Immigrants have played a crucial role throughout American history. The United States has always been a land of opportunities. Immigrants have used various means to make their voyage. Getting here is half the struggle and immigrants have not always been welcomed. Among the first immigrants to the U.S. were Europeans. Asians and Africans came afterwards. Today the group of immigrants that is often targeted is Hispanics. Immigrants tend to have common qualities like close families, a hard work ethic and the desire for a better life. Education is stressed since it is seen as the gateway to an improved quality of life. Immigrants contribute to America’s culture and add to its richness. They take on jobs that are considered dirty by many Americans who refuse to do them. These jobs are relatively low paying and offer limited benefits if any. However, there are some Americans who believe the United States would be better off without immigrants. They take negative stereotypes about immigrants and then generalize. Some will also look down upon immigrants and discriminate against them. This type of behavior will not deter immigrants from coming to the United States, because their situation tends to be worse in their homelands. It is estimated that there are up to 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States. Immigrants have helped make the United States what it is today and will continue to make contributions in the future.