5 Reasons We Need More Immigrants in Our Communities
Fort Collins is one of the fastest growing cities in Colorado, with an average population growth rate of two percent per year, according to World Population Review. Within that two percent population of people that are moving to Fort Collins, there are immigrants who come from a multitude of different countries from around the globe.
Despite the all-too-common anti-immigration rhetoric, with claims that immigrants are stealing our jobs and ruining our county, the truth is, we need immigrants. Immigrants play an important role in our economies and social structure that attract people to Fort Collins in the first place. Here are the five reasons why we need more immigrants in our communities:
1) One in Nine Employees are Immigrants
Whether you know it or not, chances are you are likely interacting with multiple employees who are immigrants every day. According to the American Immigration Council, every one out of nine people working in Colorado is an immigrant, meaning immigrants make up a large part of the total workforce in Colorado.
Politicians and thought leaders often toss out the phrase, “they’re taking our jobs,” referring to immigrants coming to Colorado and “stealing” the jobs that are apparently reserved for our white, American-born citizens. However, nothing could be further from the truth. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, immigrants “create new jobs by forming new businesses, spending their incomes on American goods and services, and paying taxes.”
2) 10.4 Percent of All Business Owners are Immigrants
According to the American Immigration Council, there were 35,162 Colorado business owners who are immigrants. Together, these businesses contribute a grand total of $826 million dollars in business income. If these businesses were to suddenly disappear, it is safe to assume that our economy be affected.
3) Nearly 1 in 10 Colorado Residents are Immigrants
If you think of ten people that you know from school or work, the statistical chance that one of them is an immigrant is about ten percent, or one in ten, according to the American Immigration Council.
A similar percentage of Americans who are native-born U.S. citizens have at least one parent who is an immigrant, meaning that your social connections to an immigrant is more likely than you probably think.
4) 2.3 Billion in Taxes
Immigrant-led households in Colorado paid $2.3 billion in federal taxes and nearly $1 billion in state and local taxes, according to the American Immigration Council’s 2014 study.
The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy conducted a study of the amount of taxes paid by illegal immigrants in each state. Colorado’s illegal immigration population currently pays an estimated $139,524,000 in taxes each year. If they were allowed citizenship status, meaning higher wages and formal tax brackets, they could contribute much more, along with more spending in local communities.
5) The Number of Immigrants is Rising
Over the past couple decades, the amount of foreign born citizens living in Colorado has risen by 48.9% from 2000 to 2017, according to the Migration Policy Institute. The total number of foreign-born citizens in Colorado in 2017 was 550,768, and nearly half of this population was born in Latin America, according to the Migration Policy Institute.
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door. — Emma Lazarus
This is the poem inscribed into the Statue of Liberty, a symbol of American freedom and prosperity, but also a symbol of our belief that anyone who is willing to work hard and contribute to the values of our society is welcome here. Immigrants were the bedrock of America and will continue to play a vital role in the success of our communities.
