The primary season is underway and candidates are making everyone talk about immigration. As the campaign season progresses and the rhetoric intensifies, it is important to get the facts about five common myths and open the door for an honest debate on immigration.

Myth #1: Only a deportation-only policy can solve our immigration problems. According to a Center for American Progress 2005 study, deporting 12 millions undocumented immigrants from America would cost approximately $230 billion. It would also result in a shortage for 2.5 million workers. A deportation-only policy is not a solution to the fundamental problems in our immigration system.

Myth #2: American workers are paid less by immigrants. The overwhelming majority of economists agree that immigration actually increases economic productivity and wages of American workers. The White House Council of Economic Advisers reported in 2007 that around 90 percent of Americans who are born abroad experience wage gains. They range from $30 billion to $80billion per year.

Myth #3 – The United States spends billions to provide welfare benefits for undocumented immigrants. Welfare benefits are not available to undocumented immigrants. Even legal permanent residents have very limited benefits. For retirement benefits to be available, they will need to contribute approximately 10 years into the Medicare and Social Security programs. Additionally, federal assistance is becoming less available for U.S.-born immigrant children – both documented and undocumented – as a result of declining numbers.

Myth #4: Immigrants who are not legal citizens are more likely to be convicted of crimes than U.S. citizens. University of California Irvine conducted a 2007 study and found that the imprisonment rate for native-born Americans was 3.5 percent. This is five times higher than what it was for immigrants.

Myth #5 – Immigrants aren’t able to integrate into American society. California is one of the states that has a long history in immigration. Over time, immigrants have been shown to learn English and rise up the socioeconomic ladder, closing the gap between them and native-born Americans.

Visit this site for more information about immigration policies www.aila.org.