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Expert Busts Myths on Immigration in South Carolina
CLINTON - An expert on Latino immigration in South Carolina discussed some of the myths about immigrants during Presbyterian College's annual Project Understanding program.
Dr. Elaine Lacy, the director of research initiatives for the University of South Carolina’s Consortium for Latino Immigration Studies and a professor at USC-Aiken, addressed several misconceptions about immigrants not only in the United States but especially in South Carolina.
One of the prevailing myths, for example, is that the country is "overrun" with immigrants, she said. In fact, Lacy said, census data from 2005 shows that the percentage of the current population fueled by immigration - 12.5 percent - is less that the immigrant population in 1910, which was 14.7 percent.
It is true that the overall Hispanic population in the United States is on the rise. More than 40 years ago, she noted, there were 8.5 million Hispanics living in the U.S. Now, there are an estimated 44.7 million Hispanics, making them the largest minority group in the country.
The Southeast has become home to the largest percentage growth in the Hispanic population, particularly during the 1990s as globalization caused economic shifts in immigrants native countries. South Carolina, said Lacy, has been part of that trend - drawing immigrants primarily from Mexico but also from Puerto Rico, Cuba, and other countries in Central and South America.
In South Carolina, Greenville County is home to the single largest Hispanic population in the state, followed by Beaufort and Spartanburg counties. There are several reasons why South Carolina became attractive to Hispanic immigrants in the later part of the 20th century, said Lacy. For one, there was already a healthy Puerto Rican and Cuban population who came to the state as a result of military postings and business opportunities. Political factors in the 1970s and 1980s led to a surge in immigration from Central and South America, while immigration reform in the mid-1980s provided amnesty for illegal immigrants and even allowed them to bring their families to the U.S.
Lacy said there also was a surge in immigration as a result of work that was done for the Olympic games in Atlanta during the 1990s and a shift from the "migrant agricultural stream" to a wave of immigrants who settled year-round in the southeast to take advantage of an increase in low-wage manufacturing and service jobs.
For certain, she noted, jobs have much to do with the Latino immigration to South Carolina. But what most people don't know is where they came from in the first place. Most immigrants from Mexico, for instance, come from the country's southeastern region, which is relatively new to the "culture of immigration," unlike Mexico's western states. Most immigrants from these new "sending states" - an estimated 73 percent - came to South Carolina directly from Mexico and, because they have not lived near the U.S. border in the past, they still have a lot to learn about the new culture.
Another myth about immigrants is that they are a drain on the economy and social services, said Lacy. Quite the contrary, she said, only 0.2 percent of the immigrants who participated in consortium’s study are unemployed. Employers in the state, in fact, rely on this low-wage, highly productive labor force in order to be competitive in the global economy.
Lacy said that the economic contributions made by Hispanic immigrants, including an estimated $3.5 billion in buying power, outweigh the costs. She said the only service eligible for undocumented immigrants is health care and aid for mothers of U.S.-born children. For the most part, the only other assistance immigrants get in terms of "social service" comes from churches and non-profit organizations. Lacy also debunked the myth that Hispanic immigrants don't want to learn English. Virtually all of those interviewed for the statewide study want to speak English but don't have the time to learn because they often work 12-16 hours a day. The immigrants also don't intend to stay in the U.S. permanently. According to the consortium study, many may stay longer than they intend but a large majority - 70 percent - hopes to live in their native country when they grow older.
