HOUSTON, Texas -- More than 20% of college-educated immigrants in the U.S., or two million people, are either unemployed or underemployed, according to new research.

The Migration Policy Institute, which authored the study, said the disparity accounts for significant "brain waste," and huge losses in potential taxes for state and local governments. The Institute's new research shows many foreign-trained professionals end up driving a taxi or doing janitorial work to make ends meet.

Courtney Brown, vice president of impact and planning at Lumina Foundation, which supported the report, said failing to use those talents results in devastating costs to workers and the nation.

"We're hurting individuals, we're hurting generations of individuals, the states' economies and the U.S. economy, because we're leaving all this talent on a shelf," Brown asserted. "We are not valuing what they're bringing here."

Brown noted the health-care worker shortage during the pandemic as an example. As the crisis worsened, some states reduced licensing barriers to tap the skills of foreign-trained experts. She pointed out while the results were mixed, the efforts brought the issue to light.

Brown believes helping immigrants succeed is an urgent national priority. The U.S. faces an estimated shortfall of eight million workers between now and 2027, amid declining birth rates and an aging workforce. She sees immigrants as a primary source of future labor-force growth.

"Black immigrants, as well as Black native-borns, are more likely to be underemployed," Brown observed. "So, an immigrant perhaps from the U.K., or a white immigrant that's foreign-trained, is not as likely to be underemployed as a Black immigrant."

In addition to race and ethnicity, the study found English proficiency and legal status are strong predictors of brain waste. Brown emphasized lost wages from trained migrants are estimated at nearly $40 billion annually, and as a result, governments lose $10 billion a year in tax revenue. She hopes President Biden's immigration reform bill will prompt positive changes.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.

New Mexico has a sizable immigrant community - making up 11% of the state's labor force.

But during contentious U.S. elections, they can suffer a sort of collective discrimination by those worried about migrant crime.

Jonathan Salazar, research and policy analyst with New Mexico Voices for Children, says almost 200,000 immigrants live in New Mexico.

And they're not just neighbors and workers, but often employ others to grow the state's economy by operating storefront shops.

"Particularly in New Mexico, so many of them are immigrant-owned," said Salazar, "and I think it's important to also discuss the vibrancy, the culture that so many immigrants contribute to the state and to people's daily lives."

It's illegal for non-citizens to vote in U.S. elections, but it's nonetheless a central topic of this year's election.

On Friday, two of Georgia's top election officials, both Republicans, called out a social media video purporting to show Haitian migrants voting as fake and an "obvious lie."

Polls in New Mexico are open tomorrow from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. - and in-person same-day registration is allowed.

New Mexico immigrants, primarily from Mexico, account for 31% of the state's college professors and more than 20% of restaurant cooks.

They also make up 15% of entrepreneurs and 22% of the state's construction workforce.

Salazar said many take jobs in the oil and gas industry - where younger workers will be critical to avoid labor shortages as older workers leave the work force.

"So many of them take harsh jobs, harsh conditions in our oil and gas companies which provides revenues for our state," said Salazar, "and that's money that goes into that funding for things like education."

New Mexico is the nation's second-largest crude oil-producing state, after Texas, contributing 14% of total U.S. crude oil production.

A study commissioned by New Mexico Voices for Children found immigrant workers and business owners generate $12 billion of the state's economic output.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump held a rally Sunday that his critics say reinforced a hateful tone felt by Puerto Ricans and foreign-born populations.

Those helping new Americans resettle in rural North Dakota hope politics don't interfere.

Trump's position on immigration often focuses on undocumented individuals and the southern border. But while in office, he also placed tighter caps on refugee admissions.

Derrick Gross is the executive director of Communities Acting Together for Change and Hope - CATCH ND - a new nonprofit that assists non-English speakers adapting to rural North Dakota towns after being approved for resettlement.

Despite the national tone, Gross said he sees more positive welcoming examples locally.

"One of the families had a couple of young kids," said Gross. "They didn't have their driver's license yet so they needed a stroller and wagon so they could walk to the store and get groceries and supplies. Neighbors provided those things for them when put out a request on Facebook."

But if a resident in one of these communities is swayed by misinformation on the campaign trail, Gross urges them to learn about key programs while sharing their concerns.

As for the rally, the Trump campaign tried to distance itself from vulgar comments made by speakers who took to the podium ahead of the former president, saying they didn't reflect Trump's views.

This year, a study came out showing that undocumented immigrants paid nearly $100 billion in federal, state, and local taxes in 2022 - even as they are often barred from accessing social service programs.

For his group's part in working with refugees, Gross said it's important to understand they're trying to help rural communities - struggling with population loss - thrive.

"We're not looking to create sanctuary cities," said Gross. "We're looking to create situations where people who are coming here legitimately and legally - who want to be here - have an opportunity to be settled in a welcoming place."

Gross said these are people with a path to citizenship who can take jobs rural businesses are struggling to fill.

He said CATCH ND differs from traditional, larger resettlement efforts by focusing on smaller towns, where making local connections might foster a community-wide response in providing help.

The American Immigration Council says roughly 5% of North Dakota's population was born in another country - more than double the number reported 25 years ago.




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A strong majority of voters across party lines want lawmakers to create a path to citizenship for America's 11 million undocumented immigrants, not mass deportation, according to a new survey.

Jennifer Piper - West Region program director for the American Friends Service Committee - cited a series of so-called "show your papers" laws passed in Colorado between 2006 to 2013, which led to some of the highest deportation numbers in the nation.

"Here in Colorado, we already know what the policies of mass deportation look like intimately," said Piper. "And what we found is our businesses suffered, our schools suffered, our kids suffered."

Voters surveyed said allowing law-abiding undocumented residents living in the United States for years, paying their taxes, to apply for citizenship is a better way forward than a deportation program that would tap local law enforcement, the National Guard and possibly the military, at a cost of over $100 billion.

To counter a barrage of anti-immigrant messaging and disinformation that has become part of mainstream conversations, the AFSC has launched a billboard and radio ad campaign in Colorado and five other states aiming to welcome all people to the U.S.

"We really wanted to share a message that would remind us that Colorado is stronger," said Piper, "because we value every single person's hard work and contribution."

Each year, immigrants add $54 billion to Colorado's economy, and Piper said people deserve the same rights as commercial goods and capital to move safely across borders.

She pointed to the Registry Act as one solution, which has been gaining co-sponsors in both the U.S. House and Senate.

"Which would allow people who are undocumented - who are our neighbors, who have been here a long time," said Piper, "to come forward and get on a path to citizenship. It just requires the changing of one date in existing immigration law."

Support for this reporting was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.



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