Should the U.S. reduce immigration?

From the time of America’s founding, immigration has been crucial to the nation’s growth, as well as a periodic source of conflict. Recent debate over immigration has polarized the nation, sparking rallies and marches, prompting congressional hearings, presidential initiatives and proposed legislation to reform what is widely considered an ineffective U.S. immigration system. Approximately 24 million legal immigrants and an estimated 12 million unauthorized immigrants live and work in the United States, the highest level since the 1920s. National debate has focused on the public costs associated with the new generation of immigrant workers and the contributions that they make to our country. Those who support lenient immigration reform, including a means for immigrants who enter the country illegally to become citizens, say vast numbers of undocumented immigrants are law-abiding, hardworking people who make the country stronger and more economically prosperous by paying taxes and taking undesirable, low-income jobs. Those who favor reduced immigration say that a large proportion of recent immigrants are low-skilled workers who take away jobs from U.S. citizens and overwhelm government agencies that provide education, public assistance and medical care.