Sociology

Due to the rapidly expanding globalization on the economic front in the past three decades together with the weakening of border controls following the downfall of the communist bloc, massive movement of people has been witnessed in Europe with some claiming the number to be swelling to about 5 to 8 million illegal immigrants. Immigration is a very difficult issue to handle raising hard moral choices about whether they should be allowed to stay and for how long, andor whether they should be kicked out. Immigration in Britain has led to divergent views on whether it has been beneficial to the British society or not.

The purpose of this paper is to give a critical analysis of the situation before coming to making an informed decision whether to credit or discredit the results of the immigration.
Attitudes towards immigrants

The attitudes towards the immigrants within the British society cannot be generalized as they vary a great deal. Some individuals argue strongly for a multi-cultured and a multi-racial society whereas others are strongly opposed at the same. Some people view immigrants as responsible for the cultural richness, thus they are accepted as part of the society out of solidarity. Those opposed to the immigrants however see them as a burden, andor a threat. According to Munukka Asian and black immigrants as an imported underclass of unskilled labour, but it is a generalization that does not acknowledge the impact that the new immigrant generations will have on British society in the future, (Para, 13). This connotation does not put in mind the fact that immigrants do work in all aspects of the economy with some even working in high positions though despite racial discrimination faced by the minority in some instances. After the 7th July 2005 bomb attack, stereotyping of immigrants has been on the rise with the non-British being referred to as foreigners, aliens, and others. However, on average, the British would love to see the authority tightening immigration and citizenship laws at the same time guarding against discrimination of any type (Munukka, 2009).

The Negative Impacts of the Immigrants
It is important to note that immigration has come with its challenges to the British society in general. As we know it, immigrants do not compete effectively with the locals in the labour market under similar terms and conditions. This usually ends up with immigrants engaging in the underground economy and on unemployment benefits. They are therefore not seen as threats to the existing workers but they can be a burden to welfares state. The unskilled immigrants whom are unemployed can be regarded as posing a significant tax burden to the Britons particularly when they permanently settle and require old age support from the welfare kitty (Rowthorn, 2004). Those who compete head to head with the locals in the labour market may be seen as a threat, undercutting the payment of the existing workers and worse still pushing them out of the job market. This does not go down well with both the workforce as well as the exchequer (Hatton  Shields, 2003). The other draw back of the immigration influx has been presented to reflect the fact that immigration has greatly contributed to the erosion of the British identity. The conservatives are generally worried that with the influx of immigrants in the British society, Britons no longer feel safe about their cultural identity (Atkinson, 2002).

The positive Impacts
Many individuals have continued to overlook the benefit of having immigrants in the country. One of the most positive impacts the immigrants have to the countrys economy is the fact that they offer cheap labour to the economy since the jobs that they take are often extremely manual and low paying. These are the kind of jobs the locals would not be willing to do and yet they are very vital for the economy (Perez, 2009). Legrain and Myers argue that

Illegal immigration is part of the vital lubricant of our societies. Businesses benefit because they can employ cheap labor. Middle-class households benefit because they can afford more help with child care and cleaning. Farmers benefit because their crops can be picked in a timely way (Legrain,  Myers, 2007, Para 6).

They argue that there is no need to be against free movement of labour as it comes with more benefits as opposed to the general pre-conception (Legrain,  Myers, 2007).

On the economic front, immigrants can be of benefit considering that they may engage in job creation and through the addition of new energy and varied skills can enhance the general output and productivity (Hatton  Shields, 2003). According to Perez in giving the United States example, he elaborates that immigrants after settling down may open businesses and this may go a long way in creation of more employment opportunities to both the locals and the immigrant population. This to him should be an encouraging factor especially when the nation has to recover from the effects of the recession. He goes on to argue that some of these immigrants pay taxes to the exchequer though most do not. All in all, for those who submit their taxes contribute positively to the economy. To him, immigrants should not be viewed with hatred as they are often treated, instead they should be viewed as the new blood throbbing in the economic veins of the nation (Perez, 2009).

Conclusion
Having elaborated on the different issues affecting the immigrants in the United Kingdom, my analysis leads me to conclude that immigrants do bring more benefits to the British society than the conventionally thought. The British society has a general low birthrate and therefore the influx of cheap labour in the name of immigrants is healthy to the economy. Even though there are emergent issues surrounding immigration such as terrorism leading to stereotypes and discrimination, the British society is generally strongly against racism. Britain has already recorded an influx of immigration leading to significant numbers of foreign nationalities in the country. These immigrants have been coming to Britain during different times of the British history and driven by different reasons. The integration of these people in the British society has been a great challenge but it is my view that there should be a soft spot for the immigrants given the way they have positively contributed to the economy. The media has been misreporting on the issue painting the immigrants in the negative light. Terrorism is a global issue and it should be directly and squarely addressed and not in the disguise of immigration. The media should be upright in addressing issues affecting the immigrants to avoid stereotyping and discrimination that has been witnessed.