Reason for Reform Campaign Highlights New Data Showing the Economic Impact of Immigrants in Wisconsin

Posted on by Allison Wallner

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 3, 2016

Contact:
George Klaetsch
608-283-2587
gklaetsch@kpasllc.com

 

Reason for Reform Campaign Highlights New Date Showing the Economic Impact of Immigrants in Wisconsin

Local leaders call for immigration reform in National Day of Action with events across all 50 states

(MADISON, Wis.) — Today, local leaders from Wisconsin came together for a Day of Action to showcase new research on immigration contributions in Wisconsin and highlight the critical need for immigration reform. The event marked the launch of the Reason for Reform campaign, an effort taking place in all 50 states today, sponsored by the Partnership for a New American Economy (NAE).

The Reason for Reform campaign brings together state business, civic, and cultural leaders to urge Congress to take action on immigration reform. Today’s Madison Day of Action event coincides with the release of new research, including data on the foreign-born population in Wisconsin, their tax contributions, their spending power and their role in Wisconsin’s key industries as leaders and job creators. Today, NAE is also launching a new mobile tool that lets users make a video telling their Reason for Reform (reasonforreform.org). Videos will be sent directly to Congress.

“Immigrant workers are talented and critical contributors to our economy, especially here in Wisconsin,” Mayra Medrano, president of the Latino Chamber of Commerce of Dane County, said. “It’s in everyone’s interest that we focus on immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship or legal status.”

The Contributions of New Americans in Wisconsin shows that immigrants make up nearly five percent of the state’s population and contributed $2.1 billion in taxes, or 4.9 percent of the total share in 2014. That same year, immigrants earned $7.6 billion, or roughly five percent of all income earned by Wisconsinites.

Immigrants in Wisconsin contribute to key industries such as manufacturing, higher education and agriculture. They make up almost six percent of all entrepreneurs in the state and play a large role in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, a major component of U.S. economic growth. These and other key statistics on immigrants in Wisconsin can be found in the NAE report at http://www.renewoureconomy.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/nae-wi-report.pdf.

“We must fix our broken immigration system to address the worker shortages of many Wisconsin farms,” John Holevoet, director of government affairs for the Dairy Business Association, said. “Current laws make it all but impossible to fill the numerous jobs up and down the agricultural supply chain.”

More information can be found at www.RenewOurEconomy.org.

About the Partnership for a New American Economy

The Partnership for a New American Economy brings together more than 500 Republican, Democratic and Independent mayors and business leaders who support immigration reforms that will help create jobs for Americans today. The Partnership’s members include mayors of more than 35 million people nationwide and business leaders of companies that generate more than $1.5 trillion and employ more than 4 million people across all sectors of the economy, from Agriculture to Aerospace, Hospitality to High Tech and Media to Manufacturing. Partnership members understand that immigration is essential to maintaining the productive, diverse and flexible workforce that America needs to ensure prosperity over the coming generations. Learn more at www.RenewOurEconomy.org.

 

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