Immigrants are only 3.5% of people worldwide – and their negative impact is often exaggerated, in the U.S. and around the world

Academic research plays an important role in helping dispel myths and misconceptions about migration. Spencer Platt/Getty Images News via Getty Images

-Ernesto Castañeda is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology at American University and the Director of the Immigration Lab. Castañeda explains why immigration is an important force counteracting population decline in the U.S. and why that matters to the economy and America’s global power. Below are highlights from an interview with The Conversation. Answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Ernesto Castañeda speaks about his work studying immigration and migration.