Elana Levin

Conservative Columnist supports Long Island Study on the Economic Contributions of Immigrants

Long Island continues to be one of the places most divided over immigration. Last week Adelphi University and the Horace Hagedorn Foundation released a study with results that combat some negative myths about the impact Hispanics (the largest immigrant population in the area) have on Long Island's economy. The study shows:

Long Island Hispanics contribute nearly a billion dollars a year in taxes and other revenues to local government, far more than they use in public services, producing a net benefit to the public of $202 million a year. Consumer spending by Hispanics produced an additional $5.7 billion impact on the Long Island economy, creating more than 52,000 jobs.

In today's Newsday, the biggest paper in Long Island, conservative columnist Raymond J. Keating came out in support of their new study and in support of treating immigrants with respect. In a great column he writes

Locally, it's time for some groups to stop kicking around immigrants, and instead start recognizing the role they play in keeping Long Island's economy afloat. Common-sense economics and basic human decency dictate welcoming immigrants and aiding their assimilation.

I hope his well argued support makes other potential allies take notice. Marginalizing immigrants as enforcement-only immigration reform would do inhibits their ability to contribute to the economy and makes them even more vulnerable to exploitation by employers (thus making unscrupulous employers want to hire only easily exploited immigrants). Recognizing the economic contributions of immigrants is key to creating comprehensive immigration reform that strengthens and expands the American Middle Class. For more on that check out DMI's report on immigration and the middle class.

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Posted at 2:48 PM, May 14, 2007 in Economy | Immigration | New York
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