In the United States today, immigration has become so heavily stigmatized that people have become blind to the truth about it. Although there are many concerns about undocumented or illegal immigrants, many immigrants, particularly those of African and Latino origin, contribute to this country in astounding ways, especially through their jobs and traditions. Overall, Black and Latinx immigrants benefit our country both socially and financially.
One major way these immigrants have positively impacted our country’s finances is through education. Many immigrants pursue postsecondary education, and that number has only increased in recent years. In fact, the percentage of black immigrants with at least a bachelor’s degree has increased rapidly in the past two decades, exceeding that of the U.S.-born population (Tamir 7). This influx of Black immigrant students results in more profits for colleges and universities as these immigrants fund these colleges through tuition fees. Considering that this country has faced a decline in school enrollment in recent years, immigrants taking classes will help revive the deteriorating education industry.
More importantly, because these immigrants are obtaining higher education, they are becoming more skilled laborers and working high-salary jobs such as doctors or engineers.
It should be noted that black immigrants are not the only ones interested in education; Hispanic and Latino immigrants are likely to attain higher education as well. “About 45% of U.S. Hispanic adults ages 25 and older had at least some college experience in 2022” (Krogstad et al. 13). This statistic shows that Hispanics are in fact a prominent racial group in postsecondary education facilities, making them vital to the prosperity of U.S. colleges.
Although many believe that Hispanic immigrants work cheap labor, this evidence shows that they are in fact dedicated to working towards college degrees and finding high-paying jobs.
In Javier Miranda’s podcast on immigration and entrepreneurship, he stated that immigrant entrepreneurs create 49% more jobs than native entrepreneurs (06:56). This contradicts the common belief surrounding immigrants because they are providing more jobs rather than taking them. As a result of immigrants’ businesses, they help boost the labor demand and decrease unemployment rates.
This, however, begs the question of if these immigrants are creating large firms or just small companies. The former is clearly the case, as data shows that immigrant entrepreneurs own disproportionately more large businesses and corporations than natives (09:59). Considering that these immigrants own so many large businesses, they are responsible for expanding the job market and supplying citizens with the goods they need. The Black and Latinx immigrants, because they commonly have a college degree, are also likely starting their own businesses and benefitting the economy.
Over 27 million Latinos identified as multiracial in 2022, which is more than nine times the amount in 2010 (Krogstad et al. 3). As a result of growing diversity, Latino immigrants interact with many other racial and ethnic groups, which in turn causes a greater proportion of mixed-raced Latinos in the U.S. Although most of these people are American citizens, they are still raised with the customs and traditions of their parents, and as they mature, they develop a broadened perspective on the different cultures within their society.
It is common belief that nearly all Black immigrants are from the Caribbean, as it is very close to the United States. However, there is a far more diverse group of immigrants present within this country.
Jamaican and Haitian immigrants only make up 31% of black immigrants, and an increasing number of immigrants are coming to the U.S. from Ethiopia and Nigeria (Tamir 6). To clarify, this influx of Black immigrants from other countries signifies the changes in cultural diversity and acceptance in the United States, as these immigrants now have the opportunity to spread their cultures to American citizens.
Taking everything into account, the Black and Latinx immigrants of our country have been a huge benefit due to their financial and social contributions towards this country. These people have and will continue to have a lasting impact on the growth of American society.