State and Local Initiatives
They say all politics is local, right? While most of the debate about immigration focuses on congressional action (or inaction), local communities across the country are the ones who feel the value of immigration most tangibly. Now active in more than 50 communities – more than 80 percent of which are in conservative states – the NAE State & Local team works with policymakers, business, and civic leaders to promote policies and programs that help create jobs and drive economic growth. You can explore more of our work on the state and local level here.
Portland Press Herald: Report touts immigrants’ economic contributions to Greater Portland
A new report highlights the growing importance of immigrants in Greater Portland’s economy. Foreign-born residents accounted for 75 percent of the population growth in the Portland-South Portland region from 2011 to 2016, according to the report, which was prepared by the group New American Economy and released Friday. Read More
Foreign-Born Residents Contributed $1.2 Billion to Portland Metro Area GDP in 2016
PORTLAND, ME – Immigrants in the Portland, ME metro area contributed $1.2 billion to the area’s GDP in 2016 and paid $133 million in federal taxes and $62 million in state and local taxes, according to a new report by New American Economy (NAE), in partnership with the Portland… Read More
Entrepreneur Couple from Albania Spreads Good Will Through Coffee
The chance of winning the diversity visa lottery is bitterly low—about one percent. Mateo Hodo’s family won the lottery, granting them U.S. residency, in 2002, and moved from Albania to Michigan and, later, Maine. Alba Zakja won the lottery in 2009, and moved to Maine to be near Mateo,… Read More
Iranian Refugee Seeks Ways to Give Back to Her Adoptive Community
When Islamic revolutionaries overthrew the Shah of Iran in 1979, members of the Baha’i faith once again faced persecution. On a single night in December, 500 Baha’i homes were burned to the ground. One belonged to the family of Parivash Rohani, an 18-year-old girl preparing for college. “My parents were… Read More
Steve Rao’s August 2018 Interview with NAE Executive Director Jeremy Robbins for “Leaders and Legends”
Listen to the interview below from Monday, August 20. https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Leaders-and-Legends-Steve-Rao-Jeremy-Robbins-Interview.mp3… Read More
Houston Chronicle: Press 1 for English? These days, biliteracy deserves not just tolerance, but academic rewards [Editorial]
“English! English! Go back to Mexico. You’re in America!” Not so long ago, that response, described in an ethnography by University of Texas professor Angela Valenzuela, is what Texas schoolchildren could expect for speaking Spanish in the hallways. Punishments and reprimands were common experience for students whose open use of… Read More
Missoulian: Report: Immigrants in the Missoula region generate over $26M in tax revenue each year
Although immigrants make up only 2.3 percent of the total population of Missoula and four surrounding counties, those 4,654 people contributed $219.9 million to the goods produced and services provided in the region, $19.3 million in federal taxes and $7 million in state and local taxes in 2016 alone. That… Read More
Courthouse News Service: Increased Immigration Raids Affect Economy in the Heartland
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (CN) — Stephanie Teatro recalls the April day when federal helicopters circled over a meatpacking plant in Grainger County, Tennessee and Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted its biggest workplace raid in years. “That really signaled the return to these mass worksite enforcement operations, and Tennessee was the site of… Read More
The Dallas Morning News: ‘How do we protect them?’ Dallas leaders look to help immigrants and the economy
We could mess up the so-called Texas miracle. Cutting off immigration, for instance, “would make it impossible” for the state to keep growing jobs at roughly double the national rate, Dallas Fed economist Pia Orrenius said last week. Keeping out immigrants would also take us out of the competition to attract top… Read More
News4SanAntonio: Are immigrants the lifeblood of our economy? Study shows they’re spending billions in SA
SAN ANTONIO — New study based on census and other government data shows immigrants in San Antonio are spending billions of dollars, adding major money into our local economy. New American Economy research shows immigrants in San Antonio in 2016 held more than $5.1 billion in spending power and contributed… Read More
America's story is an immigrant story.
