Dr. Beck's Perspective on Immigration and Poverty
Dr. Beck presents the video "World Hunger, Immigration, and Gumballs." My first impression of the video was that it was intended to demonstrate how immigration raises the level of poverty in the United States (the host). However, after paying close attention to the presentation, I noticed that Dr. Beck has a different perspective on immigration. His statement is meant to dispel the common myth that immigration into the United States is an efficient way to alleviate poverty. Asia, Africa, Latin America, and China are among the poorest regions on his list. He maintains that poverty can be subdued by facing it in the region or nations facing it, rather than offering those who have great capacity to transform their motherland an opportunity in the United States as immigrants.
Reasoning Behind Dr. Beck's Argument
After following the argument carefully, I found it to be reasonable, and therefore, agree with him. No matter how many immigrants are allowed into the US, the problem will still persist in the nations experiencing it. In his study, Goodwin-White concludes that most of the individuals who get the opportunity to live in the west are skilled and educated, and instead of using their valuable accomplishments to make life better back at home, they benefit the US (p. 184). Most, if not all, immigrants are not extremely poor, implying that it is an ineffective way of addressing the problem. Dr. Beck presents similar information as the one studied in class this term. Moreover, it shows what is happening in the world today and the role of the US in the quest for poverty reduction.
Work Cited
Goodwin-White, Jamie. “Immigration, Poverty, and Socioeconomic Inequality.” Journal of Regional Science, vol. 56, no. 1, Jan. 2016, pp. 182-184.
