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

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.

Comments

It seems to me that there are several realities which need to be reconciled.

1) I think that it's true beyond arguing that immigrants contribute to the economy. All over NYC, for example, undocumented day laborers work in difficult and dangerous jobs. At smaller construction sites, non-union day laborers have no protections whatsoever. Their labor and purchases contribute to the economy but the economy is segmented and ...

2)Undocumented workers labor for less money (and benefits) than union construction workers. In effect, the non-union workers subsidize the non-union contractors and, thus, take jobs from union workers. (I remember, for example, in the asbestos removal industry, it was common to contract out the removal to contractors whose benefit-less immigrant employees would never be checked for asbestos diseases)

3)Similarly, in other industries, vulnerable, non-union, undocumented workers make possible businesses which, otherwise might not do well. Gardening, food delivery, meat packing and some retail thrive on very low cost labor of undocumented immigrants. Of course, agricultural work absorbs much undocumented work, which both lowers our foods costs and boosts producers profits.

4) Therefore, we who support immigrants rights fool ourselves if we think that those who feel harmed by immigrants are just wrong or stupid. They're not. The part of the immigration puzzle we have not, in my view, successfully addressed is redress for those who feel displaced or threatened by immigrant labor. Until that's a part of the solution, anti-immigrant rhetoric will continue to be a big part of the problem.

I agree with the points you raise, Daniel and DMI has written extensively about all of this. In fact the argument you raise is central to the DMI Immigration policy paper which you should totally read.

You write "The part of the immigration puzzle we have not, in my view, successfully addressed is redress for those who feel displaced or threatened by immigrant labor."

We agree that dismissing the economic anxieties of people concerned over immigration is bad politics AND bad policy. The presence of a two-tiered labor market has a downward force on the wages of all workers. That's why a comprehensive immigration policy solution has to include strong workplace protections for immigrants and Americans alike.

The undocumented workers doing dangerous construction jobs without adequate safety equipment and pay need to be able to assert their right to unionize and make their workplace safe for example and in the process make that work desirable for immigrants and Americans alike.

I really think you need to check out the report because we address your arguments explicitly.
http://drummajorinstitute.org/immigration/