Illegals having positive impact
Thursday, October 8, 2009
BY ELIZABETH LLORENTE

Immigrants — specifically those from Latin America and Asia — are an essential part of New Jersey's economy and tax base, according to research compiled by the Immigration Policy Center, a Washington-based think tank.

The data — presented in a three-page fact sheet and drawn from various sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau — shows that the foreign-born share of New Jersey's population rose from roughly 12 percent in 1990 to nearly 20 percent — to 1.7 million — in 2007.

The center also reports that New Jersey's illegal immigrants, who number an estimated half-million, have a positive economic impact, a claim disputed by groups in the state who favor strict immigration enforcement.

The center said illegal immigrants make up 9.2 percent of the state's workforce, citing data from the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington.

"If all unauthorized immigrants were removed from New Jersey, the state would lose $24 billion in expenditures, $10.7 billion in economic output, and approximately 103,898 jobs," according to the Immigration Policy Center's research.

"More than 50 percent of the immigrants in New Jersey were naturalized, which means they're eligible to vote," said Wendy Sefsaf, communications manager for the policy center, which has so far compiled data on immigration in about 20 states. "We found high levels of immigrants learning English there, and many are highly skilled workers, which flies in the face of the concept that immigrants who are coming here don't want to integrate and become part of America."

But Gayle Kesselman, co-chairwoman of New Jersey Citizens for Immigration Control, said other studies have shown that illegal immigrants end up costing more than they contribute.

"We're importing third-world poverty into our country," said Kesselman, a Carlstadt resident. "We have an unemployment rate in the country of about 10 percent, and between 12 and 20 million illegal immigrants. If the United States enforced its immigration laws, we'd open up millions of jobs for American citizens and solve the immigration problem."

E-mail: llorente@northjersey.com



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