Providing Legal Services to Immigrants and New Arrivals in NY Could Yield Billions in Economic Benefits, New Report Finds

Providing universal legal representation in immigration proceedings in New York could generate billions of dollars for the economy and enable tens of thousands of individuals to stay in their communities, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander finds in a new report, Economic Benefits of Immigration Legal Services. The report also finds that asylum seekers currently living in City shelters could earn a collective total of over $470 million. 

“Immigration is a boon for New York City’s economy – immigrants are more likely to work, start a business, and contribute billions of dollars into our New York economy in spending power and tax revenue,” said Comptroller Brad Lander. “Investing in immigration legal services will bolster New York City’s bottom line by keeping workers in the workforce, getting new arrivals work authorization, keeping families together and providing pathways to upward mobility.” 

Specifically, the Comptroller’s report finds: 

• Providing access to attorneys for all immigrants in New York State facing deportation proceedings could result in an additional 53,000 New Yorkers being able to remain in communities across the state. 
• Preventing deportation of these 53,000 New Yorkers could result in an estimated net benefit of $8.4 billion for the federal, state, and local governments, calculated as the net present value over 30 years of new tax revenues less services received. 
• The approximate earning potential of asylum seekers in City shelters is over $382 million and, if the federal government granted all working-age asylum seekers work authorizations, that earning potential could rise to over $470 million. 

New York State’s Access to Representation Act (ARA) (S999A/A170A), sponsored by State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblymember Catalina Cruz, guarantees that any New Yorker facing deportation has a right to an attorney. The current wait time for the first immigration court hearing for asylum seekers or others seeking legal status is estimated to be four years, due to the backlog of cases. Universal legal representation would make immigration court more efficient, increase the likelihood of winning in court, and ensure asylum seekers can join the workforce and further contribute to the economy. 

The Comptroller’s report analyzes the potential economic benefits of enacting the Access to Representation Act, the economic detriments of deportation, and the potential earning power of the approximately 64,800 new arrivals in New York City shelters upon receiving work authorization.   

Read Economic Benefits of Immigration Legal Services here.