Are immigrants valuable contributors to life in California or are they Essay

Are immigrants valuable contributors to life in California or are they not - Essay Example Immigrants are valuable contributors to life in California since they are vital in sustaining the economic prosperity of California through their labor supply and payment of taxes to the government (Bohn, 2005). Highly skilled immigrants have spearheaded California’s innovation economy as evidenced by companies such as Google and Qualcomm. The immigrants are more likely to establish businesses and create demand for the manufactured goods thus contributing to the economic life in California (Portes and Rumbaut, 2006). The immigrants have changed the ethnic and cultural composition of California population since Latinos and African Americans form a substantial part of Californian population. Immigrants are valuable contributors to economic, social and cultural life in California. Immigrants are valuable contributors to Californian economy since they have played a critical role in California economy for the last two centuries. About a third of immigrants are likely to start businesses and immigrants’ businesses account for about 5 million jobs across the US (Bohn, 2005). According to statistics, 36.6 percent of businesses in California were owned by immigrants and immigrant business owners contributed about 30 percent of the net business income in California. In addition, highly skilled immigrants have spearheaded innovations since 52 percent of the technological start-ups in Silicon Valley have at least one immigrant founder while global companies like Google and Yahoo are attributed to immigrants (Portes and Rumbaut, 2006). The immigrants contribute $ 30 billion in federal taxes and $ 5.2 billion in state income taxes. The purchasing power of immigrants is estimated at $ 310.5 billion. The immigrants have boosted earnings for Californian workers since more than half of the immigrants have a college degree (Portes and Rumbaut, 2006). Immigrants represent a