The short answer is YES. As President Obama said at a citizenship or naturalization ceremony held at the White House last week:
“The lesson of these 236 years is clear – immigration makes America stronger. Immigration makes us more prosperous. And immigration positions America to lead in the 21st century. And these young men and women are testaments to that. No other nation in the world welcomes so many new arrivals. No other nation constantly renews itself, refreshes itself with the hopes, and the drive, and the optimism, and the dynamism of each new generation of immigrants. You are all one of the reasons that America is exceptional. You’re one of the reasons why, even after two centuries, America is always young, always looking to the future, always confident that our greatest days are still to come. We celebrate the contributions of all Americans to building our nation and its economy, including the generations of immigrants.”
Indeed immigration fuels the American economy. Earnings and household incomes for American workers increase because new immigrants purchase local consumer goods. The Immigration Policy Center estimates that the purchasing power of Latinos and Asians, many of whom are immigrants, alone will reach $1.5 trillion and $775 billion, respectively, by 2015.
Immigrants have a positive impact on the progress of U.S. economy by creating more opportunities for all and especially ones that benefit other minorities living in America.
