Immigrants pay between $90 and $140 billion a year in federal, state and local taxes.  The government also has a suspense file which grew by $20 billion between 1990 and 1998.  This money is from undocumented immigrants.

In one estimate immigrants earn about $240 billion a year, pay about $90 billion a year in taxes and use about $5 in public benefits.

Immigrants and their businesses contribute about $162 billion in tax revenue to federal, state, and local governments.

Alan Greenspan points out that 70% of immigrants to the United States arrive in prime working age.  That means we haven’t spent a penny on their education, yet they are transplanted into our workforce and will contribute $550 billion toward our social security system over the next 20 years.

Within ten years of arrival, 75% of the immigrants speak English well.  Greater than 33% of the immigrants are naturalized citizens.

75% of today’s immigrants have legal permanent visas; of the 25% that are undocumented, 40% overstayed temporary visas.

The percentage of the United States population that is foreign-born now stands at 11.5%; in the early 20th century it was approximately 15%.  Similar to accusations about today’s immigrants, those of 110 years ago initially also settled in mono-ethnic neighborhoods, spoke their native language and built up newspapers and businesses that catered to fellow émigrés.  They also experienced the same type of discrimination that today’s immigrants face, and integrated within American culture at a similar rate.  If we view history objectively, we remember that every new wave of immigrants has been met with suspicion and doubt and yet, ultimately, every past wave of immigrants has been vindicated and saluted.