Walter Ewing: Immigrants are not a fiscal drain

Mr. Ewing gives many statistics and shows that immigrants, and even undocumented immigrants, are not hurting our economy. - - Donna Poisl

By Walter Ewing, Special to The Bee

As state and local governments grapple with budget deficits brought on by the economic recession, some are blaming immigrants – particularly undocumented immigrants. According to this flawed reasoning, if the tax contributions of immigrants in general, or undocumented immigrants in particular, don't cover the costs of the public services they utilize in a single year, then immigrants must be a financial "burden" on the majority of taxpayers.

However, by this measure, nearly all native-born children, retirees and unemployed workers also qualify as economic "burdens." A realistic accounting of the economic "value" of a person must include the contributions made over a lifetime as a worker, consumer and taxpayer.
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