"The Hard Truth of Immigration"

Why is immigration currently such a complex and controversial issue in the United States?

"The stakes are simple: will immigration continue to foster national pride and strength or will it cause more and more weakness and anger?"


PROBLEM: Unable to accomodate and support the ongoing flow
"No society has a boundless capacity to accept newcomers, especially when many are poor and unskilled." (and majority uneducated)
Low-wage jobs (considerably lower than average US wages) = come poor, stay poor
"The more who arrive, the harder it will be for existing low-skilled workers to advance."
Overwhelmed school systems, social services, health insurance, federal benefits

SOLUTION: Samuelson does not end with a straightforward solution.
"Could do a better job of stopping illegal immigration...policing employers who hire illegals."
"Could provide legal status to (those already here)."
"Could make more sensible decisions about legal immigrants--skilled over unskilled."
"BUT the necessary steps are much tougher than most politicians have so far embraced, and their timidity reflects a lack of candor about the seriousness of the problem."

Do you agree with the essay’s conclusion?
I agree that the steps that we have taken/are taking are not going to solve the overall issue of the fact that our society does not have a "boundless capacity to accept newcomers". It is wearing down our stability as a nation. Personally though, I wish there were ways around it all because of the conditions that these people live in if they can't come to the United States. It's a line that's drawn between understanding the economical stress but still harboring human compassion. It makes me think of the situation in 1999 or 2000 (?) when Elián Gonzales was returned to Cuba after all he'd been through to make it to the states.

Provide any comments or reactions to the effectiveness of the introductory paragraph and the essay’s organization and language:
The intro is catching because the structure of the sentences are mind engaging--not something I would wizz through and space off because I got bored halfway through. The entire essay was something I had to read a couple times because there are so many statistics that jumble the flow. Overall is well supported and engaging.

How might this article be useful to your larger problem/solution research project?
Haven't yet decided what my topic will be in general, but I've always avoided the argument of illegal immigration because it's such a difficult issue and because it is personal for me--knowing that I have close friends whose parents were came as "illegals" and then became citizens. But I may decide not to shy away from this topic anymore...