Undocumented Immigrants
It's essential that the United States ensure that people who come here do so legally. The reality, however, is that there are currently an estimated 11 million individuals living in the United States without legal status, the vast majority of whom are working, paying taxes, and contributing in both economic and non-economic ways to their community, often starting their own businesses, and playing integral roles in agriculture, construction, hospitality, and other industries that are essential to the U.S. economy.
The Philadelphia Inquirer: New Pa. coalition: The economy needs immigrants
A statewide pro-immigration coalition stepped into existence on Wednesday morning, announcing itself hours before thousands of protesters prepared to converge on Washington to demand a permanent solution for young people whose DACA protection is ending. Congress has until March to find a solution, after President Trump rescinded the Deferred Action… Read More
Kansas City Star: Chamber report proves immigrants’ contribution
Ricardo Quinones was six months old when his family left Mexico for the United States. Today, he uses his college degree in psychology as a “behavioral implementer” — focusing on the well-being and care of his clients, who suffer from intense behavioral issues. The overall goal is to decrease unwanted… Read More
Undocumented for Years, Republican Immigrant Runs for State House
Not many brides choose GOP figureheads as their wedding inspiration, but for Brazilian-American newspaper editor, local Republican candidate, and formerly undocumented immigrant Emanuela Palmares, it was a no-brainer. This fall, when Palmares married Connecticut Rep. J.P. Sredzinski, the couple put portraits of Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Jackson on their wedding… Read More
Immigrants in Kansas City Metro Area Contribute $8.6 Billion to Local GDP and Hold $3 Billion in Spending Power
NEW YORK, NY – Immigrants contributed over $8 billion to the Kansas City metro area GDP in 2015, according to a new research brief released by New American Economy in partnership with the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. The report, which shows that immigrants in Kansas City are… Read More
Watch: Tech Entrepreneur Tom Chavez Joins the iMarch
https://youtu.be/2HjuyGUWF2o
DACA Recipient Wants to Give Her All to Only Country She Knows
In 2012, when Liz Cortez finally got her work permit under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which allows undocumented immigrants brought to the country as young children to legally live and work in the United States, she treated the paper like a massive engagement ring. “I was obsessed… Read More
The DACA-Eligible Population
DACA-eligible people contribute billions of dollars to the U.S. economy. Clawing back the protections afforded to DACA recipients will likely upset local economies, communities, and schools, hurting employers and businesses dependent these young immigrants as workers and customers.
Filling Jobs in Key Industries
Most undocumented immigrants come to the United States because of work opportunities. These individuals are far more likely than the rest of the population to be in the prime of their working years, ranging in age from 25-64. Studies also indicate that undocumented immigrants are not displacing U.S.-born workers. Rather, they are filling jobs that few Americans are interested in pursuing.1 One sector, in particular, offers a striking illustration: Undocumented immigrants account for 50 percent of all hired field and crop workers, making them essential to the success and continued viability of American farms.2
Sources:
1 Maria E. Enchautegui, “Immigrant and Native Workers Compete for Different Low-Skilled Jobs,” Urban Institute, 2015. Available online.
2 Thomas Hertz Zahniser Steven, “USDA Economic Research Service - Immigration and the Rural Workforce,” United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, 2013. Available online.
Top Industries by Undocumented Share of Workforce, 2018
Occupations where Undocumented Immigrants Make up the Largest Share of Workers, 2014
Economic Contributors, not Criminals
Contrary to popular rhetoric, undocumented immigration is not linked to a spike in U.S. crime rates. Between 1990 and 2013, a period when the number of undocumented immigrants more than tripled, the rate of violent crime in the U.S. fell by 48 percent.3 Instead of committing crimes, the vast majority of undocumented immigrants in the country are working4 and paying into our tax system.5 And because they are ineligible for most federal benefits, experts have long argued they are net contributors to the Medicare and Social Security programs.6 They have a similar impact at the state and local level. Even in Florida and Arizona, states with large undocumented populations, immigrants pay more in state and local taxes than they draw down in public resources like education each year.7
Sources:
3 Walter Ewing, Daniel E. Martinez, and Ruben G. Rumbaut, “The Criminalization of Immigration in the United States” (American Immigration Council, July 13, 2015). Available online.
