How the Inflow of Migrants is Impacting American Communities

I sus­pect, at this writ­ing, this is some­thing you like­ly already know or have con­sid­ered, even if in a frag­ment­ed fash­ion over time.  I’ll try to keep pol­i­tics out of this, as we all know, if we are pay­ing atten­tion to how the polit­i­cal land­scape is dri­ving the inter­nal migra­tion with­in the Unit­ed States.

Ille­gal immi­gra­tion is one of the most polar­iz­ing top­ics in Amer­i­ca today. While many peo­ple view it as an essen­tial aspect of what makes this coun­try great, oth­ers see it as a seri­ous threat to Amer­i­can jobs, cul­ture, and secu­ri­ty. My per­son­al view (not that it is that impor­tant) is that it is impact­ing our secu­ri­ty as a nation more than it is not.  No mat­ter which side of the debate you fall on, there’s no deny­ing that the influx of migrants into the Unit­ed States is hav­ing a major impact on the com­mu­ni­ties and will con­tin­ue to as they are migrat­ing to or being dropped off in, and begin­ning to reside in. Here’s a look at some of the ways that this is play­ing out.

Changing the Demographics

The first way that migra­tion affects the com­mu­ni­ty is by chang­ing the demo­graph­ics of the com­mu­ni­ty. When new peo­ple come into a com­mu­ni­ty, they bring with them their own cul­ture, cus­toms, and reli­gions. This can be a good thing or a bad thing depend­ing on the per­son­’s point of view or neigh­bor­hood they move into. Some peo­ple view it as an oppor­tu­ni­ty to learn about oth­er cul­tures and to get to know new peo­ple. Oth­er peo­ple view it as a threat to their way of life, based on where they pre­vi­ous­ly decid­ed to live to pro­tect and raise their fam­i­ly. 

Economic Landscape

The sec­ond way that migra­tion also affects Amer­i­cans is by chang­ing the eco­nom­ic land­scape of the com­mu­ni­ty. When new peo­ple come into a com­mu­ni­ty, they usu­al­ly take jobs that are low­er pay­ing and require less skills. This can dri­ve down wages and make it hard­er for peo­ple who are already strug­gling to make ends meet. It can also lead to an increase in crime as peo­ple turn to crim­i­nal activ­i­ty to make mon­ey. 

Changing Social Dynamics

The third way that migra­tion affects com­mu­ni­ty inter­ac­tion is by chang­ing the social dynam­ics of the com­mu­ni­ty. When new peo­ple come into a com­mu­ni­ty, they usu­al­ly form close-knit groups with oth­er mem­bers of their same cul­ture, cus­tom, or reli­gion. This can lead to ten­sion and divi­sion among dif­fer­ent groups in the com­mu­ni­ty. It can also lead to vio­lence if ten­sions boil over. 

Faster Than Normal Population Growth

One of the most imme­di­ate impacts that migra­tion is hav­ing on Amer­i­can com­mu­ni­ties is rapid pop­u­la­tion growth. This is par­tic­u­lar­ly true in small towns and rur­al areas that are locat­ed near the coun­try’s south­ern bor­der. For exam­ple, in Texas’ Rio Grande Val­ley, the num­ber of school-age chil­dren has increased by near­ly 20% since 2014, strain­ing local resources and ser­vices. hos­pi­tal emer­gency rooms have been over­whelmed by patients, many of whom are undoc­u­ment­ed migrants who can­not pay for care. And crime rates have spiked as crim­i­nal gangs take advan­tage of the region’s porous bor­ders to smug­gle drugs and peo­ple into the Unit­ed States.

Job Losses for American Workers

Anoth­er way that migra­tion is impact­ing Amer­i­can com­mu­ni­ties is through job loss­es for Amer­i­can work­ers. This is par­tic­u­lar­ly true in low-skilled indus­tries like agri­cul­ture, con­struc­tion, and hos­pi­tal­i­ty. While undoc­u­ment­ed migrants are will­ing to work for low­er wages than Amer­i­cans, this often comes at the expense of Amer­i­can work­ers who are now being replaced by cheap­er labor. This not only hurts local economies but also puts down­ward pres­sure on wages across the board. 

The Spread of Disease

Anoth­er poten­tial issue that com­mu­ni­ties need to be aware of is the spread of dis­ease. This is some­thing that pub­lic health offi­cials have been keep­ing a close eye on as recent out­breaks of measles and mumps have been linked to unvac­ci­nat­ed migrant chil­dren. There’s also a fear that dis­eases like Ebo­la could poten­tial­ly be brought into the coun­try by migrants from coun­tries where out­breaks are occur­ring. While there’s no need to pan­ic, it’s impor­tant to be aware of these risks and take steps to pro­tect your­self and your com­mu­ni­ty accord­ing­ly. 

Conclusion

It’s clear that migra­tion is hav­ing a major impact on Amer­i­can com­mu­ni­ties, both good and bad. While some see it as an essen­tial part of what makes this coun­try great, oth­ers view it as a seri­ous threat to Amer­i­can jobs, cul­ture, and secu­ri­ty. No mat­ter which side of the debate you fall on, there’s no deny­ing that the influx of migrants into the Unit­ed States is hav­ing a major impact on the com­mu­ni­ties that they are begin­ning to reside in. What remains to be seen is how these com­mu­ni­ties will adjust in the years to come.

Cou­ple the ille­gal migra­tion issues with the high­ly esca­lat­ed ran­dom crim­i­nal activ­i­ty in urban and sub­ur­ban envi­ron­ments, it is more impor­tant than ever to be vig­i­lant.  Keep in mind the Coop­er codes, have high sit­u­a­tion­al aware­ness, and keep your OPSEC top of mind.  And most impor­tant­ly, stay safe out there.