"They Take Our Jobs!" and 20 Other Myths about Immigration, Expanded Edition

Revised and expanded edition of the groundbreaking book which demystifies twenty-one of the most widespread myths and beliefs about immigrants and immigrations.

Aviva Chomsky dismantles twenty-one of the most widespread and pernicious myths and beliefs about immigrants and immigration in this incisive book. "They Take Our Jobs!" challenges the underlying assumptions that fuel misinformed claims about immigrants, radically altering our notions of citizenship, discrimination, and US history. With fresh material including a new introduction, revised timeline, and updated terminology section, this expanded edition is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand how these myths are used to promote aggressive anti-immigrant policies.

Aviva Chomsky is a professor of history and the coordinator of Latin American Studies at Salem State University. The author of several books, Chomsky has been active in Latin American solidarity and immigrants' rights movements for over thirty years. She lives in Salem, Massachusetts.

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