KBIA Radio: “What do immigrants contribute in U.S.? New reports breaks it down”

The International Institute of St. Louis is highlighting a new report that delves into the numbers behind immigrants in the United States.

The national organization New American Economy released the report “Map the Impact” on Tuesday. The report breaks down not just the number of immigrants in each congressional district, metropolitan area and state, but also looks at what they provide in taxes, spending power, education and entrepreneurship.

Anna Crosslin, president and CEO of the International Institute, said the report is meant to dispel myths in a time when immigration is under huge scrutiny.

“People are very confused; they don’t have the facts,” Crosslin said. “There are a lot of rumors flying, and [New American Economy] wanted to crunch actual Census statistics and present the realities of the numbers mean, not just what we’re hearing.”

The report is based on the annual American Community Survey done by the U.S. Census Bureau. It shows that in the St. Louis metro area there are about 122,000 immigrant residents, who make up 4.4% of the total population. The report notes that of those immigrants, about 7,000 are entrepreneurs, making foreign-born residents 29% more likely to open their own business than native-born residents.

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