Immigration experts were divided about the potential economic impact for the Upstate from President Barack Obama’s executive order that would protect about 5 million people nationwide from deportation for three years.
The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) estimates about 106,000 unauthorized immigrants now live in South Carolina. About 40,000 of those would be protected under the deferred action by the president and could apply for work licenses, the institute said. State officials estimate those protected under Obama’s order make up less then 1 percent of South Carolina’s 4.8 million total population.
Michelle Mittelstadt of MPI said she is uncertain whether the protected immigrants would significantly affect the workforce in the Upstate. Even though many people can now apply for work licenses, barriers still exist, she said.
A limited English proficiency is the biggest hurdle for immigrants to overcome, she said. Also, getting a work license would mean going forward to the federal government.
“The thing that’s worth remembering is that the people … already here are already in the workforce,” Mittelstadt said.
According to MPI’s numbers, about 67 percent of the state’s unauthorized population is in the South Carolina workforce. Mitttelstadt said many unauthorized immigrants get jobs by using fake IDs and borrowing Social Security numbers.
Immigration has leveled off since the recession in 2008, according to statistics by the Pew Research Center. “The marked slowdown in new arrivals means that those who remain are more likely to be long-term residents, and to live with their U.S.-born children,” researchers reported.
Gustavo Nieves, director of government affairs for the South Carolina Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, took a stronger position than Mittelstadt on whether the executive action would affect the Upstate’s economy.
He said those now protected in the Upstate would have a “substantial impact” as far as earning and spending.
Many unauthorized immigrants make below minimum wage, he said. They would now have access to higher wages, which in turn would give them more purchasing power.
The immigrants would put more money into the local economy and have “ready access to the ability to purchase a home” because they could get loans, he said.
