Title: 4 myths about how immigrants affect the U.S. economy | PBS NewsHour
Headings: 4 myths about how immigrants affect the U.S. economy
4 myths about how immigrants affect the U.S. economy
READ MORE: Trump retweets false claim on immigrant aid
Myth #1: Immigrants take more from the U.S. government than they contribute
Fact: Immigrants contribute more in tax revenue than they take in government benefits
WATCH:Proposed immigration policy penalizes legal residents for use of public benefits
Undocumented immigrants pay an estimated $11.6 billion a year in taxes.
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Myth #2: Immigrants take American jobs
Fact: Immigrants workers often take jobs that boost other parts of the economy
WATCH: What happened when this struggling city opened its arms to refugees
Myth #3: The U.S. economy does not need immigrants
Fact: Immigrants are key to offsetting a falling birth rate
Myth #4: It would be better for the economy if immigrants’ children were not citizens
Fact: Children with citizenship are more productive workers
Gretchen Frazee
Gretchen Frazee
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Content: And immigrants are playing an increasingly critical role in taking care of the elderly as baby boomers retire. Census data shows that immigrants accounted for 24 percent of nursing, psychiatric and home care aides in 2015. WATCH: What happened when this struggling city opened its arms to refugees
A study from the bipartisan research organization New American Economy found immigrants were 15 percent more likely to work unusual hours than similar U.S.-born workers. They are also more likely to be employed in dangerous jobs, according to data from the American Community Survey and Bureau of Statistics. In addition, the latest jobs report shows the U.S. economy performing strongly enough that it can absorb large numbers of workers, including immigrants. Immigrants fill those roles in part because they are on average less educated than native-born Americans. About 26 percent have less than a high school degree, compared to 5 percent of native-born workers, according to the Urban Institute. But one in three immigrant workers have a college or advanced degree, a rate on par with Americans born here. Unauthorized immigrants tend to have slightly lower education levels;