Welcoming Immigrants & Refugees in 2024
Throughout our 110-year history, IILA has not only provided direct services to countless refugee and immigrant families, but it has also been a voice for them in challenging times. During World War II, for instance, we stood with Japanese Americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and opposed the forced relocation of our Japanese American neighbors. Advocating for our refugee and immigrant sisters and brothers continues to be of critical importance.
One of the great strengths of our nation is its incredible diversity; welcoming refugees and other immigrants isn’t just good for them, it’s good for the United States. We invite you to utilize the resources below to find out more about how refugees and immigrants positively impact our country. Then join us in taking action to make 2024 a year of welcome and support for those who so profoundly enrich our communities and society.
Please continue to visit this page for updated information and ways to advocate.
(Last updated: April 18, 2024)
Immigration & the U.S. Economy
- Congressional Budget Office–Director’s Statement on the Budget and economic Outlook for 2024-34
- The report includes this paragraph: “In our projections, the deficit is also smaller than it was last year because economic output is greater, partly as a result of more people working. The labor force in 2033 is larger by 5.2 million people, mostly because of higher net immigration. As a result of those changes in the labor force, we estimate that, from 2023 to 2034, GDP will be greater by about $7 trillion and revenues will be greater by about $1 trillion than they would have been otherwise. We are continuing to assess the implications of immigration for revenues and spending.”
- The Fiscal Impact of Refugees and Asylees at the Federal, State and Local Levels from 2005-2019 – Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, US Department of Health and Human Services
- The report concludes that the net fiscal impact of refugees and asylees over the 15-year period was positive at $123.8 billion, with most of the benefit ($92.3 billion) going to the states (page 4).
Immigration & Public Safety
- NPR: Immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than U.S.-born Americans, studies find
- Cato Institute: Illegal Immigration and Crime in Texas
- The Marshall Project: Is There a Connection Between Undocumented Immigrants and Crime?
- The New York Times: The Myth of the Criminal Immigrant
- National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER): Law-Abiding Immigrants: The Incarceration Gap Between Immigrants and the US-Born, 1850-2020