Immigrants continue to show how much of a positive force they are on our nation. The U.S. birth rate is dropping to a record low and the number of people reaching retirement age continues to rise. In a previous post, we cited that foreign-nationals make up 17% of the U.S. labor force. Thus, immigrants are necessary to support our country’s labor force and programs like Social Security.

According to the 2020 Census, during the 2010s, the country saw the second lowest population growth in U.S. history. The U.S. saw just a 7.4% growth in population, rivaled only by the 7.3% growth seen during the Great Depression.

At the same time, as the adult population grows older, more people move out of the workforce. The census also indicates that the number of adults over the age of 65 will eventually outnumber the number of people under the age of 18 by 2034. Simply put, there are not enough new, younger workers joining the workforce to take their place and pay into programs like Social Security.

Although immigration cannot make up for the falling birth rate, the U.S. must recognize that immigrants are part of the solution, not the problem. They help strengthen our democratic society by joining and supporting our labor force and social programs. Our immigrant clients are hard-working employees and family members who contribute to U.S. growth.  Understanding the positive contributions to our society, we strive to make immigration a smoother process.  We must remember that we rely on immigrants to uplift our nation.