The Philadelphia Inquirer: New Pa. coalition: The economy needs immigrants

A statewide pro-immigration coalition stepped into existence on Wednesday morning, announcing itself hours before thousands of protesters prepared to converge on Washington to demand a permanent solution for young people whose DACA protection is ending.

Congress has until March to find a solution, after President Trump rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protects 790,000 undocumented immigrants brought into the United States as children.

The Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians, a nonprofit advocate based in Center City, joined business, literacy, and community organizations to argue that immigrants — refugees, asylum-seekers, legal and illegal residents — make significant contributions to the state economy. Pennsylvania needs more immigrants, not fewer, they argued, given the state’s stagnant population growth and the difficulties some employers encounter in finding workers.

In Pennsylvania in 2014, immigrant-led households paid $5 billion in federal taxes and $2.1 billion in state and local taxes, according to the American Immigration Council. The 5,889 DACA recipients in the state contributed an estimated $20.8 million in state and local taxes in 2016.

Read the full story from The Philadelphia Inquirer: “New Pa. coalition: The economy needs immigrants”