Mass Immigration Has Oversized Negative Impact on Low Immigration States, Finds New FAIR Analysis

Low Immigration States Shoulder Tax Deficit of $4,000 to $6,500 per illegal alien

(February 5, 2020, Washington, D.C.) —Immigration has a disproportionately large, and negative, impact on states that have traditionally received small numbers of foreign-born residents, according to a new report by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).

The ten states analyzed in the study, Small Migrant Populations, Huge Impacts, are New Hampshire, Mississippi, Alaska, Maine, North Dakota, West Virginia, South Dakota, Vermont, Montana and Wyoming. The study found that both legal and illegal migration have a profound and mostly negative impact on the aforementioned states. Other key findings include:

In each of these states, each illegal alien resident carried a net tax deficit of between $4,000 and $6,500 annually.
Some 415,000 foreign-born reside in these ten states, of whom about 88,000 (or 21 percent) are illegal aliens. Additionally, there are about 35,000 U.S.-born children of illegal aliens in these states.
Collectively, these illegal aliens and their U.S.-born children cost taxpayers in the ten states about $454 million each year for the provision of essential services like education and health care.
Local schools struggle to provide educators and cover the costs of instruction for 50,000 K-12 students classified as Limited English Proficient.
A growing number of sanctuary jurisdictions (29 and counting, including the entire state of Vermont), and lower living costs are a magnet for illegal aliens.
The growing immigrant population competes with legal residents for jobs in economically depressed areas.

“In many ways, the influx of immigrants into less populous areas of the country has an even greater impact on long-time residents than it does in larger and more urban areas,” noted Dan Stein, president of FAIR. “These areas have neither the tax base, nor the economic and social infrastructure to accommodate the needs of the growing numbers of immigrants taking up residence.

“Many local officials tout immigration, including illegal immigration, as a remedy to economic stagnation. However, as this report reveals, the reality is precisely the opposite,” continued Stein. “Illegal immigration, in particular, drives down wages and inhibits job opportunities for legal residents, while bringing more low-skilled, low-wage workers to these states. In turn, this increases costs to state and local governments, and discourages investment by businesses seeking a skilled labor force and lower overhead.

“This report highlights the fact that the adverse effects of unchecked mass immigration, combined with an immigration selection process that does not choose people based on individual merit, job skills and education, are now being felt in all parts of the country. Americans, in every part of the nation, are being affected by antiquated and unenforced immigration policies, which is why it is at the top of the list of voter concerns heading into the 2020 elections,” Stein concluded.

Contact: Matthew Tragesser, 202-328-7004