David Dyssegaard Kallick is director of the Immigration Research Initiative, based in New York City. Jessica Maxwell is executive director of the Workers Center of Central New York, based in Syracuse.
Congress seems to be grinding to a halt on immigration policy, with any kind of action on immigration reform and aiding new arrivals caught up in a politicized debate. As Washington deadlocks, it’s all the more important for the states and localities to step up and work together to seize the opportunity that new immigration presents.
As newcomers arrive in this state, New Yorkers have a chance to live up to the melting pot ideals we’ve long aspired to achieve and recognize that our state is stronger and more vibrant when diverse groups of people live, work and play together.
Every newcomer group has faced challenges. It was true for Irish immigrants who helped build the Erie Canal. It was true for African Americans who came during the Great Migration. Now with the latest arrivals of Venezuelans, West Africans and others seeking asylum, we have an opportunity to help address the challenges they face. And as happened with past arrivals, the state will emerge better for it in the long run.
The No. 1 priority must be working in concert to integrate immigrants into the workforce and community. Helping immigrants successfully establish roots in Central New York will also help stabilize and reverse the longtime challenges of a shrinking population.
Immigration is nothing new Upstate. Look only down the road at Utica, where refugees have helped stabilize the population after decades of decline. In Syracuse, the city’s foreign-born population, which has increased 42% since 2000, similarly has helped stabilize the region.
Dollars and cents help tell the story.
A 2017 study by New American Economy for CenterState CEO and the International Institute of Buffalo showed that foreign-born people in the Syracuse metro area contributed $1.7 billion to the local economy. Nearly 1,700 foreign-born entrepreneurs generated more than $22 million in business income as of 2014, with the broader immigrant population helping create or preserve nearly 1,900 local manufacturing jobs that may have left the area otherwise. The same group found that as of 2019, spending power among the more than 40,000 immigrants calling Onondaga, Oswego and Madison counties home totaled $780 million.
Recently released economic data from the Immigration Research Initiative shows that this impact continues with the newest arrivals. Projecting the future of new arrivals today, IRI estimates that immigrants will have a median wage of $17,000 per year when they first join the workforce. For every 1,000 workers, that means generating $1.9 million in state and local taxes on $17 million in total wages. After five years in the state, wages increase to $30,000 annually, with $3.4 million in state and local taxes paid per 1,000 workers.
Getting people to work quickly — with the protections New York affords all workers to prevent exploitation — clearly is of benefit to both migrants and the communities they’ve arrived in. In addition to the economic impact for both, migrants also can fill roles that augment and support the skills of those in key industries.
But to get to work, it is essential newcomers have access to the support network that puts them on solid footing within the community. That includes access to affordable housing and language support.
Especially important is access to attorneys who can help them apply for temporary protected status if they are seeking asylum, obtain work authorization and ultimately work toward citizenship. The statistics are clear that legal representation can be the difference between becoming a member of the community and being denied the opportunity this nation and state promises to all people. Some 60% of non-detained immigrants with an attorney during deportation proceedings win their cases, versus just 17% without a lawyer, according to the New York Immigration Coalition.
Gov. Kathy Hochul, in her State of the State address, spent a lot of time talking about ensuring that people feel safe and have access to economic opportunity. Yet her executive budget set aside only $44.2 million to address immigrant legal service needs statewide. That’s not nearly enough. It’s critical that final negotiations lead to funding akin to the $150 million those who are performing and coordinating this work are seeking.
Ignoring what’s necessary to embrace immigrant families is actually a disinvestment in the future of our state. We must deliver the opportunity for families to succeed as New York promises.