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The Facts about Hard-Working,Tax-Paying Immigrants
Immigrant workers are reshaping America�s workforce, economy, and
political landscape.
Immigrants Work
� According to the
U.S. Department of Commerce, foreign-born workers comprise 11.4
percent of all U.S. workers, and 16 percent of all service workers
in the United States.� (Current
Population Reports Special Studies
p. 23-195,
Profile of the Foreign-Born Population in the United States,
1997; U.S. Department of Commerce, Issued: August 1999.)
Immigrants Pay Taxes
� By conservative
estimate, immigrant households paid an estimated $133 billion in
direct taxes to federal, state, and local governments in 1997.� (Immigration
Policy Handbook 2000,
National Immigration Forum, p. 38-39.)
Immigrants Contribute More Than They Collect from Social Security
and Medicare �
The total net benefit (taxes paid over benefits received) to the
Social Security system in today�s dollars from continuing current
levels of immigration is nearly $500 billion for the 1998-2022
period and nearly $2 trillion through 2072.� Immigrant workers will
be an essential component to solving the long-term problem of
financing Social Security.� (Immigration
Policy Handbook
2000, National
Immigration Forum, p.39.)
Immigrants Contribute to America�s Bottom Line
� A new study shows
undocumented immigrants contribute at least 300 billion dollars to
the gross national product annually � a conservative estimate.� More
recent higher-end estimates could push the aggregate contribution to
approximately $440 billion.� (Immigration
Policy Handbook
2000, National
Immigration Forum, p.50.)
�
�
The following statement regarding immigration was passed by the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops at their June� meeting
in Los Angeles, California.� Continued education of the faithful may
help ongoing efforts to achieve a just and�� equitable resolution.
�
Statement of Most Reverend William Skylstad, President, United
States Conference of Catholic Bishops-�� June 15, 2006
The U.S. Catholic bishops acknowledge that immigration is an
emotional and challenging issue which has engaged the American
public, including members of the Catholic faithful. We have heard
from Catholics and others of good will who both agree and disagree
with us on how best to respond to the immigration crisis our nation
faces today.
Each day in our parishes, social service programs, hospitals, and
schools we witness the human consequences of an immigration system
which is seriously flawed: families are divided, migrants are
exploited and abused by smugglers and human traffickers, and, in
some cases, men, women, and children who attempt to come here in
search of a better life perish in the American desert and on the
seas.
Because of these realities, we believe that the status quo is
morally unacceptable and must be changed. Since our nation's
immigration policy does impact the basic dignity and life of the
human person, it needs to be reformed urgently to uphold human
dignity and to protect human life.
On behalf of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, we will
continue to work with Congress and the President to enact
comprehensive immigration reform legislation consistent with these
principles. In the end, our immigration laws should be just and
humane and reflect the values�fairness, opportunity, and
compassion�upon which our nation, a nation of immigrants, was built.
�
Window on Health
8 minutes�
Average time spent driving around looking for a parking spot.
47,000 gallons
Gas wasted annually by parking-space hunters in one urban shopping
district.
100,000 hours
Driver time wasted hunting in same district.
40 calories�
What you could burn in a brisk 8-minute walk.
Source:� �The
High Cost of Free Parking�
�
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