Immigration Myths
MONTGOMERY, Alabama (The
Southern Poverty Law Center) April
23, 2009 ―
Despite economic evidence and other
data demonstrating the positive
economic impact of immigrant labor,
one of the most strongly held myths
is the belief immigrants "steal" the
jobs of native workers or shrink
their wages.
It persists despite former President
Bush's economic advisers reporting
in 2007, "On average, U.S. natives
benefit from immigration. Immigrants
tend to complement (not substitute
for) natives, raising natives'
productivity and income."
They also noted estimates put the
total wage gains from immigration by
natives at more than $30 billion per
year, concluding, "Sharply reducing
immigration would be a
poorly-targeted and inefficient way
to assist low-wage Americans."
However, policy papers and research
are often no match for the hysteria
drummed up by radio and television
pundits parroting myths as fact.
They have helped entrench beliefs
that blame immigrants for economic
woes, crime and disease when even
the most cursory research often
debunks these myths.
Despite pundits arguing Hispanic
immigrants refuse to assimilate and
learn English, almost 57 percent of
Hispanics questioned in a survey
believe immigrants must speak
English to say they are part of
American society. An overwhelming 92
percent of all Hispanics surveyed
said it is "very important" to teach
English to the children of immigrant
families. The number was even
greater for foreign-born Hispanics,
where 96 percent of those surveyed
said it was a "very important" goal.
Long Lines for English Classes
Even more telling are the long waiting
lists for English as a Second Language
(ESL) classes. One report found out of
176 providers offering classes, 57
percent reported waiting lists ranging
from a few weeks to more than three
years.
Another popular myth blames immigrants
for higher levels of crime, though
several studies conducted over the past
100 years have shown immigrants are less
likely to commit crimes or be
incarcerated than natives.
The incarceration rate for native-born
men age 18 — 39, a group that comprises
much of the prison population, was 3.5
percent in 2000 — five times greater
than the foreign-born incarceration rate
of 0.7 percent. Since 1994 the nation's
undocumented immigrant population has
doubled to 12 million, while the violent
crime rate dropped 34 percent and
property crime dropped 26 percent. The
crime rate also declined in cities with
large immigrant populations, such as
Miami, New York, Chicago and Los
Angeles.
Because they risk deportation,
undocumented immigrants have a strong
motivation to avoid any brushes with the
law.
Crime Myth Persists
The crime myth persists despite evidence
to the contrary, a problem the
Immigration Policy Center highlighted by
noting, "The problem of crime in the
United States is not 'caused' or even
aggravated by immigrants, regardless of
their legal status. But the
misperception the opposite is true
persists among policymakers, the media,
and the general public, thereby
undermining the development of reasoned
public responses to both crime and
immigration."
A particularly insidious myth is the
belief immigrants, particularly
undocumented immigrants, are spreading
diseases such as leprosy. CNN news
anchor Lou Dobbs helped spread the false
claim 7,000 new cases of leprosy were
reported in the United States during a
recent three-year period. Government
health statistics show the number of
reported cases in the United States
"peaked at 361 in 1985 and has declined
since 1988."
Immigrants also have been blamed for
spreading diseases such as malaria, a
claim that ignores the fact the disease
is transmitted by mosquitoes, not
immigrants or any human for that matter.
The resurgence of another health concern
— bedbugs — has also been blamed on
immigrants. Although the reemergence of
bedbugs is real, immigrants are not the
culprit. Research has attributed the
phenomenon to the pervasive use of baits
over insecticide sprays previously used
to control cockroaches and ants.
