How Immigrants Revitalize Communities and Overall Economy

The common belief that immigrants are a drag on the economy is about to once more be turned on its head.

Specifically, a new report from the Americas Society/Council of the Americas (AS/COA) and Partnership for a New American Economy may change the debate over immigration reform.

Using U.S. Census and American Community Survey data, the study details how immigration revitalizes communities through manufacturing job creation or preservation, increases housing wealth and heightens civic engagement.

“We wanted to see the contributions that immigrants make to the U.S. economy overall,” Americas Society/Council of the Americas Director of Policy Jason Marczak told VOXXI. “Looking more broadly at the economy, one important aspect for middle class Americans to get ahead has always been the manufacturing industry. It’s also a segment of the economy that’s undergone dramatic changes over the last half century with the rise of global manufacturing operations and the increasing proneness of high-skilled manufacturing jobs being moved beyond our borders.”

Examining more than 3,000 counties nationwide from 1970 to 2010, the study measured the impact of immigration on three leading indicators of community vitality:

•     Number of middle-class manufacturing jobs
•     Health of the housing market
•     Size of the local U.S.-born population

Manufacturing job creation

“We expected going in there was going to be some benefit of immigrants because immigrants bring requisite skills and they also add more workers to the labor pool,” Marczak said.

“A lot of counties across the states, especially counties with high degrees of manufacturing jobs, have seen a decrease in their populations. Manufacturing employers, like others, need a vibrant labor pool and immigration not only bring immigrants workers but we’re also finding immigrants attract more U.S.-born individuals....”

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