How do refugees and immigrants contribute to our local economy?
Newcomers begin paying taxes as soon as they get their first job. In addition to paying taxes, immigrants and refugees bring a strong set of work skills into the local economy. Indeed, many employers depend heavily on such newcomers to build their businesses, so that our local economy thrives. (Most of the undocumented who are illegally working in the US also pay taxes. In 1994 the Urban Institute reported that even the undocumented annually pay $7 billion in taxes, supporting such programs as Social Security and Unemployment Compensation for which they themselves are not eligible.
