Boise State Public Radio: What Are Immigrants Doing For Idaho’s Economy?

Many agree the immigration system is broken, and there’s a national debate on how best to fix it. This debate is sometimes based on emotions, not on data. But a new study released Tuesday is taking a closer look at the numbers.

Asmaa Albukaie was Boise’s first refugee from Syria, arriving in late 2014.

“For me as a refugee, I came searching for safety and peace,” Albukaie says.

She found that. She also found work.

Of course, refugees are only a small part of the immigrant story. A survey released Tuesday looks at the state-by-state impact of all immigrants on the U.S. economy.

Jeremy Robbins is the Executive Director of New American Economy, a group that studied what the Idaho community of more than 100,000 immigrants means to the state.

“The immigrants in Idaho pay $460 million in taxes every year,” Robbins says. “They have more than $1.5 billion in spending power and they’ve started more than 4,000 businesses in Idaho.”

Read the full story from Boise State Public Radio: “What Are Immigrants Doing For Idaho’s Economy?”