Although 'The Daily Caller' is an American news website, the article '5 Reasons Conservatives Should Favor More (legal) Hispanic Immigration' is an opinion article. The journalist Matt Lewis firstly argues: 'Thanks in large part to Latino immigration, America will likely remain a much younger nation than China.' The fears of China overtaking the United States as a world superpower are unlikely because China's aging population is competing against the large, younger 'Latino' population of America. The young Hispanic population are beneficial to the country because they provide a large and energetic piece of the work force, therefore they are aiding the weak economy. Furthermore, Lewis illustrates that America's growing population, which is largely due to Hispanic immigration, will allow America to maintain its superpower status because the larger the population, the greater the power of the nation.
Lewis also indicates that Hispanics obey American principles more than Americans do. This is demonstrated in the Hispanics' attempt to achieve the American Dream, as they 'take risks' by moving to another country in order to gain employment. They are also 'willing to do jobs most Americans don't want to do - for less money.' Hispanics therefore follow the American values of thrift and hard work and moreover, their contribution to the work force is once again beneficial to the economy. They may also obtain a more traditional interpretation of the dream, because they are generally unable to move up to the middle class as they fail to earn large amounts of money. As a result, material wealth may not be highly important to a Hispanic and although this view conflicts with the highly consumerist nation of America, the Hispanic influence may help to shrink this characteristic. However, their position may also highlight discrimination being exercised in America, but this may be overcome with their increasing presence.
In contrast, the activist organisation AIC (Americans for Immigration Control) aims to prevent illegal immigration and enforce stricter controls on legal immigration. The article 'Hispanic Growth Raises Problems -- May 2011' attempts to argue against the Hispanic hard working characteristic, by emphasising that 'eight million or so' are 'illegal aliens' that do not obtain legal or moral principles. This statement fails to address the advantageous characteristics of legal Hispanic immigrants, instead the article is only willing to focus on negative aspects of the Hispanic culture. In addition, there is no explanation as to why Hispanics choose to enter the United States illegally, therefore empathy is not expressed. Although illegal immigration creates issues such as overpopulation, if America is truly the land of freedom, should any form of immigration be tolerated?
The author then states that the large majority of Hispanic immigrants come from Mexico, which has 'strong anti-American sentiments.' This assumption is supported by evidence from a Zogby poll which claims that '36 percent of Mexicans have a good view of Americans.' Therefore, the majority of Mexicans acquire a bad view of Americans. This evidence may be a accurate due to the lasting impact of the 1846-1848 war in which the United States gained much territory from Mexico. If Mexicans remain bitter towards America, some immigrants may simply be living in America in order to form close Mexican communities in the areas that traditionally belonged to them, rather than attempting to assimilate into the American culture. This is disadvantageous because it results in a lack of acceptance or understanding of different ethnicity's and cultures, which could result in conflict rather than unity. Part of the assimilation process involves looking torwards the future rather than looking back to the past.
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