Originally Posted by
Daelak
It isn't an obligation, since immigration is an incredible boon for the United States.
The masses of Europe, China, Africa, and the Middle East have shown up at our shores and have always been granted entry and a chance at a new life.
The transcontinental railroad wouldn't have existed without immigrants. Union forces bolstered by European immigrants during the civil war helped overwhelm the confederate forces.
The 'cost' of immigrants staying in the country is nothing. They contribute to local/state/federal taxes and shore up labor shortages that are inherent in the economy by design due to 2nd generation immigrants using familial wealth over the preceding two generations to get better education and higher paying jobs. It's been this way since the country's founding.
Immigration benefits us in multiple ways. First is through immediate supply to sate demand into equilibrium in the labor force. Just by the nature of the human species and the time it takes to become an adult, it is impossible to make up for current labor shortages without immigration. This is a profound point that has helped the US achieve immeasurable production and growth in the economy, due to us being one of the most desirable places to live in the world. Now this segways into my second point, which is how our desirability as country in which people will risk their lives to live in is used as an effective tool to drain away productive people and innovation (ideas) from trading partners and adversaries over multi-generational timescales. This is another profound effect of immigration that produces better results in multilateral negotiations than a military conflict would since it is used via the free flow of migration of human beings.
Third is the replacement rate. People with higher educations and income have an inversely correlated relationship with how many children they will bear. As such, immigrants make up for the shortfall so the cycle can perpetuate itself. This is critical for the long term stability of the economy as well as social mobility.