New resource shows immigrants drive and support economic growth in every state

New fact sheets from the Economic Policy Institute illustrate the positive economic impact of immigrant workers in every state–and cite recent research on how much President Trump’s mass deportation agenda could cost states in tax revenue.

The fact sheets show:

• The percentage of jobs that are filled by immigrant workers;
• How much immigrant workers’ contribute to economic output;
• The top industries and occupations with the highest share of immigrant workers;
• The share of immigrants who are entrepreneurs and business owners; and
• The amount of immigrant household income.

The fact sheets also cite recent estimates from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy on the tax contributions of workers who lack an immigration status, which demonstrate that mass deportations would make it more difficult for states to provide basic services to all residents, harming workers and families in every state. For example, deporting Texan workers would rob city and state coffers of $5 billion in tax revenue.

“Immigrant workers and business owners expand and strengthen the economy in every state, and can be found across all industries and in jobs at all wage levels. However, too many politicians continue to scapegoat immigrants to advance a political agenda that seeks to divide people who might otherwise come together to demand better conditions for all workers. Pursuing President Trump’s mass deportation policies would tank economic growth, lead to massive job losses, disrupt key industries, spike inflation, separate families, and create a culture of fear in our workplaces and communities,” said Daniel Costa, EPI’s director of immigration law and policy research.

“This new data makes clear what we in the labor movement have long known: that immigrants are a vital part of our workforce in every state in the nation,” said Liz Shuler, AFL-CIO president. “The Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda is not only cruel on a human level, it’s wrong for our economy. It will disrupt industries we all depend on and rob the country of the taxes that hardworking immigrants pay, even when they aren’t able to receive benefits like Social Security. Our fellow immigrant workers strengthen our economy as well as our communities and our unions. We call on our government to change course and respect and protect all those who work for a living in this country.”