Immigration: Innovation, Creativity & Resilience
Immigration: innovation, creativity and resilience. For the United States, immigration is integral to not only its identity, but also its economic growth. The regular influx of individuals to the United States throughout its history is dependent upon events both nationally and globally.
Innovation: Economic Growth
Prior to the 19th century, immigration to what would become the United States was driven by the need for labor and settlers. These needs opened opportunity. The 19th and 20th centuries brought expansion, growth and industrialization to the country. Immigrants offered skilled and unskilled labor for the industrialization era, as well as agriculture and construction. The 21st century has added the tech and service fields to areas that benefit from immigrant labor.
Immigrants fill labor shortages in many areas, but especially agriculture, construction, tech and service industries. Their contributions create new solutions to problems, or simply new ideas to develop. Immigrants support U.S. national security by enlisting in the military and, through their jobs, help support the aging population by contributing to Medicare and Social Security. In 2022 immigrant households paid one out of every six tax dollars collected by federal, state and local governments.
Creativity: Social and Cultural Impact
Through the arts, immigrants also contribute to U.S. social and cultural enrichment. Much of what is considered historically “American” was brought by immigrants. Music, food, art – all of these have their roots in the influence of immigrants.
Resilience
If you ask ten immigrants why they chose to leave their native country you could receive ten different responses. When studies, reasons are put into groups describing two factors: push and pull. Push factors are negative situations within a country that may be pushing people away (violence or war, poor economy, lack of education or food, gender inequality, corruption); pull factors are the exact opposite, positive reasons to leave. They include things such as physical safety and access to better healthcare, economic opportunities and education.
Regardless of why an individual chooses leave – individually or with their family – it requires an incredible amount of resilience. Leaving your home, even one with multiple negatives (as mentioned above) is not an easy decision. Nor is it an easy process, physically or mentally. Or emotionally! Resilience is a common character trait in immigrants throughout American history. Our country would not be what it is without it.
In Colorado…
Foreign born Coloradans paid an estimated $5.5 billion dollars in taxes in 2019. Colorado’s Office of New Americans has lots of data on the contributions immigrants have made to our state. The Denver Metro area has a long list of events, activities and museums that represent the contributions of immigrants to our state.
To Sum It Up
Immigration: innovation, creativity and resilience. The innovation, creativity and resilience a regular immigration bring to the U.S. helps keep our country, and Colorado, growing. Immigration is a foundational element of the growth of the United States – economically, socially and culturally. We would not be the country we are without immigrants. New America College students represent multiple countries throughout the world. Whether they are at NAC to learn English and return home, or Colorado is their new home, the tenacity and resilience they show in learning a new language and culture is admirable.
Interested in Additional Information?
For more details and information about the role, impact and contributions of immigration on the United States, we have a (non-complete!) list of further reading.
A New Study Shows immigrants out innovate native born Americans
New Data Analysis: Immigrants Driving Opportunity, Prosperity in the U.S.
Biographies of Famous U.S. Immigrants
Colorado Office of New Americans