Report: R.I. home to 140K immigrants

NEW AMERICAN MEDIA released "Map the Impact," an interactive map showcasing the contributions of immigrants in all 435 Congressional districts, the 55 largest U.S. metro areas, all 50 states, and industry sectors across the economy. / COURTESY NEW AMERICAN MEDIA
NEW AMERICAN MEDIA released "Map the Impact," an interactive map showcasing the contributions of immigrants in all 435 Congressional districts, the 55 largest U.S. metro areas, all 50 states, and industry sectors across the economy. / COURTESY NEW AMERICAN MEDIA

PROVIDENCE – A new report released this week shows that Rhode Island is home to nearly 140,000 immigrants, and that they are mostly of working age, and work in the manufacturing and software industries.

That number grows to more than 200,000 when the Providence-Warwick-Fall River metropolitan area is included. Again, most of the immigrants in the metro area are of working age, defined as between 25 and 64. Most work in administration support and manufacturing.

The report features an interactive map, “Map the Impact,” from the New American Economy, a group that brings together more than 500 Republican, Democratic and Independent mayors and business leaders who support immigration reforms that they say will help create jobs in America. It shows the contributions of immigrants in all 50 states and the 55 largest metropolitan districts, as well as 435 congressional districts.

“This data puts the economic power of America’s immigrants in stark relief,” John Feinblatt, chairman of New American Economy, said in a statement. “Across the map, and in every industry, immigrants strengthen the economies of big cities and small towns alike.”

- Advertisement -

The report estimates that there are 34.2 million working-age immigrants in the country.
Immigration has been a controversial issue since President Donald Trump took office. Undocumented immigrants may now be deported, according to a pair of memos issued Tuesday by the Department of Homeland Security implementing Trump’s executive orders, Bloomberg News reported.

The Boston Globe said that the Department of Homeland Security has been directed to begin the process of hiring 10,000 immigration and customs agents, expanding the number of detention facilities, and creating an office within Immigration and Customs Enforcement to help families of those killed by undocumented immigrants.

Meanwhile, Trump’s January executive order banning travelers from seven Muslim majority countries has been suspended by a federal court.

The report from New American Economy shows that immigrants represent 13 percent of the Ocean State’s population. There are 5,113 immigrant entrepreneurs as well in Rhode Island, and more than 8,000 in the Providence metro. People employed by immigrant-owned firms total 27,605 in Rhode Island. Nearly 70 percent of immigrants are of working age in both Rhode Island and the Providence metro.

Nationally, immigrants earned $1.3 trillion in 2014 and contributed more than $104 billion in state and local taxes, as well as almost $224 billion in federal taxes, leaving them with nearly $927 billion in spending power.

Rhode Island’s immigrants paid $886.1 million in taxes in 2014. Their spending power totals $2.6 billion. Immigrants in the Providence metro paid $1.4 billion in taxes, and their spending power totals $3.1 billion.

Undocumented immigrants total 11.4 million nationally, according to the report, including 26,666 in Rhode Island. There also are 903 undocumented immigrant entrepreneurs. Their total spending power is $322 million in the state, the report said.

No posts to display