The remainder of undocumented immigrants enter legally on student or tourist visas and then stay on after those visas expire. Most Mexican nationals residing in the United States at any given time are migrants, not immigrants. Migrants are workers who take seasonal jobs and return to their families in Mexico. Immigrants are people who intend to make their permanent home in this country. Although many people believe millions of undocumented Mexicans live in the United States, in reality the number is between 250,000 and 300,000 in any given year.
Immigrants take jobs away from U.S. native-born workers.
Immigrants generally create job opportunities for others. When the local impact is negative, it is very small. Immigrants pay far more in taxes than they use in public services. In 1995, the National Research Council, at the request of the bipartisan Commission on Immigration Reform, convened a panel of experts to assess the economic, demographic, and fiscal impact of immigration in the United States. Misperceptions about the positive effect that documented and undocumented immigrants have on the U.S. economy has led to fear and negative attitudes toward immigrants.