The answer to this question is that immigration is an asset to the United States for many reasons, including that immigrants do work that Americans do not want to do, pay taxes and provide cultural diversity. These benefits of immigration are particularly evident in areas such as agriculture, construction and other low-skilled labor sectors where a large portion of workers are foreign-born (Pew Research Center 2019). This allows these industries to fill positions quickly with reliable employees who often have experience or specialized skills which can be difficult or expensive for employers to find within the domestic population.

Immigrants also make important contributions to the U.S. economy through their tax payments. According to a report by the Institute on Taxation & Economic Policy (ITEP), undocumented immigrants alone paid $11.6 billion in state and local taxes during 2018 (ITEP 2020). This number represents around 8% of all income taxes collected at the state level each year despite only making up 5% of the total population in America.