Immigration and its Impact on American Cities

Immigration to the United States continues to be a topic of scholarly and political debate. This study extends the literature analyzing the financial impact of immigration on local governments by developing a model for measuring revenue and expenditure changes associated with immigration. The model and related empirical findings will assist local government policy makers in managing immigration in their jurisdictions. The work utilizes both qualitative and quantitative methods, including field interviews with legal and illegal immigrants, a delphi survey of national and local immigration experts, and multiple forecasting techniques. Additionally, the case example of a specific host community, the City of Miami, Florida, illustrates and evaluates the impact model’s efficacy to local government administrators. This work will be of interest to scholars, policy makers, and local government decision makers in public administration, urban studies, and regional economics.