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"They Take Our Jobs!"

And 20 Other Myths about Immigration

Part of Myths Made in America

Author Aviva Chomsky

Paperback

$16.00 US

| $18.00 CAN

Beacon Press

On sale Jun 01, 2007 | 264 Pages | 9780807041567

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Nonfiction > Politics

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Claims that immigrants take Americans' jobs, are a drain on the American economy, contribute to poverty and inequality, destroy the social fabric, challenge American identity, and contribute to a host of social ills by their very existence are openly discussed and debated at all levels of society. Chomsky dismantles twenty of the most common assumptions and beliefs underlying statements like "I'm not against immigration, only illegal immigration" and challenges the misinformation in clear, straightforward prose.

In exposing the myths that underlie today's debate, Chomsky illustrates how the parameters and presumptions of the debate distort how we think—and have been thinking—about immigration. She observes that race, ethnicity, and gender were historically used as reasons to exclude portions of the population from access to rights. Today, Chomsky argues, the dividing line is citizenship. Although resentment against immigrants and attempts to further marginalize them are still apparent today, the notion that non-citizens, too, are created equal is virtually absent from the public sphere. Engaging and fresh, this book will challenge common assumptions about immigrants, immigration, and U.S. history.

"An indispensable guide to the current debate on immigration. If you are at all uncertain about how to deal with anti-immigrant arguments, you will find Chomsky's book a perfect response. She makes her points with clarity and uses unassailable evidence while offering constructive short-and long-term solutions.—Howard Zinn, author of You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train

"You've heard it all before: Immigrants take away jobs from Americans. They drive down wages, don't pay taxes and yet benefit from public services. But as Chomsky demonstrates, these are all myths, if not outright lies. She not only demolishes virtually every myth about immigrants and immigration to the U.S., she offers policymakers and activists solutions for tackling many of the issues created by globalization and an immigration policy grounded in falsehoods, and in so doing destroys the greatest myth of all: that nothing can be done."—Robin D. G. Kelley, author of Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination

"Finally, a concise and comprehensive breakdown of the most prevalent misconceptions about immigration. Avi Chomsky provides not only practical ammunition for the pundit wars, but also real thinking about the intersection of migration and the history of race and rights in the U.S. It's the definitive field guide to today's immigration debate."—Tram Nguyen, executive editor of Colorlines magazine and author of We Are All Suspects Now

"Avi Chomsky’s new book, They Take Our Jobs! is a welcome addition to the literature and tools needed to inform the current debate on immigration. In identifying more than 20 "myths" about immigration, the author brings readers through an accessible discussion that includes history, politics, economics and social analysis to challenge these myths and more. At a time when we desperately need to shift the public discourse in the U.S. and elsewhere, to include a more humane and informed perspective on the process of immigration and the lives of migrants and their families, Chomsky’s book provides us all with a much-needed sense of history and justice—and injustice—that must be included as we struggle for fair and humane immigration policies." —Catherine Tactaquin, Executive Director, National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights

Aviva Chomsky is professor of history and coordinator of Latin American Studies at Salem State College. The author of several books, Chomsky has been active in Latin American solidarity and immigrants' rights issues for over twenty-five years. She lives in Salem, Massachusetts.

Aviva Chomsky View titles by Aviva Chomsky

A Note on Terminology

Introduction, 2018

Introduction, 2007

PART ONE: IMMIGRANTS AND THE ECONOMY

Myth 1. Immigrants take American jobs
Myth 2. Immigrants compete with low-skilled workers and drive down wages
Myth 3. Unions oppose immigration because it harms the working class
Myth 4. Immigrants don’t pay taxes
Myth 5. Immigrants are a drain on the economy
Myth 6. Immigrants send most of what they earn out of the country in the form of remittances

PART TWO: IMMIGRANTS AND THE LAW

Myth 7. The rules apply to everyone, so new immigrants need to follow them just as immigrants in the past did
Myth 8. The country is being overrun by illegal immigrants
Myth 9. The United States has a generous refugee policy

PART THREE: IMMIGRATION AND RACE

Myth 10. The United States is a melting pot that has always welcomed immigrants from all over the world
Myth 11. Since we are all the descendants of immigrants here, we all start on equal footing
Myth 12. Today’s immigrants threaten the national culture because they are not assimilating
Myth 13. Today’s immigrants are not learning English, and bilingual education just adds to the problem

PART FOUR: HOW HAVE US POLICIES CREATED IMMIGRATION?

Myth 14. Immigrants only come here because they want to enjoy our higher standard of living
Case Study: The Philippines

PART FIVE: THE DEBATE AT THE TURN OF THE MILLENNIUM

Myth 15. The American public opposes immigration, and the debate in Congress reﬂects that
Myth 16. The overwhelming victory of Proposition 187 in California shows that the public opposes immigration
Myth 17. Immigration is a problem
Myth 18. Countries need to control who goes in and out
Myth 19. We need to protect our borders to prevent criminals and terrorists from entering the country
Myth 20. If people break our laws by immigrating illegally, they are criminals and should be deported
Myth 21. The problems this book raises are so huge that there’s nothing we can do about them

Epilogue
Timeline
Acknowledgments
Notes