Dear Next President,

Did you know that immigrants and refugees might be getting paid less than minimum wage? Some of the reasons for this is because they have less education than people that were born in America. According to the Center for Immigration Studies, “While immigrants as a group, and illegals in particular, do earn less than native-born workers, this is generally due to their much lower levels of education.” America should help educate refugees and immigrants so they can get better paying jobs. Without this education that they need they can’t get enough money to support their family, even if they work a lot of hours.

The current minimum wage is $7.25 an hour and they are getting paid less than this. People come to America for a better life or a better job(s). They can barely pay for food or bills. People think that America is a better place for work but in reality it’s as bad as any other place in the world. They come here because they think they can be able to finally support their families. They came to America from a bad situation, whether it be to get away from war or to finally be with family again.

My plan is to help immigrants and refugees get an education so that they can get a better job. They don’t get any education when they come to America, when they should. They should list what jobs they want and be able to go to school for those jobs. Refugees and immigrants get paid very little and it’s only because of their education. Many citizens that were born here don’t get that good of an education and they get paid more.

I know a lot of students at my school that their parents are immigrants and they can barely pay for anything because they don’t get paid enough. A lot of students’ parents are in debt because they only get paid minimum wage. They don’t have money for normal things, like school supplies and bills.

In conclusion, the U.S. should raise the minimum wage so that refugees and immigrants have the money to pay for normal things. Don’t make them regret they came to the States. Minimum wage for refugees and immigrants should be raised because they most likely came here for a better life and better jobs. They should not be fired unless the manager has a solid reason to fire them. Help them fix any little mistakes they might have made.

Sincerely,

Annali Moraine

10th Grade, Henry Sibley

South St. Paul, Minnesota