Immigration - Myths and Facts
Sylvia Puente
I am continually surprised at how myths are perceived as facts. This
holds particularly true given the current dialogue on immigration. Several
recent analyses by the Latino Institute dispel
common myths on the status of immigrants. "Selected Statistics on
Illinois Immigrants" presents the "facts" to counter some
of these misperceptions.
Myths and Facts About Immigrants
Myth: All immigrants are Latin
Fact: Forty percent of metro-Chicago's Latino population is composed of
immigrants, and 37% of all immigrants are from a Latin American country.
Said another way, 60% of all Latinos are United States citizens, and 63%
of all immigrants are from world regions such as Europe, and Asia. In
fact, the second largest group of immigrants is from Poland, followed
by the Philippines, and then Germany.
Myth: Too many immigrants are on welfare
Fact: In Chicago in 1989, immigrants were substantially less likely to
receive public assistance income ("welfare") than non-immigrants.
Approximately 3.9% of immigrants in Chicago had public assistance, income
compared to 9.7% of non-immigrants.
Myth: Immigrants use more than their share of
public services
Fact: Overall, immigrants in the United States pay more in taxes every
year -- $25 billion more -- than they use in government services, according
to the Urban Institute. A disproportionate amount of taxes paid by immigrants,
however, flows to the federal government rather than to state and local
governments.
Myth: Immigrants are a "drain" on the
economy
Fact: Some 67.9% of immigrants in Chicago was in the labor force in 1990,
compared to 62.9% of non-immigrants. Immigrants fill key roles within
the Chicago area labor market, comprising 28.6% of physicians residing
in Chicago, and 37.4% of Chicagoans employed in the manufacturing sector.
Myth: Immigrants are reluctant to learn English
Fact: As a group, immigrants' English proficiency increases steadily with
length of residence. English is spoken exclusively or fluently by approximately
67.0% of pre-1991 immigrants, 75.0% of pre-1980 immigrants and 80.3% of
pre-1970 immigrants.
The Latino Institute is a not-for-profit
organization that through research, training, and advocacy seeks to empower
individuals and groups serving the Latino community of Chicago. As part
of a larger immigration project, the Latino Institute's
research efforts have also led to an analysis of the "non-citizen"
population and the entire immigrant community of the Chicago metropolitan
area.
These publications provide additional "facts" which document
the contributions of immigrants:
Hopes and Dreams: A Statistical Profile of the Non-Citizen Population
of Metropolitan Chicago; Indicators for Understanding; A Profile of Metro
Chicago's Immigrant Community.
For a copy of any of these analyses, please contact:
The Latino Institute 228 South Wabash, 6th Floor
Chicago, Illinois 60604
Phone: (312) 663-3603
Fax: (312) 663-4023
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