unemployment.”

Taking these misconceptions as a reference, President Trump substantially restricted immigration during his term, mainly after the massive outbreak of Coronavirus in the North American territory, preventing vulnerable immigrant communities and foreign workers from entering the US.

Foreign workers are also on the front line in the battle against COVID-19

The Trump administration almost completely suspended business immigration during 2020, arguing that the health crisis skyrocketed the unemployment rate and American workers should have more opportunities than foreign workers.

However, this premise is also not completely valid when we analyze in depth the results of several studies and carry out exhaustive investigations to understand the situation correctly.

For instance, a study conducted by the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) in April 2020, during the first massive outbreak of COVID-19, reveals that foreign workers are essential to the health system and for the country to overcome the health emergency.

Let’s look at some findings:

• Approximately 29% of the country’s physicians are foreign workers.
• Approximately 23% of pharmacists are foreign workers.
• 38% of home health aides are foreign workers.
• In the entire health system, 17% of professionals are foreign workers.

Other than that, the US healthcare system experienced a high skilled workforce shortage during the health crisis caused by the global Coronavirus pandemic. However, despite these numbers, the Trump administration restricted business immigration and it was more difficult to hire foreign health professionals.

Regarding this study, also in April 2020, the Bipartisan Policy Center stated: “Immigrants make up a significant percentage of the workforce and are undoubtedly vital to our health care system (…) our system will need to consider how we can expand work authorization to foreign-born health care professionals. “

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