Title: Immigrants and the Economy | American Civil Liberties Union
Headings: Immigrants and the Economy
Immigrants and the Economy
IN BRIEF

Content: The study found that immigrants expand total output and the demand for labor, tend to be highly productive and promote capital formation through high savings rates. According to a L.A. Times analysis summarizing the best available research, "Immigrants contribute mightily to the economy, by paying billions in annual taxes, by filling low-wage jobs that keep domestic industry competitive, and by spurring investment and job-creation, revitalizing once-decaying communities. Many social scientists conclude that the newcomers, rather than drain government treasuries, contribute overall far more than they utilize in services." ( January 6, 1992). Studies by the Rand Corporation, the University of Maryland, the Council of Economic Advisors, the National Research Council and the Urban Institute all show that immigrants do not have a negative effect on the earnings and employment opportunities of native-born Americans. A 1989 Department of Labor study found that neither U.S. workers in complementary jobs, nor most minority workers, appear to be adversely affected by immigration. "The truth is that the challenges we face as a nation have not been
imported by our immigrants, nor would they disappear if we could only
succeed in sealing our borders for good -- even if that were possible. In
fact, there is good reason to believe that some of the problems we should
take most seriously as a people -- from the decline in our economic
competititiveness to the decay of our community values -- are problems
that the new immigrants can help us solve." Mario Cuomo, Governer of New York State,
"Immigration is Source of our Strength," USA Today, July 19, 1993.