Sloane Davidson: Immigrants powering Pittsburgh

When we talk about Pittsburgh’s future, we often focus on attracting new talent. But one of the smartest investments we can make is in the neighbors who are already here, especially immigrants.

Across Pennsylvania, nearly 1 million immigrants, which equates to around 7% of the population, are powering our economy while simultaneously enriching our communities. In the Pittsburgh region, immigrants make up 10% of business owners. They’re not just coming here for opportunity, they’re creating it for others as employers and business leaders.

They work in every sector and every level, from home health aides to doctors, janitors to senior executives, skilled manufacturing to engineers, cafeteria workers to teachers, and more. Their work keeps our hospitals open, our schools running, our restaurants and hospitals staffed and our small businesses alive.

And they pay more than their share. Last year alone, immigrant households contributed $6.9 billion in federal taxes and $3.3 billion in state and local taxes. In 2023, immigrants in Pennsylvania paid a combined $13.6 billion in taxes including $1.2 billion from undocumented residents. These are not people taking from the system. They’re funding it.

In Pittsburgh, where we’re still grappling with population loss and economic transition, this matters. Immigrants stabilize neighborhoods. They buy homes. They send their kids to school. They open shops and restaurants. We need these skills in our workforce, especially as we face shortages across sectors. They’re the ones helping to build what’s next.

Many of these families are mixed-status. One in seven children in our state has at least one immigrant parent. These are American families in every way that matters. They deserve to live without fear.

So what’s holding us back?

It’s not a lack of data. It’s a lack of political will.

Immigration has become a political issue versus one of moral imperative or economic development. Across the country we are seeing families separated by unlawful ICE kidnappings and detentions and local agencies are being forced to cooperate or face retribution and a pull back of federal funding.

We are wasting time and resources that do more harm than good, while ignoring the clear benefits of supporting immigrants already contributing to our economy and culture.

If Pittsburgh is serious about growth, we need to stop thinking of immigrants as outsiders. They are our neighbors, coworkers, classmates and community leaders. They are essential to our city’s future.

At Hello Neighbor, we have supported over 4,000 immigrants and refugees over the past eight years. I’ve seen firsthand the strength, resilience and hope they bring. They are not a burden. They are a gift.

Let’s act like it.

Sloane Davidson is the founder and CEO of Hello Neighbor. Since 2017, Hello Neighbor has worked to improve the lives of refugees and immigrants through mentorship, resettlement and community-based programming.