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Immigration
07Feb,17

Immigrants, a Remarkable Help in Enhancing Cities’ Economy

It is known that states such as Arizona and Alabama reject immigrants and are doing possible (and impossible) things to keep them out of their territories. Just to name a couple of their anti-immigrant actions, I will mention Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his law enforcement of discrimination based on racial profiling. Sheriff Arpaio is not alone because Governor Jan Brewer from Arizona is another anti-immigrant official who thwarts immigrants’ efforts in achieving the American dream. For instance, Governor Brewer signed an executive order denying driver’s licenses to those applying to the new federal immigration program named DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). As a result, Immigrants are moving to other estates fleeing from those inhuman actions.

Fortunately, there are several states in the United States which are welcoming, embracing and appreciating immigrants and what they can do for their economies. For instance, New York, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Dayton and Boise, Idaho are changing their policies in favor of immigrants looking at them as a huge tool for enhancing their economies. In particular, I would like to mention what authorities in Dayton, Idaho are doing. They are creating the “Dayton welcome plan” which wants to change the city’s culture by encouraging people to be friendly and welcoming to immigrants. The city is designating one section of its downtown as an international marketplace for immigrant entrepreneurs. City authorities and realtors are planning to advertise the area so immigrants can see the benefit of relocating there. Furthermore, authorities in Dayton are planning on revamping the city and hiring people who speak foreign languages to help immigrants while adapting to the new city. As we can see, all of these measures are offering tremendous help to those immigrants, not to mention what this is going to do for the economy of the city. We need to remember that immigrants pay payroll taxes, therefore contributing to Social Security and Medicare. They also pay sales taxes for consumer goods they buy, property taxes, state taxes and even Federal Taxes. It is honest to say that people who come to the United States can be a great asset for the country. The U.S Chamber of Commerce informed last year that research has shown that “immigrants significantly benefit the U.S economy”. In addition, the Obama administration estimated in May 2011 that immigrant business generates more than 10 percent of business income. Hopefully, those states that are against immigrants can see, in the near future, the benefit that can be generated by those immigrants that simply work for their families.