Utah Business: “Utah Leaders Map the Impact of the Foreign-Born and Call for Immigration Reform”

On Tuesday, local leaders showcased new research on the contributions of immigrants in Utah and highlighted the critical need for immigration reform. Spearheaded by New American Economy (NAE), the event marks the launch of Map the Impact—a campaign to highlight the power of immigrants in communities across the country. With 140 events in 30 states, this effort arms business, civic, and cultural leaders with new data on immigrant populations in all 435 Congressional Districts and 50 metro areas. Featured in an interactive map that also includes state- and sector-specific data, NAE quantifies every locality’s foreign-born population, tax contributions, spending power, home ownership, and voting power, among other items.

“Our current immigration system is broken from top to bottom, and we are relying on outdated laws that do not address the challenges we face in the 21st Century,” said Mike Winder, Utah House Representative and former West Valley City Mayor. “This new research on our area proves what we’ve known for years: immigrants are a boon to our local economy, holding $4 Billion dollars in spending power and paying $1.2 Billion dollars in taxes right here in Utah. If we modernize the immigration system, our country stands to benefit.”

Read the full story from Utah Business: “Utah Leaders Map the Impact of the Foreign-Born and Call for Immigration Reform“