The Quote Below—More Misinformation from the Media
“This week, millions of users of the X social media platform saw a startling statistic in their feed: The immigrant population of Pittsburgh has increased by 2,000 percent (that’s 19 times) in the last two years. It was presented by an official-looking account called, simply, ‘America.’
“The statistic is, of course, not true. . . . Here’s the reality: Pittsburgh and its surroundings have among the lowest proportions of foreign-born residents in the country, and there has been no significant increase in recent years. According to American Community Survey estimates, the foreign-born share of Pittsburgh’s population has hovered around 9 percent to 10 percent in recent years, while the metro area has between 6 percent and 7 percent. There has been a total increase of about 10 percent in recent years. . . .
“But the tweet’s wrong numbers aren’t the worst deception: That’s the claim that immigration to Pittsburgh has created a ‘crisis,’ draining scarce resources and making communities unsafe. Again, the reality isn’t just different, it’s the opposite.
“International migration has consistently shielded Pittsburgh from some of the worst effects of population loss, boosting workforce numbers when the economy has stagnated. And, as has been proven time and again, migrants here commit crimes at a lower rate than American citizens.
“Through their taxes, including the sales tax they pay, immigrants pay for the government services they receive — according to some studies, more than they receive — even without counting the less tangible benefits of new arrivals, like high rates of entrepreneurship, community spirit and patriotism. And in a region with tens of thousands of unfilled jobs, including acute staffing crises in education and health care, immigrants provide essential services that there simply aren’t enough native-born Pittsburghers to provide.
“While it is certainly possible for a city’s services to be overwhelmed by migration, such as has happened in parts of New York City, this is not the case in Pittsburgh at all — despite the deceptions [Elon] Musk’s false and inflammatory posts would have the rest of the world believe.
“Immigration is a vital resiliency tool for areas with population decline, and it’s something stagnant Pittsburgh could use more of, not less.
“The last thing Pittsburgh needs is to be the poster child for fear of immigrants.” — Pittsburgh’s Only Immigrant Crisis Is Not Having Enough Immigrants, Editorial Board, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 10/18/24 [Link]
Fact Check of Above Quote: This editorial states that the foreign-born population of Pittsburgh is less than the national average, while conceding that it has increased ten percent in recent year. Isn’t that enough? No, say immigration enthusiasts. For them, there can never be too much immigration. Consequently, today we have the highest number and percentage of immigrants in our history. Yet still the massive surge of migration continues, and the enthusiasts don’t seem to care whether it’s legal or illegal.
The enthusiasts justify their position by pointing to what they claim is a never-ending labor shortage. For some businesses seeking higher profits from cheap immigrant labor that could be a problem, but these shortages also have upsides for a great number of people as well. With labor in tight supply, the wages of working people go up. That certainly would be a good thing for them, especially after decades of mass immigration when—at the same time—wage growth has stagnated.
A tight labor market also would pull the large numbers of working age Americans into the workforce who are currently not working. Not counted in the official unemployment figures, these individuals might seek employment if they could anticipate decent wages and working conditions.
Still another benefit of a tight labor market is for businesses to employ automation to do jobs that people generally don’t want to do. This kind of progress will make our economy more efficient. We slow it down when we continue to rely on cheap foreign labor.
Contrary to what this editorial claims, immigrants are not more entrepreneurial than natives, and they receive more in public benefits than they pay in taxes.
Whatever Pittsburgh may lack, a survey of U.S. cities rates it as “one of the best cities to live in America.” One reason no doubt is its relative lack of diversity. Far from promoting “community spirit,” as the editorial alleges, extensive research shows that it destroys the ties of community.
The Pittsburgh Post Gazette advocates for cheap labor interests, just like most of the “mainstream” media. Don’t expect them to do anything else. As the old saying goes: He who pays the piper calls the tune.