Summary: The Economic and Fiscal Impacts of Mass Deportation in Virginia

Our neighbors who are immigrants move to the United States to seek safety, build a better life for their families, and more — many of the same reasons people move within the country. Our immigrant neighbors are integral to our communities, both culturally and economically, and face many of the same challenges as people born here. Rather than push real solutions that strengthen our communities and our economy, certain politicians spread fear and blame immigrants, particularly people without documentation, for our challenges in order to divide and distract us.

The Trump Administration has already taken action, through executive orders and invoking emergency and wartime powers, to snatch away immigrants from our communities, their workplaces, and often from their families. In addition to the human cost, our economy will suffer. The state and Virginia’s localities should not enter into agreements that further these harmful tactics.

Immigrants are a Vital Part of Virginia

There are nearly 1.2 million immigrants in Virginia, including 501,000 who are non-citizens, and among those an estimated 275,000 who are undocumented.

Forcibly removing immigrants from our communities will damage the fabric of our community and come at a significant fiscal cost to Virginia and local governments.

Undocumented Immigrants Contribute to Shared Resources

In 2022, undocumented immigrants paid an estimated $690 million in state and local taxes in Virginia. Overall, people without documentation paid 7.9% of their incomes toward state and local taxes, while the richest 1% of households paid 7.2%, reflecting Virginia’s upside-down tax code.

Forcibly removing Community Members en Masse Would Harm All of Us

Our immigrant neighbors play a vital role in feeding our families, caring for our children and family members, navigating medical concerns, building our communities, and more.

Immigrants in Virginia, with and without documentation, fill vital roles in our lives, including:

Removing large numbers of working people from Virginia’s labor force would mean fewer jobs for U.S.-born workers and an increase in the cost of living for all of us. Costs will go up not only because immigrants are often underpaid, but more fundamentally because there will be a shortage of workers.

Immigrants, with and without documentation, are a part of our state’s economic engine, and, most importantly, a part of our communities. Whether we were born here or we moved here, we all face many of the same challenges — rising cost of food, unaffordable housing, and more. We must work together to build systems that reflect our values, recognize each of our contributions, and provide a safe, realistic pathway to fully participating in our communities.

Category:
Immigration