Immigrants, Latinos, and Asians account for large and growing shares of the U.S. economy and electorate. Overall, immigrants made up more than 12% of the U.S. population (or nearly 38 million people) in 2008, and more than 43% of them are naturalized U.S. citizens meaning they are eligible to vote. “New Americans”—immigrants and the children of immigrants—accounted for more than 8.6% (or 11.7 million people) of all registered U.S. voters in 2006. In 2008, Latinos and Asians accounted for nearly 20% of all Americans (or more than 60 million people) and wielded $1.5 trillion in consumer purchasing power. The businesses they own had sales and receipts of $549 billion and employed 3.7 million people at last count. Immigrant, Latino, and Asian workers and entrepreneurs are integral to the U.S. economy and tax base—and they are an electoral force with which every politician must reckon.
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Published On: Wed, Jul 28, 2010 | Download File
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