Myth: “Those countries are emptying their prisons and sending them here.”
Truth: American immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than US-born people.
Source: Cato Institute (February 2024) and Immigrants less likely to commit crimes than U.S.-born: NPR– reporting on a study by The Marshall Project(March 2018)
Myth: “They are a drain on federal benefits and the economy.”
Truth: A 15-year study shows that the net fiscal impact of refugees and asylees was positive, at $123.8 billion, and immigrants use less Medicare and Medicaid than the average American.
Source: US Department of Health and Human Services (February 2024) and Cato Institute (September 2024)
Myth: “They take jobs from people who are born here.”
Truth: Immigrant workers are allowing the U.S. labor market to boom.
Source: Immigration is helping the U.S. labor market | Here & Now (wbur.org) March 2024 reporting on a study by the Brookings Insititute (March 2024)
Myth: “It’s easy to immigrate to the US!”
Truth: Fewer than 1 percent of people who want to move permanently to the US can legally do so.
Source: Why Legal Immigration Is Nearly Impossible | Cato Institute (June 2023)
Other Myths About Immigrants Dispelled by the Poynter Institute
Still More Myths About Immigrants Dispelled by the Carnegie Corporation