A new report from the University of Maryland shows that immigrants both legal and illegal benefit the state, according to a report from the Washington Post. The 36-page report, prepared by the Commission to Study the Impact of Immigrants in Maryland, was created for Maryland lawmakers.
Here are some of the statistics, by the numbers, provided in the commission's report hosted on the University of Maryland website.
13.9: A table shows Maryland as having a higher than the U.S. average of foreign-born residents at 13.9 percent of the population as compared to 12.9 percent. Neighboring Virginia has 11.4 percent of its population foreign-born, while Washington, D.C., has a comparable 13.5 percent. The Maryland number is far below New York, New Jersey, Florida, and California.
4.8: At a 90-percent level of confidence on the data for unauthorized populations, Maryland is estimated to have 4.8 percent of its population considered unauthorized, or illegal.
31.7: Maryland's change from 2000 to 2010 in unauthorized residents increased by 31.7 percent.
58.3: A larger percentage of Maryland's population growth came from the foreign-born population. 58.3 percent of Maryland's total population growth came from foreign-born residents between 2000 and 2010, compared with 31.7 percent nationally and most states other than New York and New Jersey.
50: The report suggests that 50 percent of unauthorized immigrants have their income and payroll tax withheld, but do not receive refunds for excessive witholding and don't qualify for Social Security or Medicare. The report notes it is possible the 50 percent who are paying taxes may actually create a net surplus federally.
$135 billion: Acknowledging that education and health care services are challenged by low-skilled immigrants, the report notes that were the entire unauthorized population removed, the cost would far exceed the cost of education. Removal would require a minimum federal cost of $135 billion to remove 11 million people, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
43.4: Among foreign-born persons who arrive in Maryland, 43.4 percent are between the ages of 25 to 44. That's as compared to 25.4 percent of the U.S.-born citizens. The report argues that young immigrants fill a "significant void between the baby-boom generation and their children."
Shawn Humphrey is a former contributor to The Flint Journal and lives near Washington, D.C., in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
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