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Often we find it easier to talk about our international Latino brothers and sisters. We find it harder to talk about our Latino community neighbors sharing our same block, grocery story and school. To begin this journey I would like to challange you to find out the facts of Latino community right here at home. You might be asking yourself why talk about U.S. Latinos when you are working internationally? Well, the simple answer is: "It matters because like you and me they are families living at a distance sharing a common culture, history and language". So here are some simple facts to know about your neighbors:
Today’s U.S. Hispanic/Latino population is the largest minority group and is the nation’s fastest growing
minority group. They are estimated to number more than 45 million, or 15.1 percent of the population.
Between 2000 and 2006, Hispanics accounted for one-half of the nation’s population growth, with a growth rate (24.3 percent) more than three times that of the total population (6.1 percent) (U.S. Census Bureau 2008). With the highest birth rate among major racial or ethnic groups—9.2 percent for Latino women, compared with 7.0 percent for the total population—and continued immigration and migration
from Latin America, this growth trend will likely continue (Pew Hispanic Center 2006). Based on current trends, the U.S. Census Bureau projects that by 2050, 30 percent of the U.S. population (approximately 133 million people) will be Latino (U.S. Census Bureau 2008).
Contrary to widely held perceptions of Latinos, the majority of Latinos in the United States were born in the United States. In addition, many are U.S. citizen through naturalization (Ramirez 2004). That leaves around 30 percent who are not citizens, including undocumented residents or migrants, students,temporary authorized workers, and refugees, among others. While it is difficult to obtain firm numbers,the Pew Hispanic Center estimates that 81 percent of all undocumented migrants in the United Statesmay be Latino (Passel 2005).
Strengthening Inclusion: Engaging Hispanic/Latino’s In Your YMCA. 2008. Y of The USA
Learn the Issues by Justice For ImmigrantsMYTHS
IMMIGRANTS DON’T PAY TAXES
Immigrants pay taxes, in the form of income, property, sales, and taxes
at the federal and state level. As far as income tax payments go, sources
vary in their accounts, but a range of studies find that immigrants pay
between $90 and $140 billion a year in federal, state, and local taxes.
Undocumented immigrants pay income taxes as well, as evidenced by
the Social Security Administration’s “suspense file” (taxes that cannot
be matched to workers’ names and social security numbers), which
grew by $20 billion between 1990 and 1998
(Source: http://www.immigrationforum.org/about/articles/tax_study.htm)
IMMIGRANTS COME HERE TO TAKE WELFARE
Immigrants come to work and reunite with family members.
Immigrant labor force participation is consistently higher than nativeborn,
and immigrant workers make up a larger share of the U.S. labor
force (12.4%) than they do the U.S. population (11.5%). Moreover,
the ratio between immigrant use of public benefits and the amount
of taxes they pay is consistently favorable to the U.S. In one estimate,
immigrants earn about $240 billion a year, pay about $90 billion a
year in taxes, and use about $5 billion in public benefits. In another
cut of the data, immigrant tax payments total $20 to $30 billion more
than the amount of government services they use.
(Source: “Questioning Immigration Policy – Can We Afford to Open Our Arms?”,
Friends Committee on National Legislation Document #G-606-DOM, January 25,
1996. http:www.fas.org/pub/gen/fcnl/immigra.html)
IMMIGRANTS SEND ALL THEIR MONEY BACK
TO THEIR HOME COUNTRIES
In addition to the consumer spending of immigrant households, immigrants
and their businesses contribute $162 billion in tax revenue to U.S.
federal, state, and local governments. While it is true that immigrants
remit billions of dollars a year to their home countries, this is one of the
most targeted and effective forms of direct foreign investment.
(Source: http://www.cato.org/research/articles/griswold-020218.html.)
IMMIGRANTS TAKE JOBS AND OPPORTUNITY
AWAY FROM AMERICANS
The largest wave of immigration to the U.S. since the early 1900s coincided
with our lowest national unemployment rate and fastest economic
growth. Immigrant entrepreneurs create jobs for U.S. and foreign workers,
and foreign-born students allow many U.S. graduate programs to keep
their doors open. While there has been no comprehensive study done of
immigrant-owned businesses, we have countless examples: in Silicon
Valley, companies begun by Chinese and Indian immigrants generated
more than $19.5 billion in sales and nearly 73,000 jobs in 2000.
(Source: Richard Vedder, Lowell Gallaway, and Stephen Moore, Immigration and
Unemployment: New Evidence, Alexis de Tocqueville Institution, Arlington, VA
(Mar. 1994), p. 13.
IMMIGRANTS ARE A DRAIN ON THE U.S. ECONOMY
During the 1990s, half of all new workers were foreign-born, filling
gaps left by native-born workers in both the high- and low-skill ends
of the spectrum. Immigrants fill jobs in key sectors, start their own
businesses, and contribute to a thriving economy. The net benefit of
immigration to the U.S. is nearly $10 billion annually. As Alan
Greenspan points out, 70% of immigrants arrive in prime working age.
