Immigrants Provide More Than They Use Report Says

According to data from the Cato Institute, immigrants pay far more in taxes than they use in public services.  The Washington, D.C. libertarian think tank reports between 1994 and 2023, immigrants contributed $14.5 trillion more in federal, state and local taxes than they cost the government in social services like health care and education.

The data did not differentiate between those in the country legally versus those in the United States illegally.

Alejandro Queral with the Oregon Center for Public Policy said the findings contradict the common Trump administration message that immigrants are depleting the country’s resources.

“The reality is that there is a significant benefit that immigrants bring to our economy, not to mention how integral immigrants are to the fabric of the community, to the culture of those communities."

Queral added immigrants in Oregon account for 13% of the state's economic output, which is disproportionately higher than their population.  He said expanding pathways to gain legal status would create more stability for the state’s economy.

"If you don't have the workers ready to pick those crops, the economic impact is going to be significant," Queral said.  "And so, having that certainty through a legal pathway will actually help businesses and will have a positive net effect on the economy."

Queral praised Oregon for adopting policies that support immigrant communities like the Earned Income Tax Credit and Oregon Kids Credit.  He said when these workers are more supported, then employers can depend more on their labor. 

Click Here to check the Cato Institute Report.

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