“Whipping up anger against immigrants has dangerous consequences,” per a recent column by Yvonne Abraham in the Boston Globe. She reports ugly pushback against refugees in Dedham and other MA communities. Yet a recent federal report found that, between 2005 and 2019, the net economic contribution of refugees and asylees approached $124 billion.” This is opposite from what many misinformed people believe, that somehow immigrants are taking more than they contribute.
“More individuals [are] speaking up in very ugly and concerning ways,” says Elizabeth Sweet of the MA Immigrant and Refugee Advocate Coalition (MIRA). “MIRA will be launching a campaign called ‘Courage to Welcome’…, mostly on social media which is where most of the ugliness and misinformation lives. It will highlight the contributions immigrants make.”
Read the full column here (2 minute read): https://epaper.bostonglobe.com/infinity/article_popover_share.aspx?guid=d860e70d-1975-40a4-9699-913239085320&share=true
Thanks to Steve Black of BCCR for bringing this column to our attention.