That means we haven’t spent a penny on their education, yet they are
transplanted into our workforce and will contribute $500 billion
toward our social security system over the next 20 years
(Source: Andrew Sum, Mykhaylo Trubskyy, Ishwar Khatiwada, et al., Immigrant
Workers in the New England Labor Market: Implications for Workforce Development
Policy, Center for Labor Market Studies, Northeastern University, Boston, Prepared for
the New England Regional Office, the Employment and Training Administration, and
the U.S. Department of Labor, Boston, Massachusetts, October 2002.
http://www.nupr.neu.edu/1102/immigration.PDF#search=’center%20for%20labor%2
0market%20studies%20at%20Northeastern%20University%20studies’)
IMMIGRANTS DON’T WANT TO LEARN ENGLISH
OR BECOME AMERICANS
Within ten years of arrival, more than 75% of immigrants speak
English well; moreover, demand for English classes at the adult level
far exceeds supply. Greater than 33% of immigrants are naturalized
citizens; given increased immigration in the 1990s, this figure will rise
as more legal permanent residents become eligible for naturalization in
the coming years. The number of immigrants naturalizing spiked
sharply after two events: enactment of immigration and welfare
reform laws in 1996, and the terrorist attacks in 2001.
(Source: American Immigration Lawyers Association,
“Myths & Facts in the Immigration Debate”, 8/14/03.
http://www.aila.org/contentViewer.aspx?bc=17,142#section4)
(Source: Simon Romero and Janet Elder, “Hispanics in the US Report Optimism” New
York Times, (Aug. 6, 2003).
TODAY’S IMMIGRANTS ARE DIFFERENT THAN THOSE
OF 100 YEARS AGO
The percentage of the U.S. population that is foreign-born now stands at
11.5%; in the early 20th century it was approximately 15%. Similar to
accusations about today’s immigrants, those of 100 years ago initially
often settled in mono-ethnic neighborhoods, spoke their native languages,
and built up newspapers and businesses that catered to their fellow émigrés.
They also experienced the same types of discrimination that today’s
immigrants face, and integrated within American culture at a similar
rate. If we view history objectively, we remember that every new wave of
immigrants has been met with suspicion and doubt and yet, ultimately,
every past wave of immigrants has been vindicated and saluted.
(Source: Census Data: http://www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/c2kprof00-
us.pdf,http://www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/censr-4.pdf )
MOST IMMIGRANTS CROSS THE BORDER ILLEGALLY
Around 75% of today’s immigrants have legal permanent (immigrant)
visas; of the 25% that are undocumented, 40% overstayed temporary
(non-immigrant) visas.
(Source: Department of Homeland Security
(http://uscis.gov/graphics/shared/statistics/index.htm)
WEAK U.S. BORDER ENFORCEMENT HAS LEAD TO
HIGH UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRATION
From 1986 to 1998, the Border Patrol’s budget increased six-fold and
the number of agents stationed on our southwest border doubled to
8,500. The Border Patrol also toughened its enforcement strategy,
heavily fortifying typical urban entry points and pushing migrants into
dangerous desert areas, in hopes of deterring crossings. Instead, the
undocumented immigrant population doubled in that timeframe, to 8
million—despite the legalization of nearly 3 million immigrants after
the enactment of the Immigration Reform and Control Act in 1986.
Insufficient legal avenues for immigrants to enter the U.S., compared
with the number of jobs in need of workers, has significantly
contributed to this current conundrum.
(Source: Immigration and Naturalization website:
http://www.ncjrs.org/ondcppubs/publications/enforce/border/ins_3.html)
THE WAR ON TERRORISM CAN BE WON
THROUGH IMMIGRATION RESTRICTIONS
No security expert since September 11th, 2001 has said that restrictive
immigration measures would have prevented the terrorist attacks—
instead, the key is effective use of good intelligence. Most of the 9/11
hijackers were here on legal visas. Since 9/11, the myriad of measures
targeting immigrants in the name of national security have netted no
terrorism prosecutions. In fact, several of these measures could have
the opposite effect and actually make us less safe, as targeted communities
of immigrants are afraid to come forward with information.
(Source: Associated Press/Dow Jones Newswires, “US Senate Subcommittee Hears
Immigration Testimony”, Oct. 17, 2001.)
(Source: Cato Institute: “Don’t Blame Immigrants for Terrorism”, Daniel Griswold,
Assoc. Director of Cato Institute’s Center for Trade Policy Studies (see:
http://www.cato.org/dailys/10-23-01.html)
So before we begin to pray for our international sisters I challange you explore what stereotypes you are holding onto and which ones are you willing to give up in order to create a safe world for women of all races and nationalities both at home and internationally.
