Myth vs. Fact

Debunking Common Misconceptions About Immigrants and Refugees in the U.S.

The following information is from the Global Refuge Disinformation Toolkit. Global Refuge works with refugees to help them become established and oriented to their community.

Myth: Most immigrants are coming to the United States illegally.

Fact: Regardless of someone’s manner of entry, seeking asylum is a legal right – and more than that, it’s a cornerstone of U.S. and international law. Each year, tens of thousands of people migrate to the U.S. via the refugee resettlement program, through work visas, to reunite with family, and more. Of those who come through the Southern border, approximately 92% were apprehended or turned themselves in to Border Control to begin their asylum cases.

Myth: Refugees and immigrants take American jobs.

Fact: Immigrants are essential to filling in the gaps in the American workforce. Immigrants are also more likely to contribute to job creation than displacement, with more than 55% of the country’s billion-dollar startups founded by immigrants.

Myth: Refugees and immigrants are unskilled workers.

Fact: Immigrants and refugees in the United States fill essential positions at all levels of skill. Immigrants are farmworkers, hospitality workers, doctors, nurses, computer programmers, educators, architects, logistics specialists, emergency services staff, and much more. The United States depends on those contributions at all levels; in 2021, for example, nearly 2.8 million immigrants worked in healthcare in the U.S. — accounting for about 18% of the sector and serving in countless different positions. Of those in upper-wage occupations, around 75% of immigrants work either in IT, management, or finance, and most serve in high-ranking, high-skilled positions such as software developers or CEOs. No matter their level of work, immigrants make the U.S. stronger and more productive.

Myth: Refugees and immigrants commit more crimes and make the country more dangerous.

Fact: Research has proven time and again that there is no link between immigration and increased crime rates and that immigrants are 60% less likely to be incarcerated than their native-born peers. In fact, some studies show that increased immigration results in lower crime rates—meaning immigrants make the United States safer for all.

Myth: Refugees and immigrants don’t pay taxes and are a drain on our nation’s resources.

Fact: Refugees and asylees contribute significantly to U.S. communities at the federal, state, and local level—both economically and culturally. Refugees and asylees contributed an estimated $581 billion in revenue to the U.S. economy from 2005 to 2019, and, in some cases, they pay into Social Security without reaping its benefits. Most importantly, they are our doctors and nurses, our well-known chefs, our favorite musicians, our overnight construction workers, our local shop owners, our neighbors, and so much more.

Myth: Most Americans don’t support immigration or a path to citizenship for undocumented people.

Fact: Despite harsh rhetoric and extremism in the media and beyond, most Americans support bipartisan solutions on immigration. Recent polling shows that 81% of voters in battleground states support a pathway to citizenship for immigrants who have been living and working in the United States for years, and other studies have shown that 68% of Americans believe immigration is a good thing for our country.

To learn more, visit https://www.globalrefuge.org/get-involved/advocate-with-us/disinformation/.