Immigration has always been a polemic issue in the United States, but 2016 in particular has been especially polarizing. Currently, there are 42.4 million immigrants living in the United States, with about 26.3 million in the workforce.
With this kind of growth in population, it’s only natural that the talent pool in the United States continues to grow. In fact, all one needs to do is look at the 2016 American Nobel Prize winners to see this point illustrated.
Being awarded a Nobel Prize is one of the ultimate accomplishments for those working to advance physics, chemistry, physiology/medicine, literature and peace. In 2016, six Nobel Prizes were awarded to American Laureates in areas of chemistry, physics and economics. This is a groundbreaking year for Americans, as the six winners are immigrants.
What makes these Nobel Prize winners stand out is that they are prime examples of how beneficial immigrants are to the United States. In an increasingly global world, science and technology cross borders. As Scottish-born Nobel Laureate Sir J. Fraser explained, “Science is global…the American scientific establishment would only remain strong ‘As long as we don’t enter an era where we turn our back on immigration.’”
This sentiment rings true in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, where the demand for workers is growing faster than the number of people filling these positions. Each year, thousands of immigrants apply for H-1B visas, hoping to be selected to work in the U.S. Many of these applicants are looking for jobs in STEM fields, thus complementing native-born workers.
A Twitter campaign “#TellAmericaItsGreat” led by Canadians has been gaining popularity after Canadian users began tweeting out everything that already make America great, such as the invention of the Internet. What really continues to make America great is its immigrant population, especially when working alongside natural-born workers.
Immigrants built the Unites States as we know it, and history has shown repeatedly the kinds of accomplishments and innovations that immigrants are capable of. Through comprehensive immigration reform, this kind of greatness would not be an isolated incident, but rather become the new norm.
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