Why Low-Skilled Immigrants Work Especially Hard

They seek out work and commit fewer crimes. They start and provide for their families. They make these decisions despite facing stiffer competition for jobs from newer immigrants and lacking the language proficiency of native workers-the most important hurdle to employment in the United States.

In other words, immigrants don't just provide important economic benefits by preventing the U.S. labor force from declining-they are also bringing with them many important cultural benefits that the United States desperately needs. Punishing these immigrant workers will not aid struggling native-born workers-it will only hurt them and the economy as a whole.