For a long time now, economists and academics have supported the idea that immigration generates undeniable economic benefits: immigrants increase the labor force complementing the native-born population; they create jobs by establishing new businesses; and they foster innovation by developing new ideas and technologies.
Hispanics, being the largest immigrant group in the United States, are no exception. The effects of their contributions are visible in the economy at a macro level, but also in the social fabric of the many cities and States around America which they now call home.
New York is no stranger to this reality. As the historic entry point to the United States of people coming from all over the world, New York City is a testament of how immigrants make enormous contributions to the economic, cultural, social, and even political fabric of this country.
In the Tri-state area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, there are 5.5 million people of Hispanic origin, particularly from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, El Salvador, Ecuador and Colombia; but also from Brazil, Argentina, Cuba, Peru, and the rest of Latin America. In New York State alone, nearly one in five people identify themselves as Hispanic or Latino.
Hispanics do not only constitute a workforce asset. They also generate jobs in their communities. In the US, there are 3.3 million Hispanic-owned business, 12 percent of the total number of businesses in the country. There are more Latino-owned businesses in the US than there are businesses in the states of Georgia, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Massachusetts combined; and more than the overall businesses in California. New York and New Jersey are the 4th and 5th States with the largest share of Hispanic-owned businesses respectively, totaling more than 360,000 businesses and generating nearly $37.5 billion.
Beyond being entrepreneurs and business owners, Hispanics are also teachers, firefighters, community organizers, academics, researchers, scientists, Oscar winners, artists, police officers, soldiers, musicians, athletes, veterans, public servants, politicians, astronauts, actors, and cooks. They represent nearly 16 percent of the labor force in the US, and are found in every industry at any level of skill and professionalization. One in every six workers in the US is Latino.
It is no coincidence that the Bronx, one of the counties with the largest regional increase in its Hispanic population, also shows the largest increase in employment and business creation. Between 2009 and 2015, employment in the Bronx grew 21 percent, faster than the American economy as a whole, and faster than the five-borough average. Moreover, the counties with the largest decrease in unemployment between 2009 and 2015--the Bronx and Brooklyn in New York, and Hudson and Passaic Counties in New Jersey--were also the ones with a higher percentage of Hispanic population by wide margins.
When immigrants start their own businesses and pay their taxes, the whole economy benefits. As their income level grows, they start spending more in other local businesses. In the state of New York, Hispanics account for $43 billion in purchasing power, which is expected to reach $1.7 trillion by 2019.
According to the Partnership for a New American Economy, Hispanic households in the US paid almost $124 billion in federal taxes and nearly $67 billion in state and local taxes in 2013. In New York State alone, they contributed $16.6 billion in federal, state, and local taxes. A total of $7.4 billion of those taxes went to Social Security and $1.7 million to the Medicare trust fund. And this is not only true for documented immigrants, but for undocumented ones as well. According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, undocumented immigrants pay $11.6 billion in state and local taxes every year at an average rate of 8 percent, a significantly higher rate than the 5.4 percent rate, at which the top 1 percent earners pay annually.
Nonetheless, the contributions of the Latino population are not limited to the economy or the labor market; today, Latinos are more present than ever in politics and government in the United States, but also in the arts, the media, academia and sports. Currently, 34 members of the House of Representatives and three US Senators are Hispanic. In New York itself, 18 state legislators are Hispanic, while 10 New York City Council members can trace their origins to Latin America.
During the last few decades, the Hispanic identity of New York has been growing stronger and today it is more solid than ever before in the city's history. Thanks to a great degree to the great contributions the Latino population make to the City. From guacamole and tequila to Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, from José Martí and Galo Plaza to Carolina Herrera and Narciso Rodríguez, from Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony to Alex Rodríguez, Mariano Ramírez and Salma Hayek. A long list of names and places, of references, social values, and personalities that have helped create an image of Hispanics which drives away from the preconceived imagery that people tend to have when they think about us.
In New York City and around the country, the Latino identity coexists with dozens of other identities and cultures from across the world. An interaction that is source to the powerful dynamism that characterizes America's society since its inception. As we celebrate the month of Hispanic Heritage it is important to remember, Latinos in New York and across the United States will continue to contribute to the greatness of this country in every imaginable way.
CLACNY is the Coalition of Latin American Consuls in New York, and its purpose is to work towards common goals for the betterment of the Latin-American community in the Tri-state area. It was created in 2008 and it includes the Consulates of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. Panama and Paraguay are observers.
• José Luis Pérez Gabilondo, Consul General of Argentina
• Jessica Jordan, Consul General of Bolivia
• Ana Lucy Cabral Petersen, Consul General of Brazil
• Francisco del Campo, Consul General of Chile
• María Isabel Nieto Jaramillo, Consul General of Colombia
• Rolando Enrique Madrigal, Consul General of Costa Rica
• Carlos Castillo, Consul General of Dominican Republic
• Linda Machuca, Consul General of Ecuador
• Sandra Marisol Cruz de Flores, Consul General of El Salvador
• Pablo Garcia, Consul General of Guatemala
• Hector Monroy, Consul General of Honduras
• Diego Gómez Pickering, Consul General of Mexico
• María Deyanira Téllez, Consul General of Nicaragua
• Luis Alejandro Posse, Consul General of Panama
• Fabiola Torres, Acting Consul General of Paraguay
• María Teresa Merino de Hart, Consul General of Peru
• Pauline Davies, Consul General of Uruguay
• Calixto Ortega, Consul General of Venezuela