When it comes to immigration, there are so many myths floating around it is hard to objectively have a conversation on the topic without having a heated debate.
“Part of the problem with immigration myths is the fact that they have been perpetuated by the media who would seemingly prefer to discuss the bad and ugly side of immigration problems, without giving the same amount of air space to the good side,” said Sally Odell of Rifkin Fox-Isicoff, P.A., in Miami and Orlando, Florida.
Frankly, politicians don’t help the debate much either with their partisan policies that fluctuate with every small breeze that blows through election land.
There are a wide variety of myths surrounding immigrants coming to the U.S., including one that says immigrants lower real estate values. This has no kernel of truth in it and in fact, the shape the housing market is in today is a direct result of low interest rates, very sloppy lending standards, and a craze to buy houses. “Once that warped market phenomenon hit its peak, it has been sliding into recession since then,” indicated Odell.
Another myth is that immigrants tend to bring disease to the country, particularly tuberculosis. “When dealing with this particular falsehood, it’s best to look at the World Health Organization statistics before jumping to wild conclusions,” commented Sally Odell of Rifkin Fox-Isicoff, P.A., in Miami and Orlando, Florida.
The fact of the matter is that Mexico only has a rate of 13 people per 100,000 as compared to immigrants from Eastern Europe, Africa, the Indian sub-continent, Namibia, Botswana, Cambodia, the Philippines and Bangladesh that often have statistics showing up to 469 people per 100,000.
We need to be aware of what we are actually dealing with when we propagate myths about immigrants and offer them the dignity and respect they deserve for hard working people. “This goes to the heart of another myth that goes something along the lines of undocumented workers wanting citizenship benefits without waiting their turn in the immigration approval process,” outlined Odell.
The facts are that most undocumented workers are earning money to send back home to care for their families. They aren’t the least bit interested in owning property, voting or even running for election. They, just like millions of other Americans, pay sales taxes, property taxes and income taxes.
Furthermore these workers don’t ask for welfare, social security or Medicare benefits. “This is hardly an indication that they are not waiting their “turn” to become legal citizens, when in fact they are virtually already half way there in actions alone and are only asking for temporary renewable work permits that let them earn a living,” explained Odell.
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