What the Data Shows

Immigration is often at the center of political debate, but the numbers tell a more complete story. Explore the data behind immigration’s impact on our communities, economy and public safety.

Immigrants power New York’s economy – they don’t drain it

• Immigrants make up 23.6% of all entrepreneurs and roughly 18% of business owners with employees. ¹
• Nationwide, immigrants generated approximately $1.7 trillion in economic activity in 2023 and paid nearly $652 billion in local, state, and federal taxes, including $90 billion contributed by undocumented immigrants.²
• In New York State alone, immigrants paid nearly $75 billion in taxes and generated more than $160 billion in economic activity. ³
• Over their lifetimes, immigrants pay an average of $237,000 more in taxes than they receive in government benefits. ⁴
• The Congressional Budget Office projects that higher immigration levels between 2024 and 2034 will increase U.S. GDP by $7 trillion to $8.9 trillion. ⁵

Deportation slows economic growth and hurts U.S. workers

• A 2025 study by the nonpartisan National Foundation for American Policy found that current immigration enforcement policies could reduce domestic production and cut annual economic growth by nearly one-third by 2035. ⁶
• Evidence shows mass deportations lead to lower wages and increased unemployment – removing 500,000 immigrants from the labor market could result in 44,000 fewer jobs for U.S. workers. ⁷
• Mass deportations could worsen labor shortages, potentially reducing the workforce by 1.5 million in construction and slashing hundreds of thousands of jobs across key industries, including agriculture, hospitality, manufacturing, transportation and warehousing. ⁸

Most ICE detainees are not criminals and face limited access to justice

• According to the latest government data, ICE arrests of non-criminal detainees rose by 2,500% – an increase of 23,699 individuals – from January 26, 2025, to January 7, 2026. ⁹
• From Oct. 1 to Nov. 15, 2025, just 5% of people booked into ICE detention had a violent criminal conviction, while 73% had no convictions at all. ¹⁰
• With over 70,000 people in detention nationwide and nearly 3 million removals reported by ICE, fewer than 1% of detained individuals have been able to file legal petitions challenging their detention. ¹¹
• More than 300 federal judges have ruled against mandatory detention policies, ordering immigrants’ release or granting them the opportunity for bond hearings in over 1,600 cases. ¹²

More immigration does not mean more crime

• Research has found no link between immigration and higher crime rates – and in many studies, cities with more immigrants have lower crime rates than those with fewer immigrant populations. ¹³
• On average, higher immigration levels are associated with lower rates of major crimes – including murder, robbery, burglary, and larceny – across U.S. metropolitan areas. ¹⁴