Published Monday, March 02, 2009
More than one-in-four Californians are immigrants, and nearly half are Latino or Asian, according to the Washington-based Immigration Policy Center (IPC). Those two immigrant communities form a large part of the state's economy, providing one-third of the state's purchasing power and owning more than one-quarter of all businesses in the state. Immigrants pay $5.2 billion in state income tax annually, according to IPC's "New Americans in the Golden State: Immigrants, Latinos and Asians Indispensable to California Economy." California's Latino and Asian consumers wielded $411.8 billion in purchasing power in 2008. Immigrants also provide 36% ...
