BUFFALO, N.Y. — A political organization that advocates for immigration and criminal justice reform said in a new report there is a troubling trend when it comes to the immigrant population in New York state.
An FWD.us analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data being released Thursday morning found the state’s foreign-born population growth has largely stopped growing over the past decade. The organization said it has potentially serious implications for New York’s economy and is recommending policy changes to both attract and retain immigrants moving forward.
According to the report, immigrants made up about 22% of the state’s population in 2010, but nearly a decade later in 2019, the share remained about the same. That population had been growing significantly decade after decade since 1970.
On top of that, it said more immigrants are leaving the state now than entering. The organization said none of that bodes well for a state that’s losing population in general and just lost a congressional seat.
“These numbers are really concerning as we look toward the future and, particularly, coming out of this pandemic and sort of mini-recession,” New York state immigration director for FWD.us Eddie Taveras said. “So we want to make sure that we stay ahead of the curve and proactive and try to find solutions now before it affects us later.”
FWD.us is advocating for New York to take swift action including passing the New York For All Act, which would prohibit state and municipal staff from sharing immigrants’ personal information without a judicial warrant. It is also pushing legislation that would expand access to apply for occupational and business licenses regardless of immigration status and another to expand language access to state services.
Taveras also said there are some examples within New York other municipalities can emulate. Buffalo saw growth in its population according to Census data for the first time in decades, largely because of its immigrant and refugee population. He said some things Buffalo does well include having a number of agencies that focus specifically on integrating people from specific areas of the world into the local community, as well as an affordable cost of living and housing stock.
