Most immigrant workers make good neighbors

It will be hard for some people to accept, but some of Nebraska's best citizens were not born here.

Not only do foreign-born workers make a significant contribution to the state's economy, they require less public assistance than the average native-born Nebraskan.

A new study released by the University of Nebraska at Omaha found that 2006 immigrant spending resulted in an estimated $1.6 billion in total output for Nebraska's economy, creating between 11,874 and 12,121 jobs for the state.

Not surprisingly, most of the immigrant population is employed in meat processing, providing 80.4 percent of the labor force preparing meat, poultry and fish for the market. However, immigrants also accounted for 9.65 percent of total employment in construction and 7.3 percent in the services sector.

The state's immigrant population contributed about $154 million in property, income, sales and gasoline tax revenue in 2006, about $1,554 per capita or about $500 less than the average native-born resident.

And, while the immigrant population in Nebraska used about $144.78 million in food stamps, public assistance, health and educational expenditures in 2006, or about $1,455 each in 2006, that's about $500 less than the average native Nebraskan.

What if immigrant workers were suddenly sent home?

According to the UNO study, total state production would fall by $13.5 billion, or about 8.75 percent of our total state production. If just the Central and South American immigrants were gone, the state would lose an estimated $11.4 billion in production, or nearly 8 percent of the total.

That would mean $5.4 billion less production in the state's main, densely populated areas and $3.9 billion and $2.8 billion in the state's Eastern and Western regions, respectively.

The UNO study didn't address the topic directly, but in Western Nebraska, particularly, we have to wonder how much of a positive effect the immigrant population has on economic factors related to a declining population.

As the immigrants establish themselves financially, for example, how many are buying newer cars, purchasing houses and making other large purchases that are key to economic growth?

Clashing cultures always attract news coverage, like the recent situation involving Muslim workers at meat packing plants. But judging by the numbers, at least, on the whole, immigrant workers make good Nebraska neighbors.