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A new report finds that about 35,000 of Idaho’s population are illegal immigrants, contributing tens of millions of dollars in labor and spending.
In June, the University of Idaho’s McClure Center for Public Policy Research report“Idaho at a Glance: Illegal Immigration and the Idaho Economy” study About the role illegal immigrants play in the state’s economy.
The report was prepared at the request of the Idaho Dairy Farmers Association, the Idaho Agricultural Association and the Idaho Chamber of Commerce and Industry, McClure Center Director Katherine Himes told the Sun.
Himes added that there are limitations in finding up-to-date data and that there is a “time lag” in the data that is available.
“We did not have the resources to collect new data or update existing estimates on the illegal immigrant population,” she said. “The most recent data on illegal immigrant numbers in the U.S. and Idaho is from 2021, and more detailed data is only available for prior years.”
The report found that the national trend has been a decline in the number of illegal immigrants living in the U.S. over the years. In 2007, an estimated 12.2 million people were living in the U.S., but that figure has fallen to 10.5 million in 2021.
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Contrary to national trends, Idaho’s illegal immigrant population has remained fairly stable over the years, remaining steady at about 35,000 people between 2005 and 2021, according to the report.
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Key economic indicators from the report include:
- Illegal immigrants in Idaho are estimated to be able to spend $570 million in 2019.
- In 2014, the most recent year for which data is available, undocumented immigrants in Idaho paid a combined $26.3 million in sales, property and state income taxes.
The report said undocumented immigrants play a key role in Idaho’s economy, helping Idaho’s industries meet labor needs, particularly agriculture, hospitality and construction.
According to the report, the following illegal immigrants are living in Idaho:
- 92% are working-age adults
- 86% are employed
- 78% are from Mexico
- 58% speak English “well” or “very well”
- 48% have high school or college degrees
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“We are dependent on illegal workers,” say farm groups
While Idaho lawmakers push forward with policies targeting the state’s undocumented immigrant population during the 2024 legislative session, at least one Idaho industry has been vocal about its need for undocumented immigrant labor.
Rick Nearabout, CEO of the Idaho Dairymen’s Association, has testified multiple times in opposition to bills pending in the state Legislature that would affect the dairy industry’s workforce.
At least two bills introduced this year for the 2024 legislative session would push for stricter immigration policies.
- House Bill 615,right The bill would have prevented immigrants who entered Idaho illegally from receiving publicly funded assistance. The bill’s sponsors, Rep. Jordan Redman (R-Coeur d’Alene) and Rep. Josh Tanner (R-Eagle), said their goal was to stop immigrants who entered illegally from relocating to Idaho. The bill did not advance. In a vote in the House Health and Human Services Committee, Democrats and Republicans said the bill would have a negative impact on undocumented mothers and children seeking vaccines, prenatal care and food assistance.
- House Bill 753replica Controversial Texas Law A bill creating a new crime of illegal entry was also passed by the state legislature. Rep. Jaron Klain (R-Nampa) The bill was submitted Two weeks before Parliament adjourns. The bill passed the Idaho House of Representatives by a vote of 53-15 but did not advance to the Senate for consideration.
If these and other immigration-related policies are passed in the upcoming legislative session, they could have a significant impact on jobs and the people who work in the state’s agriculture industry.
Idaho is the third largest milk and cheese producing state in the United States. Idaho Department of AgricultureHowever, most people who work in Idaho’s dairy industry do not have legal residency in the United States.
Unlike farm work or the hospitality industry, — Dairy work is year-round, and workers don’t have access to visa programs that allow seasonal work. Ninety percent of Idaho’s dairy workers are foreign-born, and the industry relies on undocumented workers because of a persistent shortage of dairy workers, Nahrebout told the Idaho Capital Sun.
“The reality is, it’s been decades since our people have wanted the jobs that agriculture offers,” he said. “Agricultural jobs are going to be physical labor. We pay competitive wages, but they’re not easy work. Our workers will typically give up farming and look for other jobs that are easier.”
Nahrebout said he will continue to advocate for the dairy industry’s need for temporary workers in the upcoming legislative session.
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“We rely on temporary workers,” he said. “If they’re not there to do the jobs that other people don’t want, who’s going to fill the void?”
Nahlebout said the most common misconception he hears about undocumented workers in Idaho is that they have a negative impact on the communities where they live.
“Nothing could be further from the truth,” he said. “They contribute to society and without those jobs there would be much less economic activity. — Especially in a place like the Magic Valley, the entire valley is built around food production and food processing.”
Nearabout said the McClure Center’s report on illegal immigration effectively highlights how the situation in Idaho is quite different from what’s happening on the southern border.
Idaho’s illegal immigrant population has remained stable over the years, with at least half of the population having lived in Idaho for 16 years or more.
“They’re very stable and part of our community,” Naerebout said.