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Searching for a part-time
job is a familiar task for many high school students. Whether it's the
need for extra income, something to put on a college application, or just
a way to spend time and meet people after school, teenagers have always
filled employers’ need for relatively low-paying, unskilled jobs.
But now, teenagers may be
getting some additional competition. Illegal immigration has been on the
rise in the United States in recent years, and these immigrants generally
take up the low-paying jobs that teenagers used to lay claim to. Not long
ago, young, high school-age people were the most common employees at fast
food restaurants and such companies across the nation. However, this trend
has gradually eroded as illegal immigration has increased.
Upon entering the country,
most illegal immigrants immediately seek low-income, unskilled jobs that
require little training and allow them to build a foundation in
America. These jobs have high turnover rates and do not require a college
education, placing teenagers and immigrants in direct competition for
them. Many high school students have been having trouble finding jobs, a
problem that may be influenced by the rise in immigration. Since most
immigrants are willing to accept the jobs full-time, they have an
immediate advantage over high school students looking to work part-time,
in tandem with going to school during the day. In part to counter this
threat to teenagers, Congress has been working on new legislation that
would introduce harsher punishments, often times immediate deportation,
for immigrants who enter the country illegally.
And yet, teenagers do not
seem to be that much worse off than before.
McDonald's is not exactly a
pleasant work environment, and it seems that teens are better off working
jobs that offer better career training for the future. Teens are now
seeking more intellectual jobs because of the inability for them to
acquire low-income jobs. This means that teenagers are now able to receive
real work experience, often in a field they will one day work full time
in, long before they go to college or enter the mainstream workforce. Not
only are the jobs more beneficial to teens intellectually, they often
provide a cleaner, safer, and more productive work environment than your
average fast food joint.
The United States has long
been a haven for foreign immigrants, a country with gold-paved streets and
endless opportunity for all. That legacy seems to live today, as thousands
of immigrants every year make their way to the U.S. in search of better
lives. Due to strict government regulation of legal immigrants, many are
forced to do so illegally. They are often uneducated, at least in English,
and have little or no money, and are thus forced to take low-paying jobs.
While teenagers may fill these jobs for a few hours after school,
immigrants can assume the roles full-time, giving companies and employers
a significant benefit that is not offered by part-time workers.
Americans often do not
recognize the great contribution that immigrants, legal or not, make to
the economy. If we were to expel illegal immigrants currently residing in
the country or build more fences to block them, as new legislation in
congress aims to do, we would be left with a gaping hole in our economy.
These immigrants typically hold jobs that Americans do not want, but are
still a critical part of our economy.
Perhaps even more
importantly, every single person living in this country today had
ancestors that were immigrants. Each of those new immigrants were afforded
the opportunity for success that this country offers. Many began working
low-paying jobs, and used them as a starting block to build better lives
for themselves and their children, not to mention the American economy as
whole. Is it wrong to deny these people the same opportunity for success
that all of our ancestors received?
It is an impractical and
ridiculous notion that all illegal American immigrants should be expelled,
due to the fact that they are a vital part of our modern economy, often
times do not occupy jobs that Americans desire, and also because they
deserve the same opportunity for success that all of our ancestors
received. Though teenagers today may have to search beyond McDonald's for
a job, this is clearly beneficial, as the jobs they do get will likely be
more productive to themselves and the economy as a whole.
A similar version of this editorial will also be
published in Victor's high school newspaper. |
