If you’ve eaten fresh fruit this week, visited a hospital or nursing home, stayed in a hotel, repaired your roof, driven past a construction site, taken a Lyft or a taxi, or enjoyed a meal at a local restaurant, chances are an immigrant worker helped make that possible.
Immigrants are not on the margins of America’s economy. They are woven into its fabric.
For generations, immigrants have come to this country in search of opportunity. They have picked our crops, cared for our children and aging parents, cleaned our offices, advanced scientific discoveries, cooked us interesting food, staffed our hospitals, started businesses, built our homes, and served in our military. They have helped make the United States stronger, healthier, more prosperous, and more innovative.
Yet too often, the national conversation reduces immigrants and immigrant workers to political talking points instead of recognizing them as people—and as essential members of our workforce and our communities. The facts tell the story.
The Facts
According to the American Immigration Council, more than 30 million immigrants participate in the U.S. labor force, and nearly 23 million are between the ages of 16 and 64, making immigrants disproportionately represented in America’s working-age population. They are especially important in industries struggling to find enough workers, including agriculture, construction, transportation, hospitality, health care, and scientific research.
The Council’s state-by-state analysis also shows that immigrant households paid more than $579 billion in taxes in a single year while contributing to economic growth as workers, consumers, and entrepreneurs.
Without immigrant workers, many businesses would struggle to survive. Farmers would be forced to leave crops unharvested. Hospitals and nursing homes would find it even harder to recruit staff. Construction projects would slow. Restaurants would reduce hours or close. Families would have fewer options for childcare and elder care.
This isn’t simply a hypothetical scenario.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) concluded that increased immigration will expand the U.S. labor force, increase economic output, generate trillions of dollars in additional economic activity over the next decade, and reduce federal deficits by increasing tax revenues more than government spending.
Beyond Economics
The contributions of immigrant workers extend far beyond economics.
Many immigrants perform jobs that are physically demanding, hazardous, or simply overlooked. They harvest crops in extreme heat. They process our food. They clean office buildings after everyone else has gone home. They repair our roads and bridges. They care for hospital patients through long overnight shifts. They often perform work that is essential to our daily lives; work that is often done behind the scenes and receives little public recognition.
Research consistently shows that immigrant workers are disproportionately represented in some of the nation’s most dangerous occupations, including agriculture, construction, roofing, landscaping, meat and poultry processing, warehousing, sanitation, and certain manufacturing jobs.
Research consistently shows that immigrant workers are disproportionately represented in some of the nation’s most dangerous occupations, including agriculture, construction, roofing, landscaping, meat and poultry processing, warehousing, sanitation, and certain manufacturing jobs. These workers are more likely to be exposed to extreme heat, hazardous chemicals, heavy machinery, repetitive motion injuries, falls, and other serious workplace hazards. Too often, language barriers, limited training, fear of retaliation, or concerns about immigration status discourage workers from reporting unsafe conditions or exercising their rights under workplace safety laws.
Every worker deserves to return home safely at the end of the day. Ensuring that immigrant workers have the knowledge, training, and confidence to speak up about hazards not only protects them—it makes workplaces safer for everyone. Because if immigrant workers are forced to work in unsafe situations, it puts pressure on everyone else to not complain about unsafe working conditions.
As someone who has spent a career working to improve occupational safety and health, I know these jobs can carry significant risks. Language barriers, fear of retaliation, limited access to health care, and unfamiliarity with workplace rights can make immigrant workers especially vulnerable to injuries and exploitation.
Every worker deserves a safe workplace, fair wages, access to health care, and protection from exploitation—regardless of where they were born.
Here’s the deal: Protecting immigrant workers is not simply an immigration issue.
It is a worker safety issue.
It is a public health issue.
It is an economic issue.
It is a human rights issue.
It is an American issue.
Throughout our history, waves of immigrants have faced suspicion and discrimination. The Irish, Italians, Jews, Chinese, Japanese, Eastern Europeans, and many others were once viewed as outsiders who supposedly threatened American jobs or culture. Over time, they became part of the rich fabric of American life.
Today Latin Americans, Haitians, Somalis and many others are striving to succeed in this country.
Today’s immigrants deserve the same opportunity.
None of this means our immigration system is perfect. Like any complex system, it needs ongoing review and, as warranted, thoughtful reform.
But regardless of where one stands on immigration, it is difficult to deny the enormous contributions immigrant workers make every day.
- The person harvesting fruits and vegetables under a blazing summer sun.
- The nursing assistant comforting an elderly patient at three in the morning.
- The construction worker repairing our roads and bridges in the scorching heat or freezing cold..
- The engineer designing safer infrastructure.
- The scientist searching for a cure.
- The entrepreneur opening a neighborhood business.
These workers are helping to build stronger communities every day.
Bottom Line
Work has dignity. Every person who contributes through honest work deserves our respect. That principle doesn’t change because someone speaks with an accent, was born somewhere else, or practices a different religion. They all came to this country seeking a better life.
America has always been at its best when it recognizes talent, rewards hard work and welcomes those willing to contribute.
Immigrant workers are not simply part of America’s story.
Every day, they are helping to write its next chapter.