Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees - GCIR

Many Americans are concerned about the social and economic impacts of immigration. Traditionally, immigrants have settled in “gateway” states such as California, New York, Texas, Florida, Illinois, and New Jersey, but in a demographic shift, new areas are becoming immigrant receiving communities in the Midwestern and Southern states. In some states the stream of immigrants is essential to population growth and maintaining the economy.

The report notes that area Latino business districts are among the most successful in the Chicago region, with Latino-owned businesses posting $7.4 billion in sales in 2002. The report indicates that fully engaging Mexicans in Chicago's economic development will require overcoming language, educational and other skills challenges, and that, to accomplish this, it is necessary to strive for a comprehensive set of policies that promote the economic development, educational advancement, political and civic participation, and the health of the Mexican community in the Chicago region.

This analysis shows the striking propensity of immigrants to start and grow successful American companies, particularly in the technology field. The study's findings reflect the benefits of an open policy toward legal immigration. However, it also reveals that current restrictions on skilled immigrants are likely to result in less job creation and innovation for America.

The need for a workforce to fill middle-skill jobs, those requiring more education than high school but less than a bachelor's degree, will likely remain strong in the coming years. Because Baby Boomer retirements will occur most rapidly in the lower to middle ranges of skills and immigrants are more likely to fill the bottom and top jobs, expanded educational opportunities and workforce training programs will be essential for less-educated workers to meet the demands of the U.S. economy.

The analysis paints a detailed picture of the penalties of wages and living conditions imposed on undocumented workers by their lack of legal status, with results relevant to other large urban areas where the undocumented are concentrated. A survey of 1,323 immigrant workers found Latin American workers earned less than other comparable workers (22 percent for men and 36 percent for women) and reported higher levels of unsafe working conditions, wage-and-hour violations, and lack of health insurance.

This report provides estimates on federal, state, and local taxes paid by immigrant households in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region in 1999-2000 and documents their demographics, household composition, income, and dispersal across jurisdictions in the region.

Trends in the U.S. economy and labor force over the past 30 years have implications for the workforce and for low-wage workers and their families in particular.  This article discusses the increased diversity in the workforce, the growing need for low-skilled workers, the skills gap between high- and low-skilled workers, and the number of working poor in the United States.

Written for the North Carolina Bankers Association, this report looks at the impact of Latino workers on the North Carolina economy. In the past decade, North Carolina has experienced the largest increase in Hispanic population in the United States. This study documents the nature and magnitude of North Carolina's population change and estimates the economic impact of Hispanic residents on individual counties, metropolitan areas, and the state as a whole.

Although immigration is crucial to the growth of the U.S. labor force and yields a net fiscal benefit to the U.S. economy, current immigration policies fail to respond to actual labor demand. Immigration has become the key to growth in the U.S. labor force, according to the Economic Report of the President 2005 and other data sources. This study explores the importance of immigration to the U.S. economy.

There is nationwide concern that undocumented immigrants are a drain on state and local governments, costing taxpayers and contributing little back to the economy. This study estimates the size of the undocumented population in Virginia and finds that this population is an important contributor to state resources by paying taxes.

Rapid increases in the foreign-born population at the state level are not associated with negative effects on the employment of native-born workers, according to a study by the Pew Hispanic Center that examines data during the boom years of the 1990s and the downturn and recovery since 2000. An analysis of the relationship between growth in the foreign-born population and the employment outcomes of native-born workers revealed wide variations and no consistent pattern across the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

In recent decades, cities across America have experienced demographic change, due in part to changing patterns of migration.  Immigrants are key members of their communities and have a greater level of self-employment compared to native born residents.  This report examines the revitalization of three Boston neighborhoods - Allston Village, East Boston, and Fields Corner - and the role that immigrant entrepreneurs have played in economic development.

The authors find that immigrants have been a driving force behind labor market growth in the United States in the past three decades. If immigration remains at current levels, immigrants and their children are projected to account for all growth in the US labor force between 2010 and 2030.

This study was prepared by the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy as a part of the California Regional Economies Project. It documents that even though immigration policy is a federal responsibility, the effects of immigration are concentrated in states, such as California, where most immigrants live.

This publication is a compilation of recent research findings on immigrants in California and their economic and social contributions to our state. The data present a snapshot of key facts about California's newcomer population, highlighting the ways in which immigrants help to strengthen the economy and enrich the state’s cultural life. The report is the result of a 6-month project and literature review by CIWC aimed at providing a concise analysis of immigrant contributions to California that can be used by advocates, students, the media and others, both as a source and a reference guide.

Immigration is one of the United States’ most distinguishing characteristics, helping to drive economic growth and define national identity since the country’s founding. However, the integration of newcomers has always presented serious challenges for both the newcomers and the communities that receive them. The report offers an in-depth look at the historical context for integration.

A crucial question in the current debate over immigration is what impact immigrants have on the wages of native-born workers. At first glance, it might seem that the simple economics of supply and demand provides the answer: immigrants increase the supply of labor; hence, they should decrease the wages of native workers. This paper argues that the issue is more complicated than this, and finds that immigrants have an overall positive effect on the wages of native-born workers.

This study combines updated statistics, original calculations, and reviews of academic research to describe the impact of immigrants on the U.S. labor market. It presents detailed information on educational, occupational, and the wage status of high- and low-wage immigrant workers; and looks at implications for the future as baby boomers exit the labor force.

In moving from the first to the second generation, most immigrant groups in New York and Los Angeles have retained a fairly stable rate of self-employment. A study of the second generation's involvement with self-employment promises to yield valuable insights into this group's experience of assimilation and, as such, broader social and economic patterns in U.S. society for years to come. By analyzing data on self-employment in New York and Los Angeles, it is possible to determine if self-employment is a trend among the second generation.

There are 4.1 million minority-owned businesses in the United States, based in a wide variety of industries from financial services and construction to health care, transportation, and many others.  This report, State of Minority Business Enterprises: An Overview of the 2002 Survey of Business Owners, examines the contributions of minority business owners from 2002, finding that these businesses contributed $668 billion in annual sales and employed about 4.7 million people.  The report explores trends in minority business enterprises (MBEs) and provides benchmarks for further develo