In today’s political climate, the word “immigration” often has a negative connotation. People often immediately think of the word “illegal” and place it before the word “immigration.” The fact is, however, that our country is filled with contributing foreign born members of our communities that have lawfully and productively assimilated.
Over a ten year period, the Florida foreign born population rose from 12.9% in 1990 to 16.7% in 2000. In 2008, Florida was home to 3,391,511 foreign born residents. 47.1% were naturalized U.S. Citizens, who made up 14% of all registered voters in the State, along with the U.S. born children of foreign born residents. See The Immigration Policy Center for statistics and interesting articles related to immigration.
$20 Billion Dollars! Yes that is correct. $20 Billions dollars in tax payer money comes from Florida’s immigrant workers. So, they are paying for roads, schools, hospitals and many more assets that benefit U.S. Citizens. And contrary to popular belief, these immigrant workers are not taking jobs away from U.S. Citizens, as our immigrant worker visas are designed to ensure that U.S. Citizens are not displaced from potential jobs. Most work visas require the U.S. employer to obtain a labor certification that ensures that the employer has made strenuous good faith attempts to hire a U.S. Citizen.