IMMIGRANTS CONTRIBUTE TO NATIONAL ECONOMY WHILE LAWMAKERS STRUGGLE WITH REFORM EFFORTS

WASHINGTON, D.C.–Immigrants in the United States started 28 percent of all new businesses in 2011 and businesses owned by immigrants employed approximately 4.7 million people in 2007, according to the Partnership for a New American Economy and the Fiscal Policy Institute.

Although the immigrant population in Nebraska is significantly smaller than in many other states, the impact immigration has on the state’s economy is hard to ignore.

Nebraska’s immigrant population contributes to the workforce as business owners and employees in a variety of industries including manufacturing, construction, arts and entertainment, recreation and food service, according to the American Immigration Council.

Between 2006 and 2010, there were 3,905 new immigrant business owners in Nebraska creating a total net income of $126 million, according to the American Immigration Council.  Additionally, immigrant spending in Nebraska accounted for $1.6 billion worth of total production in 2014.

However, the impact immigrants have on the economy has yet to create an incentive for state and national lawmakers to take action for a long-term plan of reform.

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