Moving past legal or illegal

Every tax is a pay cut. Every tax cut is a pay raise.
Citizens for Limited Taxation

Moving past legal or illegal Monday, June 20, 2005

Rick Holmes Metrowest Daily News

The discord over immigration in MetroWest seems to grow by the day, and with good reason: The demographic faces of some of our communities are changing faster than many people can handle. Consider the findings in a new study commissioned by MassINC:
Between 1990 and 2000, the share of Framingham's population born in another country rose from 11.7 percent to 21.1 percent. That means one in five Framingham residents is foreign-born.
In Marlborough, the percentage of foreign born nearly doubled in that decade, from 8.9 percent to 16.2 percent.
Across MetroWest, the foreign-born population increased by 59 percent between 1990 and 2000.
Since 2000, those numbers have only grown. The authors of the study, based on Census and other data, concede that the numbers are likely low. While Census-takers don't ask respondents' legal status, undocumented immigrants are less likely to answer any questions on a government form.
That much demographic change over so short a time is discomforting to old-timers and newcomers alike. No wonder people are complaining about their communities being taken away from them, demanding the borders be sealed and the illegals deported. No wonder they are shouting "enough is enough."
The study by MassINC, a nonpartisan Boston think tank, does more than just count heads. It analyzes the impact immigrants have on the Massachusetts economy.
On one hand, they are essential: without immigrants, the labor force would have shrunk considerably since 1990, with unfortunate consequences for business and government. On the other hand, the study found that 71 percent of adult immigrants lack the skills needed to participate in the knowledge economy. The most important of these is English fluency. To keep our economy healthy, we need foreign-born workers, and we need to get them trained.
"Enough is enough" is not a policy prescription, and "What part of illegal don't you understand?" doesn't advance a rational conversation, it ends it.
Calling on Washington to reform immigration policies is necessary, but not sufficient.
Massachusetts and MetroWest must cope with the effects this influx of newcomers has on our economy and our communities. We must increase access to the training, especially English as a second language, immigrants need to fill the jobs we need them to do. We must also improve the dialog between recent arrivals and the native population, encouraging understanding and assimilation.
The numbers don't lie: We are living through a dramatic demographic change. The question is what we all can do to help it work out best for everyone.

Moving past legal or illegal	Monday, June 20, 2005
Rick Holmes	Metrowest Daily News
The discord over immigration in MetroWest seems to grow by the day, and with good reason: The demographic faces of some of our communities are changing faster than many people can handle. Consider the findings in a new study commissioned by MassINC: Between 1990 and 2000, the share of Framingham's population born in another country rose from 11.7 percent to 21.1 percent. That means one in five Framingham residents is foreign-born. In Marlborough, the percentage of foreign born nearly doubled in that decade, from 8.9 percent to 16.2 percent. Across MetroWest, the foreign-born population increased by 59 percent between 1990 and 2000. Since 2000, those numbers have only grown. The authors of the study, based on Census and other data, concede that the numbers are likely low. While Census-takers don't ask respondents' legal status, undocumented immigrants are less likely to answer any questions on a government form. That much demographic change over so short a time is discomforting to old-timers and newcomers alike. No wonder people are complaining about their communities being taken away from them, demanding the borders be sealed and the illegals deported. No wonder they are shouting "enough is enough." The study by MassINC, a nonpartisan Boston think tank, does more than just count heads. It analyzes the impact immigrants have on the Massachusetts economy. On one hand, they are essential: without immigrants, the labor force would have shrunk considerably since 1990, with unfortunate consequences for business and government. On the other hand, the study found that 71 percent of adult immigrants lack the skills needed to participate in the knowledge economy. The most important of these is English fluency. To keep our economy healthy, we need foreign-born workers, and we need to get them trained. "Enough is enough" is not a policy prescription, and "What part of illegal don't you understand?" doesn't advance a rational conversation, it ends it. Calling on Washington to reform immigration policies is necessary, but not sufficient. Massachusetts and MetroWest must cope with the effects this influx of newcomers has on our economy and our communities. We must increase access to the training, especially English as a second language, immigrants need to fill the jobs we need them to do. We must also improve the dialog between recent arrivals and the native population, encouraging understanding and assimilation. The numbers don't lie: We are living through a dramatic demographic change. The question is what we all can do to help it work out best for everyone.

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