GBPI has brought great value and a new dimension to our work.
-David Schaefer, director of advocacy for the Latin American Association
It’s critical that state and local lawmakers find a way through the fog that often makes clarity a challenge when the topic is the vital contribution of immigrants to the community.
GBPI did the math to provide that clarity. Georgia cannot remain a state with a vibrant economy and high quality of life if it fails to welcome immigrants, treat them fairly and maximize their positive contributions to local communities.
GBPI published its eye-opening “Immigrants Help Chart Georgia’s Course to Prosperity” in December 2015, setting the tone for a series of papers that detail ways communities across the state are better places thanks to people who come here from other countries. Immigrants make outsized contributions as entrepreneurs. They are doctors and software developers. And in a recent year immigrants contributed $1.8 billion in state and local taxes in Georgia.
Since that groundbreaking report, 2016 and 2017 ushered in new national and state tensions over immigration policies. And GBPI stepped up time and again to set the record straight.
We have used this information to support our burgeoning business coalitions and chambers, work with local and state government as well as a reminder to the people we serve the value they bring to our community.
A new federal crackdown threatens to wreak havoc in the lives of tens of thousands of young Georgians who now enjoy some limited legal protections that allow them to work, go to school and avoid deportation. It also jeopardizes the levels of tax revenue collected by Georgia’s state and local governments. GBPI connected those dots: Georgia Stands to Lose Millions from Crackdown on Young Immigrants
And when Georgia lawmakers proposed marking IDs held by immigrants so they’d stand out, GBPI made the case that amounted to a waste of time and money: Immigrant ID Bills Amount to $1 Million in Waste
And GBPI does more than just publish analysis online. GBPI experts convened outreach meetings to educate the public and the media. The result? Media coverage of the economic contributions of immigrants, in English and Spanish. Timely news stories on how counterproductive Georgia’s policies that hurt dreamers are.
Now more than ever it’s important for us to have a friend like GBPI at our side as we push against headwinds, armed with the facts.
Above all, GBPI has been there at key moments when we really needed their voice…consistently producing research that helps our community. We appreciate their approach to the work as a collaborative partner.
