Undocumented Immigrants Contribute To Texas/U.S. Economy

Donald Trump has waged a hate campaign against undocumented immigrants living and working in this country. He would have you believe these people take more from this country than they give. That's a LIE! It's certainly not true here in Texas, and I don't believe it's true for the nation either.

Here is part of an op-ed on the contribution of undocumented immigrants by Mitchell Schnurman in the Dallas Morning News:

In Texas, undocumented immigrants are an asset, and a valuable one.

That may not be obvious, given that many work off the books in lower-paying jobs and have less education than immigrants who came here legally. Their contributions are often discounted, too, because some Americans can’t get past the fact that these residents have violated the law.

But the undocumented are a major part of the workforce in Dallas-Fort Worth and the state, and for decades, they’ve helped create the Texas growth story.

By one estimate, they held 1.2 million jobs in Texas, about 11.5 percent of the private-sector workforce in 2015. They paid over $13 billion in total taxes and generated almost $145 billion in gross product.

Their benefits — and costs — are not divided uniformly. The feds enjoy the biggest fiscal surplus because the undocumented don’t get payments from Social Security and other programs. The state has a net gain, too, according to a 2016 report by the Perryman Group in Waco.

Much of the funding burden falls to local agencies in Texas, including school districts and health care providers. They supply billions more in services than undocumented immigrants pay in taxes locally, the report said.

Still, there’s enough upside to go around, especially when multiplier effects are included — if government would coordinate its policies.

“The overall fiscal surplus is quite substantial,” the Perryman report said. . . .

“Beneath all of the sound and fury, however, is one incontrovertible fact: TEXAS NEEDS THE WORKERS!!” the Perryman report said, using all caps and exclamation points to drive home the conclusion.

In an email, economist Ray Perryman said he’s been studying the relationship between immigration and the economy for decades.

“Without exception, every analysis has demonstrated that immigrants are beneficial,” he wrote. “Without the immigrant workforce, there would be a labor shortage in Texas even if every single unemployed person were working in a job now filled by an immigrant.”. . .

The economic argument for more immigration has long been supported by business leaders and traditional Republicans. But President Donald Trump has pushed for a border wall, more deportations and more enforcement agents. He’s also ending two temporary programs that allow thousands to stay here. And last year, Texas lawmakers passed a “show-me-your-papers” bill that bans sanctuary cities and has put many immigrants on edge.

Stan Marek, who runs a Houston construction company, said that some of his Hispanic workers have been stopped by police and required to show their documents even though they were born in the U.S.

“It’s like Texas is running them off,” Marek said. “And who’s gonna get hurt the most? Texas."

"Labor is gonna go where they're not gonna be hassled," Marek said. "If we lose our workers, Texas cannot be competitive on the national stage."

Texas has been growing at twice the rate of the nation for many years. In part, that's because it attracts so many newcomers from other countries and states, ensuring an ample labor supply.