The Facts on Immigration in Rhode Island

Monday, July 12, 2010

by Matthew Jerzyk

The immigration debate locally and nationally tends to be too-often clouded by anecdote, xenophobia and emotion.  Thankfully, Rhode Island Kids Count has cut through the partisan rancor and published a new fact-based issue brief on immigrant children in Rhode Island.

Here's the start of the report:

"The majority of immigrant families in Rhode Island are long-term residents of the United States. In Rhode Island in 2008, only 1% of parents in immigrant families with children arrived in this country less than 5 years ago. Rhode Island is tied with three other states for the lowest percentage of recently arrived immigrant parents in the U.S."

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"Immigrant families contribute to the state and the nation through payment of property, sales and income taxes, cultural contributions and small business ownership. Eighty-seven percent of children in immigrant families in Rhode Island are U.S. citizens born in the United States. More than nine out of ten children ages 5 to 17 in immigrant families in Rhode Island speak English."

Click here to see the full 12-page report.

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