America is one of the greatest countries in the world. That’s a known fact. It’s ranked first in terms of power (military power, leadership, economic and political influence, and strong international alliances). It truly is one of the greatest countries to live in. Hundreds of opportunities open up when you live in a country like this.
And who doesn’t want to live the American dream? That’s why so many people decide to move to the United States. About 45 million immigrants are in the United States today. All come from different parts of the world. But that’s not the only interesting fact about immigration in the United States. There are tons of other interesting facts about immigration that you might not know. Such as:
America’s Founding Father was an immigrant
If you’ve watched Hamilton, you’d know that Alexander Hamilton (one of America’s Founding Fathers) was an immigrant. He was born in the British West Indies and moved to the United States when he was a teenager. Although he was an immigrant, he opposed the idea of open immigration, unlike Thomas Jefferson, who was all for open-immigration policies.
You can become a US citizen for some cash and 200 egg rolls
Just kidding. But an immigration officer was indicted back in 2015. For what reason? She was bribed with cash and 200 egg rolls in exchange for citizenship and a green card.
Non-native-Americans are all descended from immigrants
If you aren’t native American, there’s a huge chance you were descended from immigrants. How big a chance, you may ask? Ninety-nine percent. That’s right, almost every single American citizen either descended from immigrants or are immigrants.
You can experience what it’s like to cross the border illegally
If you’re the type of person who loves thrill and adventure, there’s an unusual amusement park in Mexico that you should visit. In Parque EcoAlberto, they offer you a chance to experience what it’s like to cross the U.S.-Mexico border. It’s a three-hour experience of you walking, crawling, running away, and being threatened by fake border patrol and fake drug smugglers.
Although this attraction may sound silly (and downright absurd) at first, they created this attraction to educate and convince people of the dangers of trying to cross the border illegally. This is their way of stopping people from doing so. And what better way to convince them than to make the experience exactly what it’d be like (but with less danger, of course) to do so.
Illegal immigrants don’t only come from the Mexican border
Most illegal immigrants used to be legal immigrants. They become illegal immigrants because they choose to stay even once their VISAs expire. If you’ve overstayed your VISA, make sure to contact an immigration lawyer to see what they can do about your case.
Immigrants help the country’s economy
Immigrants make up a large part of the U.S. labor workforce. Foreign-born workers contribute around $2 trillion to the country’s GDP every year. That’s 10% of our annual GDP.
Immigrants don’t cause more crime
If you don’t believe that immigrants aren’t the cause of increasing crime. You better believe it. A common misconception people have is that immigrants increase crime rates. But immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than American-born citizens.
Although many people have different opinions on immigration policies, you can’t deny that immigrants contribute a lot to the United States. Both economically and culturally. America wouldn’t be the way it is without the help of immigrants. Even one of our founding fathers was an immigrant. These are just some interesting facts about U.S. immigration that not all people know about or have often misunderstood.
