Ovsepyan 1

Andrew Ovsepyan
Professor Noh
English 114A
26 October 2015
Job Stealers or Hard Workers
America is considered the land of opportunity and the home of second chances.
Immigrants (documented or not) come from many different countries to try to live a better life.
However, immigrants get put under much scrutiny by the citizens of America for taking jobs
away from Americans. The blame for the high rate of unemployed citizens is wrongly put upon
immigrants who are looking to provide for their family. Companies are looking to save money in
any way possible to capitalize on their profits. One way of doing that is by hiring immigrants
who can do the same work without the same pay as a working citizen. Many of the
undocumented immigrants that do not have a working permit work for under the table pay and
less money because of the exclusion they get from joining the working force. The prejudice
against immigrants that perceives them as job-stealing people is an unjust view that fails to
represent the very nature of America.
Education is a key element in obtaining a job. It is becoming more popular in our country
to gain an education rather than go to work straight out of high school. Many immigrants, on the
other hand, have not received the same level education or received a degree required to compete
for higher paying jobs when they arrive to America. Maria E. Enchautegui, a senior research
associate at Urban Institute, shares the same views as I do. Enchautegui argues, Fewer U.S.
born workers are competing for jobs requiring less education, the kind immigrants usually get

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(Enchautegui, 1). Enchautegui makes a great point in her argument. Citizens complain that they
are being robbed of their chances to work when in reality, most citizens arent competing for the
same job as immigrants. The people who look upon immigrants differently just based on the fact
that the people themselves cannot find a job are self-centered and should remember that
everyone is human and has equal rights.
Who hires immigrants, especially undocumented immigrants? Many companies in
America are is desperate need of workers. According to Jason Simpkins, Shockingly, despite
high levels of unemployment, hotels and restaurants aren't picking up enough citizens to work
labor-intensive jobs. Two-thirds of construction companies have a shortage of hands (Simpkins,
1). It isnt that immigrants are takin jobs away from U.S. born workers, it is that immigrants are
willing to do that more hard working jobs. This isnt saying that American born workers are lazy,
it is mostly saying that most workers are looking for higher level jobs instead of low end jobs. In
an article by Francis Wilkinson, he talks about his friend who was in desperate need of
landscapers and had to turn to hiring undocumented to keep his business alive. Wilkinson states,
He pays [the immigrants] the same wage he pays Americans (Wilkinson, 1). Just like this
business, many other business have no other choice other than hiring immigrants because of the
lack of interest in that certain job and the pay given to working citizens.
How are the wages being affected by immigration? It is looked at negatively by many
people because it is said that it lowers wages for Americans. Richard Jones says, Not only are
American workers harmed by the loss of jobs, the hourly rates are reduced because of illegal
aliens working for far less (Jones, 1). In response, Adam Looney and Michael Greenstone
argue, Economists have found that immigrants slightly raise the average wages of all U.S.-born
workers (Looney and Greenstone, 2). Looney and Greenstone say that more immigrants create

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more businesses, which translates to more money being made. I am in total agreement with
Looney and Greenstone because I also believe that immigrants improve the work force by
helping people make money without asking for much in return. The people that blame
immigrants for them not making any money looks more like an excuse than a reason against the
immigrants.
How can we tell human beings to give up their ability to provide for their families
because there is a chance they are hurting other peoples chance of getting the job. The way it
sounds is that American born workers are supposed to be more privileged then foreign born
workers. It is advertised that America is supposed to be a land of opportunity and a second
chance, but immigrants figure out that it turns out to be false advertisement when they arrive to
the country. The citizens of America should realize we have a privilege that many cannot say
they have. Just because they are not citizens, it doesnt mean they are not human. The prejudice
against the immigrants shows that, as a country, we must make advances in making equality a
priority and show the other countries what the United States of America really represents.

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Work Cited Page

Greenstone, Michael, and Adam Looney. "What Immigration Means For U.S.
Employment and Wages." What Immigration Means For U.S. Employment and
Wages. The Hamilton Project, 4 May 2012. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.
Simpkins, Jason. "The Pros, Cons, and Costs of Illegal Immigration." The Pros, Cons,
and Costs of Illegal Immigration. Outsider Club, 18 July 2014. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.
Wilkinson, Francis. "Why I Hire Undocumented Workers." BloombergView.com.
Bloomberg View, 12 Mar. 2014. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.
Enchautegui, Maria. "Immigrants Are Replacing, Not Displacing, Workers." The New
York Times. The New York Times, 6 Jan. 2015. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.
Jones, RIchard. "Does Illegal Immigration Harm American Workers (for Example,
through Job Displacement or Lower Wages)? - Illegal Immigration Solutions ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. ProCon, 6 Dec. 2007. Web. 25 Oct. 2015.