The Truth About Immigration

The comprehensive, nonbiased, fact-based case for immigration. Do immigrants threaten the jobs and wages of local workers? Pay their fair share of taxes? Increase crime? Erode our core cultural values? Threaten our safety? Immigration is one of the most controversial topics in the United States, typically framed as a battle between anti-immigrant conservatives and pro-immigrant liberals. Yet surprisingly, almost no one on either side of this issue seems to understand the true impact that immigrants have on any aspect of American life. In The Truth About Immigration, Wharton School professor Zeke Hernandez provides an accessible, apolitical, and evidence-based look at the effects of immigration on our local communities and our nation. Readers will learn about the overlooked impact of immigrants on investment and innovation; get the facts straight about perennial concerns like jobs, crime, and illegal immigrants; and gain new perspectives on misunderstood issues such as the border, taxes, and assimilation. Hernandez draws from 15 years of research on economic and social prosperity and interviews with an array of thought leaders to debunk a host of popular misconceptions and empirically prove that immigrants create varied and enduring economic benefits because of their differences and contribute positively to society because of their similarities. The simple truth is that a more positive and inclusive approach to immigration policy would not only benefit immigrants--it would benefit America.