“They are stealing our jobs!” “When they send their people, they are not sending their best. "This protest was articulated in 2016 and still resonates in the social debate, not only in the United States, but also in a global context: from Greece refusing entry to migrant women wearing hijabs to the Danish government placing ads in many languages ​​along the border stating “Do not come to Denmark” highlighting the harsh systems in place for immigrants However, opposition to immigrants is as old as America itself. Although the recent political climate seems to have interpreted immigration negatively , America is known historically to have a nativist stain on its past. In 1750, Benjamin Franklin wrote: “They who come hither are generally among the most ignorant fools of their own nation. (Merelli) The first immigration act in the United States dates back to 1882, when California pushed for the Chinese Exclusion Act: a policy that banned “those of the undesirable Asian race” from the United States in the 1920s and into the 1940s, immigration was based on complexion , making “white” a coveted complexion for migrants. In 1922, Japanese Americans Takao Ozawa and Takuji Yamashita took their naturalization cases to the Supreme Court, arguing that Japanese people had white skin. The court ruled that the term “white person” can only apply to Caucasian people. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay The case was later brought before the Supreme Court again by a Sikh man Bhagat Singh and received the same ruling that the man did not meet the common understanding of being Caucasian. However, this new war cry against immigrants is not based solely on bigotry or racial tensions: it all boils down to economic issues. “They are stealing jobs from hard-working Americans” is an everyday phrase thrown around, not just in politics, but in casual conversations among people on social networks. The logic behind this phrase is that adding more people into the country creates more competition for already limited jobs, leaving Americans with the short end of the stick. However, is this the reality? Labor, contrary to popular belief, is not a limited resource. In fact, limiting immigration can harm the job market. Currently, America has an economic growth rate of 2%, which means that approximately 5 million jobs are created each year, yet labor market participation remains low. This means that while many jobs exist, few are actively seeking employment. Dr. Diana Furchtgott-Roth, an economist at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, says that “immigrants increase economic efficiency by reducing labor shortages in low-skill and high-skill markets because their diverse educational backgrounds fill gaps in the labor market native. ” (Furchtgott-Roth, par. 7). In simpler terms, imagine if as a bookstore manager you needed ten workers to help with sales and productivity. If you pay to advertise jobs for a long period of time and only get five workers, you are less likely to offer more job opportunities next year because the company had a net loss. However, if five natives applied for the job and five immigrants also applied, you are encouraged to offer more jobs the following year because the bookstore's profit (increased productivity and sales) exceeds the cost (commissions for job advertisements)..