Immigrant Contributions to the United States
The United States is a nation that was born out of the hard work of immigrants in search of a new life. Today, immigrants continue to make substantial contributions to the country. In recent decades immigrants have been particularly important to agriculture, manufacturing, construction, and the food and service industries. Contrary to the belief that immigrants are taking jobs of US citizens, immigrants generally obtain jobs that employers are struggling to fill. Certain industries such as agriculture, services, and hospitality are particularly dependent on immigrant labor. Without immigrants, these industries would either suffer significantly, or have to outsource jobs overseas.
In addition to providing labor to critical economic industries, immigrants also contribute about $27 billion to local economies every year, and contribute $150 billion to federal, state, and local governments. While some have claimed that immigrants are a drain on social services, immigrants contribute $3 billion annually to Social Security and Medicare, even though they cannot claim these benefits. The current total of unclaimed Social Security and Medicare benefits is $475 billion. About 15% of the US population is foreign born, and contribute to local economies through the consumption of daily goods and services. Undocumented workers alone provide local economies with an estimated $100 billion in consumer spending. Immigrants also contribute positively to their community by being law abiding citizens. Many studies show that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes in their communities than citizens born in the US. It is clear that immigrant contributions to our economy and to their communities make them a positive part of US society.
http://supportfloc.org/ContributionstoSociety.aspx
