Immigrants are job creators, not criminals

In Massachusetts, where immigrants make up 15 percent of the population, they own 18 percent of all businesses. Latino and Asian-owned businesses alone employ over 50,000 Massachusetts residents, with sales totaling more than $7 billion, according to the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition.

So why are immigrants being targeted as criminals by Donald Trump’s White House, rather than job creators – the people the president supposedly values the most? Within the past month, the Trump Administration has:

• Authorized suspicious ICE raids across the country that has impacted DREAMers and domestic violence victims.

• Considered a policy to deploy 100,000 National Guard members to round up undocumented immigrants.

• Threatened to withhold federal funds from Sanctuary Cities, such as Boston, Somerville and Chelsea.

• Instituted a travel ban for refugees and immigrants from war-stricken nations.

• Signed an executive border to build a wall on the Mexican border, which could cost U.S. taxpayers $20 billion.

Meanwhile, nothing has been said by President Trump’s administration about the countless contributions immigrants make to our society.

America is a nation of immigrants and local communities depend on their contributions, as we can see from the statistics and recent events like the “Day Without Immigrants.”

If Trump’s administration took the time to look at where the new jobs are being created in our economy, they would see Sanctuary Cities like Boston towards the top of the list.

GBLN will continue to shine a light on the contributions Latinos and other immigrants make in our economy. Meanwhile, we join our elected officials and allies in fighting the Trump Administration, which is operating with complete disregard for the rule of law in its efforts to target immigrants.