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Peace and Justice
Summer 2006

���������� 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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