[Excerpt] A new report shares little-known facts about New Haven’s immigrants: They are more likely than native-born citizens to be employed; an increasingly large number come from Asia; and only a small percentage is undocumented.
The Community for Greater New Haven (CFGNH) and DataHaven released data and survey results in this report, intended to clear up common misconceptions and provide an informed snapshot of the immigrant community in New Haven and Connecticut as a whole.
Report authors discussed future steps with local immigrant advocates Tuesday afternoon, including how to inform the undocumented about President Barack Obama’s recent executive action on immigration.
New Haven is the fastest-growing city in the state, even as it loses native-born residents. That’s primarily due to immigration, according to the report.
“We definitely want to see immigration woven into the narrative of our region,” said Mark Abraham (pictured), the report’s author and executive director of DataHaven. The community should understand “immigration as an asset” and support policies for “inclusive growth,” he said.
The reported numbers came from government agencies, such as the Census Bureau, he said. About 600 people on the foundation’s mailing list responded to an email survey to give qualitative information on their assumptions about and attitudes towards immigrants.
DataHaven will conduct a larger statewide survey this summer.
Link:
http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/local_immigrants_thrive_96_here_legally/
