In a brief, but nonetheless substantial investigation, The Alexis de Tocqueville Institution emphasizes the successes of immigrants in the metropolitan region, confirmed by various statistics and the personal testimonies of area immigrants from Cuba, Ethiopia, China and elsewhere.

"Living and Working the American Dream: Immigration and the Washington, D.C. Area" is the study authored by Bronwyn Lance, a fellow at the well known institution headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. The eleven page study consists of several informational charts, personal testimonies, and interviews with local residents, activists, business people, public officials, and immigration analysts. Demography, integration, employment and the American dream are themes developed throughout the study, with a particular focus on the economic impact of immigrants on the Washington metropolitan area.

In her introduction, the author points out that, "In today's burgeoning economy, immigrants are both contributing to and benefitting from the opportunities that abound. Perhaps nowhere in the United States is this more evident than in the national capital area."

Because of the great ethnic diversity and youth among the immigrant community, most of whom arrived in the 1980's, Lance claims that, "the immigrant experience in this region could synthesize the experience of all new immigrants in the United States."

The largest groups are of Hispanic and Asian origin, the majority of whom live in Washington, DC and Montgomery, Fairfax and Arlington counties. As confirmed by other studies, the greatest number of Hispanic immigrants come from San Salvador, Bolivia and Peru. Chinese, Korean, Indian, Philippine and Vietnamese make up the greatest number of Asian immigrants in the area. Ethiopians comprise the majority of African immigrants, with a population of 25,000 people. However, the actual number of Africans is an inexact fact since many are mixed into the "black" category, similar to Hispanics who are grouped as "white."

Given this growth--in some cases, 100% or more over the last decade-- cities in the area have not seen a decline in the native population, as occurred in Los Angeles or New York, where the base of taxpayers has reduced the public chest. Although there are fewer Latino immigrants in Washington DC than in Maryland or Virginia (some 350,000), their importance is visible because the capital, unlike the suburbs, has lost a large amount of its native population.

While the author points out that, "One only has to walk through Adams Morgan or up parts of 14th Street to see the difference that immigrant communities have made to neighborhood revitalization," she also recognizes the polemic created by new immigrants in certain cities, such as the case of the Chinese and Indians who now occupy the formerly Italian and Jewish neighborhoods in Manhattan. In her conclusions, Lance argues that the truth of the matter is that, " ...immigrants are indeed assimilating into the local community and that they are contributing to today's health economy with such factors as small business startup and working multiple jobs," and further, that there is no evidence that they are displacing native workers. Lance cites studies conducted by the National Research Council, which found that, "...immigrants compete mainly with each other and with Americans who have not earned high school diplomas for jobs."

At the national level, it is estimated that the average immigrant will contribute (sooner or later) more than $80,000 of what he or she would cost the state for services and benefits, while the total immigrant population contributes $80 billion annually to the nation's wealth, equal to 13 times the capital's budget, or a figure similar to the budget of the most populated city in the world, the Federal District.

Go to Part Two of This Study...