Election Day is right around the corner – and with it, the end of an election cycle that has been rife with misinformation and racist rhetoric surrounding our country’s
immigrant population and the supposed threat they pose to our nation’s workforce.
This narrative dismisses the essential role that immigrants play in our communities and minimizes the importance of their contributions to our economy.
As the president of Local 338 RWDSU/UFCW and the Long Island Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, two labor organizations that represent thousands of immigrant
workers across the state of New York, I have had the privilege of seeing firsthand the hard work and dedication they bring to their jobs. Immigrant workers share the
same aspirations as any American worker – to earn an honest living and support their families – and should be treated with the same dignity and respect.
Immigrants do the essential work that many of us rely on in our day-to-day lives.
They grow our produce, build our infrastructure, and care for our loved ones at home and in the hospital. They are the workers who stock the shelves at our grocery
stores, cook our favorite meals at local restaurants, and look after our children. Most importantly, immigrants are filling the gaps in our labor market that older Americans
are leaving behind when they retire.
Without immigrants, our communities couldn’t function. In addition to doing the work, many immigrants own businesses in our neighborhoods and are creating jobs that
help grow the workforce and local economies. Anti-immigrant policies and rhetoric not only harm individuals and families but contradicts the very foundation this
country was built on.
The fact is our economy is stronger when there is a higher number of immigrants participating in our workforce. From paying taxes to spending their wages in their
communities, immigrants boost our economy in ways that benefit everyone. In 2022, immigrants paid close to $580 billion in local, state and federal taxes, which far
outweighs the financial cost of the public services they rely on. Nearly half of that tax revenue went towards keeping public benefits like Medicare and Social Security
afloat.
Immigrant workers are not a burden or a threat – they’re an asset. Our success as a nation depends on ensuring that every worker who supports our economy is treated
with dignity and respect. It’s time we move past divisive narratives to build an economy that values every worker’s contributions – immigrant or otherwise –
because when immigrant workers succeed, we all win.