The United States of America was built on the idea of immigration, with many of us having ancestors that immigrated from another country. According to Pew Research Center, over 40 million people in the U.S. were born in another country. This accounts for about one-fifth of the world's migrants. With that kind of immigrant population, there are countless myths and assumptions that revolve around the topic. Here are three myths surrounding immigration that is harmful to immigrating families.

1. It's Easy to Immigrate to the United States

Many people think it might be easy to immigrate to the United States. This is purely an assumption that does not take into account the emotional and physical tolls that immigrating to a new country has on families. The truth is that immigration law makes it difficult to immigrate legally to the United States. This process can take many years due to the backlog of people applying to legally immigrate.

2. Immigrants Will Steal Jobs From Other Americans

Another myth surrounding immigration involves American jobs. Many individuals might think that allowing more immigrants will make it more difficult for Americans to get jobs, affecting the poor. However, immigrants don't force the poor out of the labor market. Legal immigrants have the same opportunities that American citizens have, but they do not steal our jobs.

3. Immigrants Will Abuse Welfare Programs

Some might be under the impression that immigrants abuse the welfare system. As an overall statement, this is simply untrue. According to Carnegie.org, immigrants use less welfare than Americans that were native-born. Welfare programs are designed to provide assistance for lower-class families, but the responsibility for its abuse can't be placed on any one group of people.

The topic of immigration in the United States is one that often spurs debates. Differences of opinion can lead to the spreading of misinformation, so it is essential to understand the difference between myth and fact. Three common myths include the idea that it's easy to immigrate, immigrants will take our jobs, and immigrants will abuse the welfare programs we have in place for the less fortunate. Reach out to the Law Office of Brian T. Richards to learn more about how we work to bring accessibility and personalized services for family unification.