Robert Samuelson wrote an article in the Washington Post titled "Importing Poverty" in text the author shows how the immigration is one of the most important causes of the poverty in Mexico. I agree that the poverty rate is higher because of immigration; in particular I think Samuelson shows that very well. The main purpose was to explain how the poverty is associated with immigration has been causing a higher poverty line; as a result, while more poor Hispanics enter in the US, poverty goes up.
In this moment people are obligated to escape from their countries due to the economical situation. When they arrive to a new country they have to adjust to a different type of life and jobs. In Mexico is common to see many people run to the USA and live in the poverty because of their illegal status.
In particular, I read about that. The article shows statistics about this situation; the official poverty line has increased last year, the poverty rate was 12.3 percent, though in 2005 was 12.6 percent, nevertheless it was also higher than the 11.8 percent average in 1970s, furthermore in 2006 there were 36.5 million people poverty, in 1990, the population was smaller and there were 33.6 million people in poverty, the rate of poverty among non immigrants has increased, it situation has caused many problems, nonetheless immigration is not the only cause of poverty, other problems exist, in which the first and immediate cause of poverty in Mexico is the individual condition. This cause refers to the circumstances and characteristics of poor people. For example, the amount of education, skill, intelligence, health, and prejudice all have an influence on poverty.
I think, USA should be more interested in all these people and maybe show them how they really live there, because in Mexico and Latin American countries people have the idea that in USA they will find all the solutions for their problems, and it is not true. The government should do campaigns showing statistics of how has the poverty increased and the social and economic problems in their cities.
On the other hand the lack of education is one of the most significant factors that contribute to poverty. There is no access to jobs for non-educated people. But for the author, there are implications of the governments.
It is paradox to think that Mexican people will be more important in a foreign country, because they think that the new jobs are the same works in their own countries but with better incomes, and this is not true. They have to forget their culture, their families and their jobs, spending more money in another country and to living worst than in Mexico.
But in my opinion the main purpose of the article is to show what the government hasn’t shown. The rate of poverty among non immigrants has been declining. Also the poverty rate among immigrants has declined. So why is there a slightly large poverty rate? By immigrants, and their direct next generation descendants being a larger percentage of the population. If the group with a larger poverty rate increases as a percentage of the population that poverty rates can go up even if the rate is declining for every group, and if the majority of individuals are doing better. Immigration isn't on the net making people poor or keeping them in poverty, it actually helps raise many of the immigrants from poverty, but it’s still bringing in new poor people.
It’s not unreasonable to affirm that there is something negative about bringing in new poor people. The main counter argument to that point is that people could immigrate for government benefits. That's why I'm much more partial to arguments about not making illegal immigrants eligible for welfare than I am to thoughts about trying to stop illegal immigration (which I don't think can be done) or mass deportation.
Another possible negative is that immigration from Mexico reduces the incentive for government reforms, and reduction in the level of socialism in Mexico (both by removing the discontented people, and by the remittances which go back to Mexico and might make some people who stay more content), and also might represent a drain of more intelligent or motivated individuals from Mexico, and as a result will help keep Mexico poor.
To conclude, I want to add that even if the American statistics show that the Latin immigrants are below the poverty line, they may be partially wrong. A person that earns only 20000 dollars per year, an American will consider as poor, but for this person this is a great amount of money that would be impossible to make in his or her own country. Americans have managed to standardize a way of life that they consider as normal or over poverty, but immigrants don’t care about this type of life, they only care about the extra money they will make through any kind of job. I do not agree entirely with the author because his point of view is too focused on America, in only a small group of people and not the larger view, and that is that even if they believe Hispanics are living as poor in their country, they definitely aren’t, and most of them don’t care about their small or creepy jobs because they are helping their families back in their native countries, and that is the greatest way to end poverty in the continent.
In this moment people are obligated to escape from their countries due to the economical situation. When they arrive to a new country they have to adjust to a different type of life and jobs. In Mexico is common to see many people run to the USA and live in the poverty because of their illegal status.
In particular, I read about that. The article shows statistics about this situation; the official poverty line has increased last year, the poverty rate was 12.3 percent, though in 2005 was 12.6 percent, nevertheless it was also higher than the 11.8 percent average in 1970s, furthermore in 2006 there were 36.5 million people poverty, in 1990, the population was smaller and there were 33.6 million people in poverty, the rate of poverty among non immigrants has increased, it situation has caused many problems, nonetheless immigration is not the only cause of poverty, other problems exist, in which the first and immediate cause of poverty in Mexico is the individual condition. This cause refers to the circumstances and characteristics of poor people. For example, the amount of education, skill, intelligence, health, and prejudice all have an influence on poverty.
I think, USA should be more interested in all these people and maybe show them how they really live there, because in Mexico and Latin American countries people have the idea that in USA they will find all the solutions for their problems, and it is not true. The government should do campaigns showing statistics of how has the poverty increased and the social and economic problems in their cities.
On the other hand the lack of education is one of the most significant factors that contribute to poverty. There is no access to jobs for non-educated people. But for the author, there are implications of the governments.
It is paradox to think that Mexican people will be more important in a foreign country, because they think that the new jobs are the same works in their own countries but with better incomes, and this is not true. They have to forget their culture, their families and their jobs, spending more money in another country and to living worst than in Mexico.
But in my opinion the main purpose of the article is to show what the government hasn’t shown. The rate of poverty among non immigrants has been declining. Also the poverty rate among immigrants has declined. So why is there a slightly large poverty rate? By immigrants, and their direct next generation descendants being a larger percentage of the population. If the group with a larger poverty rate increases as a percentage of the population that poverty rates can go up even if the rate is declining for every group, and if the majority of individuals are doing better. Immigration isn't on the net making people poor or keeping them in poverty, it actually helps raise many of the immigrants from poverty, but it’s still bringing in new poor people.
It’s not unreasonable to affirm that there is something negative about bringing in new poor people. The main counter argument to that point is that people could immigrate for government benefits. That's why I'm much more partial to arguments about not making illegal immigrants eligible for welfare than I am to thoughts about trying to stop illegal immigration (which I don't think can be done) or mass deportation.
Another possible negative is that immigration from Mexico reduces the incentive for government reforms, and reduction in the level of socialism in Mexico (both by removing the discontented people, and by the remittances which go back to Mexico and might make some people who stay more content), and also might represent a drain of more intelligent or motivated individuals from Mexico, and as a result will help keep Mexico poor.
To conclude, I want to add that even if the American statistics show that the Latin immigrants are below the poverty line, they may be partially wrong. A person that earns only 20000 dollars per year, an American will consider as poor, but for this person this is a great amount of money that would be impossible to make in his or her own country. Americans have managed to standardize a way of life that they consider as normal or over poverty, but immigrants don’t care about this type of life, they only care about the extra money they will make through any kind of job. I do not agree entirely with the author because his point of view is too focused on America, in only a small group of people and not the larger view, and that is that even if they believe Hispanics are living as poor in their country, they definitely aren’t, and most of them don’t care about their small or creepy jobs because they are helping their families back in their native countries, and that is the greatest way to end poverty in the continent.
Even if it represents a problem for the USA itself, let’s not forget that in the case of Mexico, USA signed a free trade agreement that broke a lot of industries which caused the lost of a lot of jobs for many people. So in one way, it is responsibility of the country to manage that immigrants have a better way of life, better incomes, and better jobs.
