There has been an explosion of economic growth in recent years for Indiana; immigrant workers have filled numerous positions in Elkhart County. If the US economy should slow significantly, or if the government opted to try to deport large numbers of illegal immigrants what would happen to Elkhart? That's a huge question and one I don't think many in the Elkhart Community want to find out. Some in the community have called for immigrants to go back to their native countries. Those with a strong understanding on world economics believe this is not a good idea. Immigration has been quite beneficial to Indiana and to Elkhart County in particular, quoting an economist formerly with the Indiana University School of Business.
This influx of recent foreigners is not any different than other waves of immigration. The stream of populations immigrating across borders has been going on for hundreds of years. In this country, European and Mediterranean natives came to the United States to work. Officials have struggled with how to deal with the number of foreigners that live here illegally. Many of the illegal workers significantly help the economy. The basis of reform becomes whether immigrants should earn rights or should be forced to respect the law. Many residents are not sure whether Elkhart’s economic growth could have happened without the immigrant work force. Immigrants filled jobs that were vacant and needed to be filled.
Many foreigners in the Elkhart area choose jobs in the following industries:
Construction
Transportation
Customer Service
Fast Food Service
The theory that the immigrant work force keeps wages down is true. Without foreign workers, employers would be forced to pay higher salaries to attract workers or move elsewhere to find lower-wage workers. There is an economical and social cost to having people in the country without legal residency. Income Tax dollars are used to educate children of immigrants. A lack of insurance and driver's licenses impacts state health care and insurance costs. The biggest issue is that most residents without legal status don't file tax returns and the state government returns money to counties based on the tax paying people residing in that specific county.