Page 16 - Delaware Lawyer - Winter 2021

FEATURE
Tabatha L. Castro, Esq.
The Forgotten People
How COVID-19 has affected the immigrant community
Immigrants in Delaware make up a robust community filled with culture and diversity that makes the First State a unique place to call home. Immigrants work hard daily to support their families in Delaware and even in their native countries, by sending financial assistance to their loved ones. Delaware’s immigrant population hails from places like Mexico, Guatemala, Haiti, India, China and other foreign countries.
14 DELAWARE LAWYER WINTER 2021
According to a 2020 American Im- migration Council report, one in 11 Delaware residents is an im- migrant, while another one in 11 residents who are native-born United States citizens have at least one immi- grant parent. The immigrant commu- nity in Delaware is an integral part of helping Delaware thrive and grow. Im- migrants in Delaware have educational levels that vary from graduate degrees to less than a high school diploma. Per the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2018 Ameri- can Community Survey, almost one- third (32%) of adult immigrants had
a college degree or more education in 2018, while slightly over one-fourth (27%) had less than a high school diploma. More than four in five (83%) immigrants report speaking English “well” or “very well.”1
Immigrants in Delaware have con- tributed nearly a billion dollars in taxes. Immigrant-led households in the State of Delaware paid $767.6 million in federal taxes and $228.1 million in state and local taxes in 2018.2 To that end, the immigrant population has an appreciable footprint in Delaware; one that should not be ignored.