North Texas Immigration 2005: Dallas...A Blueprint for the Future. and the Future is NOW !
"Dallas may pride itself on old money and glitz, but over the last two decades it has become a kind of Ellis Island -- one of the nation's key immigration gateways." The Dallas Morning News
Compiled by Anne Marie Weiss-Armush Graphic design by Ricardo Deambrosi March 30, 2005 DFW International is the portal to international North Texas, a region in which 40% of the residents are New Americans of first or second generation. We are a network of over 1,600 North Texas internationally-focused civic, community and educational organizations that embodies the cultural and economic vibrancy of the global community. Our Mission is to promote and link North Texas ethnic and New American groups, empowering them as respected members of the community and providing forums through which to share their cultural heritages.
North Texas Immigration 2005: Dallas...A Blueprint for the Future
Executive Summary
As we analyze our region's future, we realize that our communities stand in a unique place and time. Seldom, if ever, have so many distinctly-held visions been affected by a common denominator -- Immigration.
North Texas has become an international center where the energy offered by New Americans sustains the economy and revitalizes neighborhoods. Forty percent of our residents are immigrants (foreign born and their children.) While the City of Dallas continues to lose white population, its elderly residents are fortified by youthful Hispanic families with a large number of children. Immigrants from Mexico now account for nearly three-fourths of the City's foreign-born population, and at the same time, the region is an important gateway for workers and families from East and Southeast Asia. A large percentage of our most highly educated employees are immigrants. The fresh sounds and tastes of global cultures offer an exciting variety of new experiences to be explored.
In 26.3% of our homes today, English is not the language spoken, and minorities account for 50% of the region's public school enrollment. Few of the foreign-born are citizens, and nearly half are undocumented and uninsured. English classes for adults are at capacity around the region, and our literacy level stands in the bottom third of the nation, and continues to drop. Immigrants working for subsistence wages often crowd into substandard housing, straining city services such as trash collection, schools, and public safety. The cost of dropouts burdens the entire region, and in order to remain competitive, we must raise secondary school graduation rates and feed more of those youth into college. As immigrants move to the suburbs, special educational programs and new schools must be planned to maintain the level of academic achievement that provides a competetive edge in our work force.
The challenges we face require an analysis of current demographic conditions and how they affect programs in the areas of education, health, business development, culture, security, civic responsibilities, etc. The statistical information provided in this report should be the beginning of a "Blueprint" of the future for North Texas.
This report was prepared by Anne Marie Weiss-Armush, President of DFW International, for presentation on March 30, 2005. All rights are reserved, and no copies may be made without authorization. If this data is quoted, we request that you note DFW International as the source.
UNITING INTERNATIONALLY-FOCUSED CULTURAL, EDUCATIONAL AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS 6310 LBJ, Suite 203 / Dallas, TX 75240 / 972-661-2764 / [email protected] / www.dfwinternational.org
1 “Immigration is the driver of the country's pervasive, consistent growth. The reality is that how well our non- Anglo populations do is how well Texas will do. By 2040, 68% of consumer expenditures, 80% of kids in Texas elementary and secondary schools, and 70% of students in colleges and universities are going to be non- Anglo. Steps must be taken to ensure that all segments of society are competitive in an increasingly global economy. And if we don't change the socioeconomics between our groups as we go forward in time, Texas will be poorer and less competitive, and the nation will be poorer and less competitive.” Steve Murdock, Texas State Demographer “Despite a sluggish economy in recent years, Dallas continues to be one of the nation's strongest magnets for international migration. What's more, immigrants will constitute the lion's share of the area's population growth for at least the next decade. This demographic reality poses tremendous challenges and opportunities for the entire region.” Bernard L. Weinstein, Center for Economic Development and Research, University of North Texas
.2002: 35% of North Texas residents were immigrants (foreign-born and their children). 2005: 40% of North Texas residents are immigrants (foreign-born and their children).
2000 Dallas Metropolitan Population: 3.519.176
15% 23% Hispanic Population (foreign-born and US born)
2005 Dallas Metropolitan Population: 4.087.863 Foreign-Born Population 20% 27% Dallas Metropolitan Area Population 2025 Dallas Metropolitan Population Projection: 7.722.454 Texas State Data Center) 43,3% Source: Texas State Data Center
20% 2040 Dallas Metropolitan Population Projection: 12.536.163 54,2%