New data show the folly in policymakers anti-immigrant approach
Published November 7, 2024
This article was co-authored by
Most North Carolinians want to live in a state where the economy delivers good jobs and good wages and where every person — regardless of race or birthplace — has a chance to thrive.
New research released this month from the Immigration Research Initiative provides more evidence of the critical contributions of immigrants to North Carolina’s economy and communities.
- Immigrants are 11% of North Carolina workers. From agriculture to technology to nursing, the labor of immigrants fuels critical sectors of our economy that bolster connections and care in our community.
- Immigrants contribute $86 billion to the state’s total economic output.
- Immigrants are 22% of Main Street business owners, owning grocery stores, retail shops, restaurants, dry cleaners, and other businesses that typically populate commercial areas across North Carolina, keeping downtown areas vibrant and creating jobs.
These statistics build on a growing body of research that shows how vital immigrants are to creating an economy that works for all. Immigrants play a key role in funding programs and services with tax dollars in communities across our state and nation, and immigrants are helping to minimize a decline in the labor force from our aging workforce. Moreover, researchers have found that immigrants boost the number of jobs in the long run due to increased productivity and consumer demand, and immigrants put little to no downward pressure on wages for all workers because they represent a similar educational mix to the U.S. workforce and remain willing to move for work.
Despite this reality, some N.C. policymakers are seeking to pass policies that block people who come here for a better life from fully participating in the work, commerce, entrepreneurship, and care for communities that support our collective progress.
These elected leaders ignore the economic data about the essential role that immigrants play at work, on main streets, and throughout our communities. Instead, these leaders stoke fear and make false claims to divide us from each other.
Most recently, legislators approved House Bill 10, subsequently vetoed by Governor Cooper, which would require all local law enforcement agencies to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain and transfer people whose legal residency status is unclear. This would lead to racial profiling of Latine communities, the separation of families, adverse childhood experiences, and greater distrust of law enforcement. It mirrors the destructive 287(g) federal program that some North Carolina sheriffs and their constituents have rejected because of the negative impacts on community safety and the costs to local governments. HB 10 will continue this harmful legacy by increasing the number of people held in detention and deported, creating ripple effects through families and the economy as parents, family members, and workers are no longer here to care for and contribute to our communities. That is why it is critical that the Governor’s veto of this legislation be upheld.
Earlier this year, legislators also pushed a ballot initiative to make an unnecessary change to our North Carolina Constitution regarding citizen voting. The proposed constitutional amendment ignores existing federal and state laws that already require U.S. citizenship to vote in an election. Such a ballot question is likely to create confusion — especially for those naturalized citizens who have the right to vote — and cause a broader chilling effect for immigrants trying to connect with their local community and further marginalizing them in everyday life. This proposed amendment also ignores the already existing tools that support the integrity of the vote. This is why it is critical that when North Carolinians go to the polls, they vote AGAINST this measure.
When immigrants don’t feel safe in their communities, they are less likely to contribute, whether by participating in the workforce, engaging with public safety officials, or traveling to and from work. Daily activities become fraught with fear, community bonds are strained, and the overall economic strength of our state suffers.
These proposals, if they become law, won’t keep us safe or expand opportunity. Instead, they will create barriers to civic and economic participation and will slow the progress we need to make in improving the well-being of every person in our community.
When policymakers scapegoat immigrants, it hurts us all. We can reject fear and division by coming together instead to demand an approach rooted in the reality that we all want to give our families a better life and that our policies can recognize the humanity of everyone who calls North Carolina home.
