- Press Release
New Reports Show the Critical Role Immigrants Play in Texas’ Border Communities’ Economy
Immigrants in border communities contributed over $288 billion in taxes
TEXAS – A series of new research reports, The Economic Contributions of Immigrants in Texas Border Communities, released today by the American Immigration Council, in partnership with Texans for Economic Growth—a statewide 160+-member business coalition powered by the American Immigration Council—the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce, the El Paso Chamber of Commerce, and the Laredo Chamber of Commerce, underscores the crucial role immigrants play in four of Texas’ border communities: Brownsville metro area, Laredo metro area, McAllen region, and the Middle Rio Grande Valley. These reports are part of a series of reports kicked off by the release of New Americans in El Paso in November 2022, highlighting immigrants’ positive economic impact on Texas communities.
“Texas’ border is one of our state’s greatest assets, and immigrants who live there play a crucial role in driving our economy,” said Chelsie Kramer, Texas State Organizer, American Immigration Council. “Their billions in tax contributions and local spending stimulate growth across the region and state, while filling workforce gaps in key industries, keeping Texas competitive.”
“Laredo’s immigrant population plays a crucial role in our city’s workforce, contributing $3.6 billion annually to the metro’s GDP, while fueling industries, fostering innovation, and enriching our economic landscape,” said Monica Y. Martinez, Executive Director, Laredo Chamber of Commerce.
"Immigrants are the backbone of our border communities, contributing not only to our workforce but also to the vibrant entrepreneurial spirit that drives innovation and economic growth. Here in El Paso, we see firsthand how immigrants fuel key industries, support small businesses, and reinvest in our local economy. Reports like these highlight the undeniable role immigrants play in building stronger, more resilient communities across Texas. Their contributions are integral to the success of our region, and it is vital that we continue to advocate for policies that recognize and support their essential role in our economy," said Mia Romero, Vice President of Advocacy and Government Affairs, El Paso Chamber of Commerce.
“Brownsville’s economic success and vibrant growth have been significantly fueled by the contributions of immigrants,” said Esmeralda Villarreal, President & CEO, Brownsville Chamber of Commerce. “With deep roots and strong connections to our sister city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, immigrants represent 30 percent of our workforce, and their contributions account for over 29 percent of our city’s prosperity. Their influence goes beyond economics—they enrich our community with a wealth of culture, tradition, and vitality that strengthens the very fabric of Brownsville’s identity and future.”
Key findings:
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Immigrants in the El Paso metro area are contributing millions in taxes and consumer spending. In 2019, immigrants in the area earned $4.8 billion in income, with $591.8 million going to federal taxes and $440.7 million going to state and local taxes, leaving them with $3.8 billion in spending power that can be reinvested in the area. Robust consumer spending by immigrants supports small businesses and keeps local economic corridors vibrant.
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Immigrants in the Laredo metro area are creating new jobs in key industries across the area. In 2019, immigrant entrepreneurs made up 53.3 percent of the area’s business owners, driving economic growth in top industries, including construction, retail trade, and transportation and warehousing.
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Immigrant entrepreneurs in the Brownsville metro area are driving innovation and creating new jobs. Despite making up 23.4 percent of the overall population, immigrants made up 53.3 percent of the entrepreneurs in the metro area in 2019 and were 160.4 percent more likely to be entrepreneurs than their U.S.-born counterparts.
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Immigrants in the McAllen region are helping create or preserve local manufacturing jobs. Immigrants are helping strengthen the local job market by helping companies to keep jobs on U.S. soil and preserve or create 10,500 local manufacturing jobs that would have otherwise vanished or moved elsewhere by 2019.
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Immigrants in the Middle Rio Grande Valley are filling critical workforce shortage gaps. Although immigrants made up 19.1 percent of the region’s overall population, they represented 38.0 percent of workers in the manufacturing industry and 34.7 percent of workers in the health care and social assistance field.
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About the American Immigration Council
The American Immigration Council works to strengthen America by shaping how America thinks about and acts towards immigrants and immigration and by working toward a more fair and just immigration system that opens its doors to those in need of protection and unleashes the energy and skills that immigrants bring. The Council brings together problem solvers and employs four coordinated approaches to advance change—litigation, research, legislative and administrative advocacy, and communications. In January 2022, the Council and New American Economy merged to combine a broad suite of advocacy tools to better expand and protect immigrants' rights, more fully ensure their ability to succeed economically, and help make the communities they settle in more welcoming. Follow the latest Council news and information on ImmigrationImpact.com and X @immcouncil.
About Texans for Economic Growth
Texans for Economic Growth is a coalition of more than 145 Texas business leaders and associations dedicated to recognizing and supporting immigrants' positive impact on the Texas economy as business owners, taxpayers, and consumers. With its launch on February 26, 2019, the coalition released the Texas Compact on Immigration, a set of principles signed by more than 145 Texas business leaders and groups to guide the immigration discussion at the state and federal levels. Texans for Economic Growth supports common-sense federal immigration reforms and statewide policies that recognize the valuable contributions immigrants make to the state. Learn more at txcompact.org.
About the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce
The Brownsville Chamber of Commerce is a member-driven business organization whose principal mission is to advance the business interests of its members through leadership, civic engagement, promotion, support, and advocacy.
About the El Paso Chamber
Since 1899, the El Paso Chamber has driven connection and innovation in El Paso. Guided by our core pillars of leveraging data, fostering engagement, building relationships, and investing in partnerships, the El Paso Chamber works to move El Paso forward. Member-driven, the El Paso Chamber has been a part of every major business and social development in our region’s history, and we are just getting started. Our brand is synonymous with business success. As it did more than a century ago, the El Paso Chamber keeps driving prosperity. For more information, please contact Erin Solis at [email protected].
About the Laredo Chamber of Commerce
The Laredo Chamber of Commerce is a member-based non-profit association dedicated to serving the needs of our member businesses in a variety of ways: encouraging investment in Laredo, representing our members in the community, and improving the business climate for all member businesses. We are focused on providing services to help our members sell more, expand their operations, create jobs, and develop new products/services while partnering with many other organizations in Laredo’s business community. Our beliefs are founded on our core values of honesty, integrity, trust, and regard. We at the Laredo Chamber of Commerce are dedicated to improving our community and stimulating our economy.