Based on the latest information from the U.S. Census Bureau and other sources, the Immigration Policy Center has issued a report entitled: ”NEW AMERICANS IN MONTANA: The Economic and Political Power of Immigrants, Latinos, and Asians in the Treasure State.” The following information summarizes their findings.
Information provided by www.immigrationpolicy.org
Some important highlights:
- About 2% of Montana’s population was born outside the United States in 2010 (20,031 people).
- Of our foreign-born population, 57.4% (or 11,506 people) are naturalized citizens, and can vote.
- The Latino population in Montana grew from 1.5% in 1990, to 2.0% in 2000, to 2.9% (or 28,565 people) in 2010.
- Latinos accounted for 1.7% (or 8,000) of Montana voters in the 2008 elections. In a small state like Montana, this is a sizable voting block.
On immigrant children in Montana:
- In Montana, 97.6% of children with immigrant parents were U.S. citizens in 2009.
- In 2009, 99.5% of children in Latino families in Montana were U.S. citizens.
On contributions to our economy:
- The 2010 purchasing power of Latinos in Montana totaled $650.3 million.
- Immigrants comprised 2.1% of the state’s workforce in 2009 (or 10,845 workers).
- Unauthorized immigrants comprised less than 1% of the state’s workforce (or fewer than 10,000 workers) in 2010.
- If all unauthorized immigrants were removed from Montana, the state would lose $96.3 million in economic activity, $42.8 million in gross state product, and approximately 720 jobs.
- Montana’s 1,226 foreign students contributed $30 million to the state’s economy in tuition, fees, and living expenses for the 2009-2010 academic year.
The information and statistics provided by groups like FAIR and Numbers USA cannot be trusted, because these groups provide inaccurate data. Indeed, these groups have known ties to white supremacist organizations, and have been categorized as hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center. However, it should be noted that even these groups claim that there are only approximately 5,000 undocumented immigrants in the State of Montana.
