Countries, especially the United States, have long benefited from immigration and diversity. Here are just five reasons why immigration is a good thing.

  1. Immigrants Expand Culture by Introducing New Ideas and Customs.  Trump said that immigrants change the fabric of a society’s culture. Technically, they do. But so does the passage of time, new technology, social media, a native-born population, and much more. In reality, immigrants change culture for the better by introducing new ideas, expertise, customs, cuisines, and art. Far from erasing the existing culture, they expand it.
  2. Immigrants Improve Economies Through Hard Work and Entrepreneurship. Lots of research has been done showing the positive effect immigrants have on local and national economies. Overall, immigrants boost wages, expand the economy, and are more likely to start businesses than the average US citizen, according to the Mercatus Center.
  3. Immigration Funds Government Activity, Helping All Citizens. By expanding the economy, and paying taxes, immigrants fund government actions like building roads, improving schools, modernizing water systems, and running courthouses.
  4. Immigration Makes the World More Connected. It’s become a cliche, but the world becomes more interconnected each year as people share cultures, engage in global commerce, and develop friendships with people from different backgrounds.
  5. Immigration Benefits Immigrants. Immigrants travel to new countries for a variety of reasons — to seek opportunity, to reunite with family and friends, to fulfill a dream. Refugees and asylum seekers, on the other hand, travel to new countries to escape life-threatening situations.

Read the full article about immigrants by Joe McCarthy at Global Citizen.