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Students Discuss Using Immigration to Fill Vacant U.S. Jobs

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Guide October 24, 2025, 5:06 PM

👋 Welcome, everyone!

Our topic is using immigration to fill vacant U.S. jobs. We'll be discussing this statement:

U.S. law should favor immigrants who are willing to take jobs that can’t be filled by Americans.

Samantha agrees with the statement.
Ethan disagrees with the statement.

My name is Guide, and I'm here to support your discussion. If you need anything, start your message with “Hey Guide” 🤓

Samantha October 24, 2025, 5:19 PM

I believe that U.S law should should favor immigrants who are willing to take jobs that can't be filled by American's because this policy benefits both our economy and our communities. Immigrants also play a major role in keeping our economy running. Many industries like agriculture, construction, and health care are struggling to find enough workers. For example, a 2024 report from the American Immigration Council found that immigrants make up more than 25% of U.S constructions workers and over 50% of farmworkers. Without them, these industries would face serious labor shortages and rising costs. In health care, the Center for Migration Studies reported that immigrants account for nearly 18% of all health care workers, helping fill positions that many Americans are not taking. Favoring immigrants who are willing to take these jobs isn't about replacing American workers, it is about filling critical gaps so the economy can keep growing.

Ethan October 24, 2025, 7:36 PM

I disagree with the statement that US law should favor immigrants who are willing to take jobs that can't be filled by Americans for two reasons. Firstly, I don't think that there are jobs that can't specifically be filled by Americans. I understand that these crucial industries that many immigrants work in are undesirable jobs, but I don't believe that they are jobs that can't be filled by Americans. Instead, the immigrants are cheaper labor, and the jobs are therefore seen as undesirable. If the jobs paid higher, they would be seen as desirable. Secondly, the law should also not favor any specific person over another because this can be looked at as unconstitutional. The country has a surplus of immigrants who are looking for work, so favoring new ones to come in a written law violates equal rights acts and could out the large percentage of Americans who do work in these industries in jeopardy as wages would decrease even more with a higher surplus of immigrants.

Samantha October 25, 2025, 5:10 PM

I understand your concerns but I disagree. You said that there aren't jobs that Americans can't fill, but I think the issue is that some Americans just won't take certain jobs because of how difficult or demanding they are, not because they are being underpaid. These jobs usually require long hours, physical labor, and somethings even relocation. I know that most people prefer more stable and less demanding jobs. Immigrants often take these jobs because they are looking for any better opportunity to build a better life, not because the jobs are cheaper labor. You also mentioned that favoring immigrants could be unconstitutional or unfair, but the US law already gives preference to different groups of immigrants for different reasons. Such as family reunification, work skills, or humanitarian status. Creating policies that help fill important labor gaps does noto take away from American's rights; it helps the country function more efficiently. Finally, about the idea that immigrants lower wages, that is not always true in practice. Many of these jobs would go unfilled without Immigrant workers, would could hurt businesses and the economy overall. So instead of hurting Americans, this policy actually supports industries that we rely on every day.

Guide October 25, 2025, 5:10 PM

Samantha, you argue that Americans "won't take" these jobs because they're difficult and demanding, not because of pay. But doesn't that contradict basic economic principles? If employers raised wages high enough, wouldn't even difficult and demanding jobs attract American workers?

Ethan's point seems to be that the real issue is wages — that these jobs appear "unfillable" only because employers can access cheaper immigrant labor instead of raising pay to market-clearing levels. How do you respond to that specific economic argument?

Samantha October 25, 2025, 5:18 PM

I get where Ethan's argument comes from. But I don't think it is as simple as just raising wages. some of these industries operate on small/tight budgets. If employers increased pay, the prices of goods and services would also rise, which would end up hurting consumers and smaller businesses. It is not that they do not want to pay more, it is that many can't without major hits to their industry. Also, even when wages do go up, these jobs still tend to have problem attracting workers because they are physically exhausting, seasonal, and sometimes located in rural areas far from where most people live. So while higher pay might help a little, it wouldn't completely solve the issue. That is why having immigrants willing to take these jobs are so important.

Ethan October 27, 2025, 6:22 PM

I see your point, but I think it's important that we don't give legal leeway to new workers coming into the nation. Prioritizing legal residents or even illegals who are already in the nation is important because it ensures fair access to employment opportunities, and by emphasizing new workers who will inevitably become cheaper and cheaper, it creates a bubble and can hurt American workers looking for jobs. While the immigrants are filling important roles in the economy, the focus should be on improving job conditions for Americans, rather than giving legal advantages to new immigrants, which could cause resentment and tension in the market and nation, especially in industries where wages are already low and competition is high.

