Matt Ruther
Assistant Professor (Urban and Public Affairs) and Director, Kentucky State Data Center
"Conspicuously absent from the current dialogue is any consideration of the benefits that immigrants bring to our communities, the humanitarian concerns surrounding immigration, and the fact that our nation has for much of its history been very welcoming to foreigners."
Demographers are naturally and intimately interested in the topics of geographic mobility (domestic migration) and immigration. As birth rates have declined, migration – of both the domestic and international varieties – has become an increasingly important component of population change. Between 2010 and 2014, net migration was the primary contributor to population change in nearly two-thirds of all counties in the U.S.
I silently promised myself when writing this piece that I would not wade into the ongoing political debate regarding immigration; on this promise, I fail. Domestic migration is, of course, of little concern in the political arena, as there are few prohibitions against movement within the nation. Cities, counties, and states almost unilaterally see inflows from other parts of the U.S. as a positive outcome and outflows to other parts of the U.S. as a negative outcome.
International migration is another matter entirely. What is frustrating as a researcher is not that immigration is a topic of discussion – I believe that is a valid debate – but that this discussion is fueled by ignorance and lies. The immigration conversation is typically loud screaming that immigrants bring with them violent crime (probably not), that they are a net drain on public finances (nope), and that they depress wages among lower-income workers (although the evidence on this final point is decidedly mixed, any effect is likely to be small and addressable with appropriate policy). Conspicuously absent from the current dialogue is any consideration of the benefits that immigrants bring to our communities, the humanitarian concerns surrounding immigration, and the fact that our nation has for much of its history been very welcoming to foreigners.
Migration is an interesting demographic event because it has effects on both the sending and the receiving localities. While many demographers and sociologists study how sending communities respond to the loss of migrants to the U.S., my research focuses on the impacts that immigrants have on the receiving communities and neighborhoods within the U.S. In the courses that I teach – statistics, applied research methods, and urban demography – I include examples that explore the consequences of growth and spatial clustering of U.S. foreign born populations.
In the context of my research, Louisville is an interesting case study. Louisville has little recent history of immigration, but has embarked on an ambitious plan to increase its visibility among foreign born populations arriving in the U.S. The Metro Office for Globalization supports efforts that highlight the positive effects that immigrants have on our economy and champions the growing foreign born population in our city. In a recent report produced for an event sponsored by this Office, we identified several noteworthy facts about the immigrant population in Louisville. These facts, along with the positive atmosphere that is being promoted by city leaders, are a source of pride for our city.
