A study released Thursday stated that immigrants represent a large part of the economy on Long Island and make contributions to it. In Nassau and Suffolk counties, it was found that the immigrant population contributes "17% of value to the economy". Immigration has been a hot topic on Long Island, with some communities policing areas where illegal immigrants are known to look for jobs. This report shows that the immigrant population, both legal and illegal, represents a large part of the economy and contributes to it instead of being a strain costing the economy. The study also shows that they own 22% of small businesses there, 75% own their own homes and pay nearly the same property taxes as United States citizens. The diversity among the immigrant population is also diverse; most being from El Salvador, then Indian, Italian and Dominican follow. The Mexican population in this area is 3%. A Suffolk county executive, Steve Levy, stated that they report was “left-leaning” and did not include all data on the illegal immigrant population. However David Kirkpatrick, who is director of the Fiscal Policy Insitute’s Immigrant Research stated that the report had the best information on the illegal population on Long Island.
It has long been an issue not only in the U.S. but other countries as well as to how much the illegal immigrant population costs an economy, however with this report it can be seen that they represent a large portion of those contributing to the economy. Also, it shows that they immigrant population is very diverse, with numerous cultures and countries being represented.
No comments:
Post a Comment