Samantha October 27, 2025, 8:30 PM

I actually do agree with part of what you are saying. I think improving job conditions for Americans is important and I understand the concern about creating resentment or unfair advantages. Nobody wants a system that pushes out American workers or makes wages worse for us. But I still think allowing immigrants to fill open jobs can work alongside those improvements. I think the truth is, even if we raise wages and improve working conditions, some jobs just don't appeal to Americans. Having programs that bring in immigrants for those roles doesn't have to take away opportunities. It would stabilize jobs and improve our economy. If we set fair pay standards and limit exploitation, Americans and Immigrants can benefit. So I agree that fairness should be a priority, but I don't think that means we have to exclude immigrants who are more likely to fill those jobs than Americans. Maybe the US shouldn't necessarily "prioritize" immigrants, but I do think that allowing them to fill positions that can't be filled by us, is fair and important.

Guide October 27, 2025, 8:30 PM

Ethan, Samantha just conceded significant ground — she's now saying maybe the U.S. shouldn't "prioritize" immigrants, just "allow" them to fill unfilled positions.

Does that address your concern about legal favoritism? Or do you think even allowing immigrants to fill these roles still creates the wage pressure and competition problems you mentioned?

Ethan October 27, 2025, 9:53 PM

I understand the importance of immigrant labor, and we shouldn't prioritize more immigrants to fill the spots, but they should be allowed to work if their services are needed. This is the current system, and although it has its flaws, I believe that it is the right way to go about it. There should never be laws that favor one group of people over another in this country and having such laws violates a few different personal rights. I do think that cheap labor does cause issues regarding wages and competition, but not allowing them to fill these roles would also be a violation of the same rights I mentioned earlier.

Samantha October 27, 2025, 10:34 PM

I see what you mean and I agree that the current system allows immigrants to work when their services are needed, which is a good thing. However, I do not see it as favoring one group over another ultimately violating their rights, it is more about responding to economic needs. When specific industries fail to fill jobs that are necessary, it makes sense for the US the slightly prioritize immigrants who are willing to take these jobs. It isn't about special treatment, it is more about keeping the economy stable in my opinion. I also agree that cheap labor can be a problem, but that is why these programs should come with fair wages. That way, immigrants aren't being exploited and Americans aren't being treated unfairly. Prioritizing immigrants when necessary could be practical.

Ethan October 27, 2025, 11:32 PM

I disagree with you on the aspect of one group over another violating rights as each person under the bill of rights has the same freedoms, and the current market needs cheap labor, but prioritizing a group over another even for economic needs is unconstitutional. I do agree with you on the aspect of needing some people to fill spots in the industry, but there is a large workforce already and more people aren't needed, especially if it means legal favoritism.

Guide October 27, 2025, 11:32 PM

Ethan, you keep asserting that prioritizing immigrants for specific job categories is "unconstitutional" — but can you explain which constitutional provision this would violate?

Congress has broad authority over immigration policy and routinely creates preference categories (skilled workers, family reunification, diversity visas, etc.). What makes employment-based preferences different or unconstitutional in your view?

Ethan October 27, 2025, 11:34 PM

This would violate the Equal Employment Opportunity Act. Influx and outflux of workers by congress doesn't give legal leeway to new immigrants but instead helps keep the economy balanced. None of these people are legally prioritized, but rather used to fill the needs through a merit system.

Samantha October 27, 2025, 11:48 PM

I understand what you are saying about the Equal Employment Opportunity Act, but I do not think it apples the same way here. That law protects people who are already employed or seeking employment within the US, not people who are applying to enter the US through immigration. Immigration law has always worked differently. Congress has the power to create specific visa categories based on labor needs, skills, etc. And that is not seen an unconstitutional. I don't think we should ignore the fairness or give special treatment. I just think there is a shortage in a certain field and its reasonable for immigration policy to focus on helping to meet that need.

Ethan October 28, 2025, 11:36 PM

That's a fair point; immigration and employment laws do operate in different ways. I do see where your fairness point comes in if immigration policy favors certain groups to heavily, it can raise ethical questions about equal opportunity on a global scale. Legally speaking your correct that targeting a shortage in a specific field through immigration policy is an ability of congress.

Understanding Quiz

Samantha

At the beginning of the discussion, why did Ethan argue that certain jobs appear unfillable by Americans?

Justification

Because these jobs require specialized skills that most Americans lack

Because immigrants are cheaper labor, and if wages were higher Americans would take them

Because cultural factors make Americans avoid these industries

Because government subsidies make these jobs unattractive to Americans

What legal principle did Ethan invoke to oppose favoring immigrants in U.S. law?

Justification

He cited the Fifth Amendment's due process clause

He referenced Title VII of the Civil Rights Act

He argued it would violate equal rights acts by favoring one group over another

He pointed to restrictions in the Immigration and Nationality Act

How did Ethan respond when Guide asked which legal provision prioritizing immigrants would violate?

