Immigration and Poverty: The Undeniable Link

By Joe Guzzardi
October 26, 2011

The Census Bureau’s September poverty report tells a bleak story about the nation’s trend for more than 40 million (one in seven) of its struggling residents.

Considering how low the poverty threshold is—the pretax income to qualify ranges from $11,300 to $26, 000—the statistics are as stark as at any time in the last half century. In 2010, the depth of poverty levels increased significantly as 6.8 percent of people had incomes that were no more than half of the federal government’s official poverty line.

The most accurate barometer of wide spread suffering may be Americans’ increasing reliance on food stamps. Since 2007 when the recession began, participation in the program soared by 15 million users to almost 45 million. For many, food stamps are their only source of income. But that isn’t all the bad news. The Department of Agriculture estimates that only two-thirds of those who are eligible are signed up.

Poverty rates vary widely among demographic sub-groups. In 2010, 27.4 percent of blacks and 26.6 percent of Hispanics were poor, compared to 9.9 percent of non-Hispanic whites and 12.1 percent of Asians.

Children represent a disproportionate share of the United States’ poor; they make up 24 percent of the total population but 36 percent of the poor. The child poverty rate also varies substantially by race and ethnic origin. Among black children under 18, 38 percent live in poverty; Hispanics, 35 percent.

Significant differences exist between native-born and foreign-born residents. In 2010, 19.9 percent of foreign-born residents lived in poverty compared to 14.4 percent of United States-born residents. Foreign-born, non-citizens have an even higher incidence of poverty, nearly double, at a rate of 26.7 percent.

Here’s the question that must be asked. Why, given the enormous challenges so many face just to put food on the table, does the federal government continue to import poverty through its immigration policy? Just as the relationship between more legal immigrants who get work permits that enable them to compete with unemployed Americans is undeniable, so is the correlation between excessive immigration and poverty.

Immigrants and their advocates claim that more liberal immigration laws would allow newcomers “a better life”. But the evidence doesn’t support the theory. What actually happens is something quite different.

Employers sponsor only a fraction of legal immigrants. The majority arrive through family ties (chain migration) to those already in the United States, many of whom live in poverty.

More immigration adds to the existing surplus of low-skilled workers, drives down wages and worsens employment conditions which in turn discourage Americans from seeking those jobs. In short, the vicious cycle is great for unscrupulous employers but bad for vulnerable immigrants and jobless Americans.

I’ve lived a large part of my life in poor, immigrant-sending Latin American countries. My conclusion is that under-educated, unskilled immigrants rarely prosper in America. Instead of coming to the United States to be exploited or dependent on social services, their lives would be richer if they stayed home where the surroundings, language and customs are familiar.

Joe Guzzardi has written editorial columns, mostly about immigration and related social issues, since 1986. He is a Senior Writing Fellow for Californians for Population Stabilization (CAPS) and his columns are syndicated in various U.S. newspapers and websites. Contact him at [email protected].