The Bay State's New Senator Gains Diverse Constituents

Massachusetts Senator-Elect Scott Brown will shortly step into the Senate seat held for nearly half a century by one of the most loyal champions of immigrants to ever sit in Congress. Because of that history, Bay Staters have come to expect that their Senators will understand the important contributions of immigrants to the growth and well-being of their state. Regardless of politics or ideology, as the new Senator gets down to the business of representing his entire state, understanding the significant role of immigrants will become essential.

Of all the New England states, Senator Brown's immigrant and new American constituents are perhaps the most diverse and numerous, continuing the tradition of generations of immigrants who helped build Massachusetts. The Immigration Policy Center has compiled research that shows immigrants, Latinos, and Asians are a political and economic powerhouse in Massachusetts, contributing billions to the state economy, and are part of the very economic engine that keeps the Bay State running strong.

IPC research finds:

• 12.7% (or 403,915) of registered voters in Massachusetts were "New Americans"-naturalized citizens or the U.S.-born children of immigrants.

• The state's foreign born population represents over 14% of state's total population and 17% of the state's workforce.

• The 2009 purchasing power of Asians totaled $12.7 billion and Latinos totaled $12.4 billion in Massachusetts.

• Immigrants in the Bay State paid $1.1 billion in state income taxes in 2007.

Senator-elect Brown will likely be faced with the momentous opportunity to vote on a comprehensive immigration reform bill later this year, an issue which will be pivotal in winning the hearts and minds of the over 403,000 New American voters in Massachusetts in 2012.

To view the fact sheet in its entirety see:

• New Americans in the Bay State (IPC Fact Check, January 20, 2010)