Justification

He said no specific provision applied

He claimed it would infringe on the First Amendment

He stated it would violate the Equal Employment Opportunity Act

He referenced a provision in the Immigration and Nationality Act

Towards the end of the discussion, how did Ethan's stance on employment-based immigration preferences evolve?

Justification

He insisted such preferences remain unconstitutional

He argued that no more immigrant labor is needed at all

He shifted to focus solely on global ethical concerns

He conceded that Congress can legally target labor shortages through immigration policy

When Guide challenged your economic argument, what did they suggest would solve labor shortages?

Justification

That employers are discriminating against American workers

That raising wages would attract American workers to these jobs

That consumer prices would automatically rise to correct the imbalance

That immigrants depress wages and thus reduce demand

Ethan

At the beginning of the discussion, what evidence did Samantha provide to support favoring immigrants for hard-to-fill U.S. jobs?

Justification

She argued that immigrant workers are vital in manufacturing, transportation, energy, construction, and health care sectors.

She cited reports showing immigrants make up over 25% of construction workers, over 50% of farmworkers, and 18% of health care workers.

She argued that immigrants have superior skills compared to Americans in sectors like agriculture and construction.

She mentioned anecdotal reports of labor shortages in sectors such as technology and education.

When you argued that Americans would take these jobs if wages were increased, how did Samantha respond to that economic argument?

Justification

She maintained that raising wages would fully resolve labor shortages by attracting American workers, despite potential cost increases.

She said that many employers can't raise wages without hurting consumers, and that even with higher pay, physically demanding, seasonal, or remote jobs remain hard to fill.

She claimed that immigrants would decline higher wages since they prefer stability and community over pay, regardless of job demands.

She suggested that significant wage hikes would result in more government regulation and market distortions, making the policy unviable.

At the midpoint of the discussion, when you argued that favoring immigrants could be unconstitutional and unfair, how did Samantha defend the idea that immigration preferences don't violate Americans' rights?

Justification

She noted that U.S. law already favors immigrants in categories like family reunification, work skills, and humanitarian status without violating rights.

She argued that the Constitution explicitly permits economic preferences for immigrants to address industry labor shortages.

She claimed that American constitutional rights cannot be constrained by immigration laws, regardless of policy outcomes.

She suggested that the Equal Employment Opportunity Act governs the fairness of hiring practices, making constitutional objections irrelevant.

How did Guide challenge Samantha's reasoning when she said Americans "won't take" difficult jobs?

Justification

Guide questioned whether basic economic principles wouldn't predict that higher wages would attract American workers.

Guide argued that immigrants could fill any job regardless of wages or difficulty, making policy moot.

Guide suggested that Samantha was ignoring the constitutional limitations on Congress's power over immigration.

Guide claimed that Samantha's statistics were outdated and not relevant to current labor markets.

Towards the end, Samantha refined her position on prioritizing immigrants. What nuance did she introduce to address fairness concerns?

Justification

She agreed that the U.S. shouldn't necessarily prioritize immigrants, but should allow them to fill unfilled roles while ensuring fair pay and preventing exploitation.

She insisted that immigrants should always be placed above citizens in job allocation to guarantee every position is filled.

She proposed abolishing existing immigration work visas and relying entirely on domestic workers to address shortages.

She suggested that only immigrants with pre-arranged high-wage employment offers be admitted to fill critical roles.

Survey results

Opinion Changes

Students rated the following statement: U.S. law should favor immigrants who are willing to take jobs that can’t be filled by Americans.

Strongly
disagree

Moderately
disagree

Slightly
disagree

No idea

Slightly
agree

Moderately
agree

Strongly
agree

Samantha

-2

Ethan

Pre-chat opinion

Post-chat opinion

Moved toward agreement

Moved toward disagreement

Partner Ratings

Statement	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
Guide's contributions improved the discussion	—	—	—	Ethan	Samantha
Guide supported both sides of the discussion equally	—	—	—	—	Samantha
I felt comfortable sharing my honest opinions with my partner	—	—	—	Ethan	—
I was not offended by my partner's perspective	—	—	—	Ethan	—
My partner was genuinely trying to understand my perspective	—	—	—	Ethan	Samantha
My partner had better reasons for their views than I expected	—	—	—	Ethan	Samantha
It was valuable to chat with a student who did NOT share my perspective	—	—	—	Ethan	—
It would be good if more students and classes used Sway	—	—	—	—	Samantha
Sway helped me articulate my thoughts/feelings better	—	—	—	—	Samantha

Word Counts

AI Guide

323 words

5 messages

Student

Ethan

599 words · 6 messages

Student

Samantha

927 words · 6 messages