Immigration reform opponents frequently argue that undocumented immigrants are a drain on our economy and government services but a new study hopes to refute that idea and show how strong a consumer and taxpaying force Hispanics are.
Partnership for a New American Economy is a group of government and business leaders who support immigration reform.
In Miami on Thursday it reported that the annual purchasing power of Hispanics, who are the majority of undocumented immigrants, now tops $600 billion. In Florida it’s $65 billion or one of every six spendable dollars.
Arun Sharma is a marketing professor at the University of Miami. He says even the big screen is benefiting. “Hispanic customers are approximately 15 percent of the population, but they consume approximately 25 percent of the movie tickets,” says Sharma
Hispanics also pay $190 billion in taxes and they pay more to than they get from programs like Social Security and Medicare.
Rudy Fernandez was a special assistant to former President George W. Bush. “The growing Hispanic community are key to the sustainability of those programs,” says Fernandez.
Opponents of reform insist undocumented immigrants are still a burden on services like public education.