4 George J. Borjas, “The Labor Supply of Undocumented Immigrants,” NBER Working Paper (National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc., 2016). Available online.
5 Lisa Christensen Gee, Matthew Gardener, and Meg Wiehe, “Undocumented Immigrants’ State & Local Tax Contributions,” The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, 2016. Available online.
6 Roy Germano, “Unauthorized Immigrants Paid $100 Billion Into Social Security Over Last Decade,” VICE News, 2014. Available online.
7 Emily Eisenhauer et al., “Immigrants in Florida: Characteristics and Contributions,” Research Institute on Social and Economic Policy, Florida International University, 2007. Available online.
Judith Gans, “Immigrants in Arizona: Fiscal and Economic Impacts” (Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy, University of Arizona, 2008). Available online.
Estimated Earnings and Tax Contributions of Undocumented Immigrants, 2018
Top 10 States where Undocumented Immigrants Contributed the Most in State and Local Taxes, 2016
Starting Businesses, Creating Jobs
Despite financing and licensing obstacles, undocumented immigrants frequently start their own businesses. In 2014, almost 10 percent of the working-age undocumented population were entrepreneurs. In more than 20 states, they boast higher rates of entrepreneurship than either legal permanent residents or citizens of the same age group. These self-employed workers frequently create American jobs. Their companies also generated $17.2 billion in business income in 2014.
Total Business Income of Undocumented Entrepreneurs in Key States, 2016
Costs of Deportation
More than eight out of 10 undocumented immigrants have lived in America for more than five years. Setting aside the question of whether policymakers have the political will to deport millions of individuals so well established in our society, studies indicate that any such effort would come at an enormous cost. The economist Doug Holtz-Eakin’s American Action Forum conducted one study on the cost of mass deportation.8 By even the most conservative estimates, finding, apprehending, detaining, processing, and transporting the undocumented population would deal a Great Recession-like blow to the U.S. economy.
Sources:
8 Ben Gitis and Laura Collins, “The Budgetary and Economic Costs of Addressing Unauthorized Immigration: Alternative Strategies” (American Action Forum, March 6, 2015). Available online.
Cautionary Tales
Deporting the estimated 8.1 million undocumented immigrants in the workforce would not automatically create 8.1 million jobs for unemployed Americans. The reasons are twofold: By shrinking the number of consumers, entrepreneurs, and taxpayers, mass deportation would shrink our economy and the number of jobs available. Secondly, natives and immigrants often possess different skills and education levels, meaning they are imperfect substitutes.9 Data from Arizona and Alabama, two states with strict immigration laws, offer cautionary tales.10
Sources:
9 “Immigration Myths and Facts” (U.S. Chamber of Commerce, April 14, 2016). Available online.
10 Bob Davis, “The Thorny Economics of Illegal Immigration,” Wall Street Journal, February 9, 2016, sec. Economy. Available online.
11 Ibid.
12 Samuel Addy, “A Cost-Benefit Analysis of the New Alabama Immigration Law” (Center for Business and Economic Research, Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration, The University of Alabama, January 2012). Available online.
Economic Impact of a Path to Legalization
If Congress provided a path to legalization for the millions of undocumented immigrants already here, the economic benefits would be sizable. While legal status would increase access to a variety of public benefits programs, it would also allow newly legalized immigrants to pursue new job opportunities, boosting productivity and earnings. The accompanying increase in consumer spending and tax revenue would help federal, state, and local governments offset associated costs. If undocumented immigrants were required to pay back taxes, U.S. tax revenues would see a further boost.13
Sources:
13 Robert Lynch and Patrick Oakford, “The Economic Effects of Granting Legal Status and Citizenship to Undocumented Immigrants,” Center for American Progress, 2013. Available online.
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