A Researcher’s Perspective
A Review of
The Truth About Immigration: Why Successful Societies Welcome Newcomers
Zeke Hernandez
Hardcover: St Martin’s Press. 2024
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Reviewed by Karen Altergott Roberts
Our nation will be well-served by this book. Based on his economic research and the research of others, Hernandez offers a comprehensive narrative and a basis for future policy and practice. The “full story” is well-documented and easily accessible. Hernandez takes a deep dive into research-based knowledge of business and the economy and determines that the economic impacts of immigration are positive. He addresses current policy problems surrounding immigration.
Immigration brings economic benefits to countries through the development of businesses and changes in investment. Technical innovation, scientific efforts, and intellectual advances enhance well-being, wealth, and creativity in the economy are fostered through immigration. Innovations flow from intellectual migration, as the founder of Moderna put it. Immigrant contribution to society and the economy is not a fluke but a feature of immigration.
What about the cost of immigrants? Economic analyses show the net positive impact of immigrants given the cost of public benefits used by immigrants balanced with taxes they pay. He offers a detailed analysis of different types of immigrants, the uneven costs and benefits from state to state because of a lack of federal policy, and the importance of providing education to immigrants to reduce the costs of their presence. The supply of immigrant workers helps balance the departure of the huge baby boom cohort from the labor force. Labor force shortages and the need for continued contributions to Social Security are remedied by immigration.
How should we address our country’s economic issues and develop practices and policies to integrate immigrants into the communities? Some communities design systems that make immigration adaptation easier. When it comes to work, many employers welcome foreign-born employees. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, cited by Hernandez, immigrants hold “45% of jobs in household services, 36% in clothes manufacturing, 33% in agriculture, 32% in hospitality, 29% in food production, 27% in electronics manufacturing, and about a quarter in laundry services, construction, and other kinds of manufacturing” (93-94). We don’t want to live without their valuable contributions and would have difficulty doing so.
Labor force disbalances could be balanced by permitting more highly trained individuals to immigrate. There is a great need for dentists, doctors, and other medical professionals, for highly trained workers in technology. But there are blocks, barriers, and competition for the talents of highly educated people. Many countries are reforming their immigration systems to attract and welcome trained and talented professionals. Attracting immigrants, rather than creating a culture of rejection, is part of the challenge for the US. Visas, work permits, sponsorship, and other systems for helping people work here could be improved (118).
The second half of the book deals directly with social concerns about immigration. People are concerned about how immigrants influence “the social, political, and institutional fabric of the country” (135). Assimilating to language, economic success, and cultural adaptation are multigenerational processes. Historically, immigrants have faced a hostile culture regardless of their interest in assimilating: German American children in some states had no help learning English. This largest ethnic group in the early 1900s was threatened, some Germans were lynched, and anyone speaking German was vulnerable (149). In our time, hate crimes and prejudices against Muslims keep people in enclaves, dissuading them from settling into a larger community.
Hernandez’s discussion of integration, assimilation, separation, and marginalization informs policymakers and community leaders. Integration, which benefits immigrants and the culture they join, would lead to the healthiest outcomes. He describes the entrance of several immigrant groups into American culture. Immigrants were often stereotyped as victims or villains. A ‘fear-based’ narrative hinders our history, while an ‘enrichment’ narrative that emphasizes how much more we are as Americans because of our differences leads to the conclusion we are all better off, truly, because of immigration.
Crime is a concern of many, and some claim that immigrants present a danger to the public. The truth is that crime rates are lower for immigrants and especially low for undocumented immigrants. US-born citizens are much more likely to be arrested for crimes, especially violent crimes.
Anti-immigrant ideas are often not supported by the truth. But a “tiny band of strongly opinionated and fabulously well-funded individuals” have created a ‘villain narrative’ against immigration (197). These think tanks- leading with narratives of fear- do real damage to communities and our nation. Hernandez points out, “think tanks on the pro-immigrant side have a wider and less concentrated set of donors and supporters,” even though they reflect the majority opinion of Americans “who view immigration favorably” (200).
While all groups in the US are becoming more positive about immigration, it is especially promising that those who live near more foreigners are most positive about immigrants (206). Especially since 14% of the US population are immigrants. Any action that increases the humanity of the immigrants mitigates negative outcomes (210).
In Chapter 10, Hernandez asks the question, What about illegal immigrants? Eleven million undocumented immigrants in the US are a fraction of all immigrants, living mainly in California, Texas, New York, and Florida. Many are trapped by the changes to laws governing seasonal workers. Hernandez covers studies that show no “systematic harm in terms of crime, use of public resources, or employment.”
The book ends with a chapter on how to fix our broken immigration system. The Truth About Immigration brings together the wisdom of an economist who understands both history and the current situation, the know-how of a business faculty member who understands the management and labor sides of the immigration issue, and deep compassion that reaches beyond stereotypes and surface issues to accurately describe cultural and economic aspects of immigration. There is a wealth of insight in these pages.
Karen Altergott Roberts
Karen Altergott Roberts, having spent half of her career as an academic sociologist, is convinced of the value of research and careful analysis to contribute to the truth we need today. Having spent the other half of her work life as a pastor and social service administrator, she prays for the use of truth, faith, and knowledge in building a humane future. She writes a newsletter called Somewhen at karenaltergottroberts@substack.com.
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