It is somewhat perplexing that illegal immigration has become such a hot topic in 2018 since immigration across our Southern border is on the decline. In fact, since 2009 more Mexican families and individuals have returned to Mexico from the U.S. than visa versa (Pew Research Institute). This is unfortunate since immigrants fuel our economy and grease the wheels of the labor market by their willingess to move more readily than established U.S. citizens to where the jobs are and work in industries where there are bottlenecks and shortages.
Undocumented workers, like everyone else, pay sales tax, property taxes and the best evidence suggests that at least 50% currently file income tax returns or have tax deductions withheld from their paychecks. Undocumented workers paid 11.6 billion dollars in state and local taxes in 2013 (Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy).
Despite the rhetoric we hear from the White House, immigrants are less likely to commit crimes. Neighborhoods with greater concentration of immigrants have much lower rates of crime and violence than comparable nonimmigrant neighborhoods (National Academy of Sciences).
Current immigrants are assimilating into American culture as rapidly as previous immigrant populations. In fact, some evidence suggests current immigrants are learning English faster than earlier immigrant waves (Dave Griswold, 2018).
After morning worship on Sunday, August 12 and August 19, we will be distributing lawn signs simply stating – IMMIGRANTS ARE A BLESSING NOT A BURDEN. We encourage anyone who is interested to pick one up.
~George Kraft, Hope Church Member