Each year the United States admits nearly nine hundred thousand legal immigrants who take jobs and begin to live and work in our country. As these immigrants begin their new lives, many citizens believe that they are “stealing” jobs and lowering the wages of those who have lived and worked in the Unites States their whole lives. In contrast there are numerous citizens who believe that legal immigrants are having an advantageous effect on the economy of the Unites States. When wondering whether legal immigrants are helping or hurting our economy, one must consider one’s role in society. If the role is that of an owner of a business such as a farm or landscaping company one may argue that legal immigration is beneficial to the economy. Immigrants often come into the country and take low paying jobs requiring little skill due to the lack of an adequate education. When employers look for unskilled workers, legal immigrants are a cheap, young workforce. On the other hand, if one is an American high school dropout looking for work in the same field as the legal immigrants, one may feel that legal immigrants are having a detrimental effect on the economy. As a result citizens all over the nation have different opinions on legal immigration, as do many experts.

However, economists do agree on one thing: immigration lowers wages of unskilled workers. Although they agree that immigration lowers wages, many argue about the extent of this. Some experts even say that while immigrants lower wages, the increase in immigration is helping to keep inflation low, improve housing values, and benefit taxpayers. "Immigration provides overall economic gains to a country," says economist Albert Saiz. He states that the only people being significantly harmed by immigration are those without high school diplomas, who have lost an estimated 7.4 percent of wages due to immigration. On the other hand, an economist at the University of California, David Card, said "Evidence that immigrants harm native opportunities is scant," and that there was "a surprisingly weak relationship between immigration and less-skilled wages." The effects of legal immigration on the United States is a very controversial topic throughout the nation, and although many experts give have given their opinions, most people will establish their thoughts on immigration based their own views, morals, and place in society.