Faces of Change

In Pelican Rapids, Minnesota the presence of Bosnians, Latinos, Somalis and other recent immigrants working at a local turkey processing plant is plain to see at the town's new Multicultural Learning Center, or public library. Roughly half of the library's patrons are immigrants, said Director Pam Westby. They come to take computer-based English classes, check out books and videos, and read foreign newspapers on the Web. Services tailored to immigrants include multilingual story time for children and the Readmobile that visits trailer parks in the area.

“That has really built a bridge between the library and those who can't get here—they don't have a car, or maybe mom is working nights and dad is working days,” Westby said.

But given that heavy usage, and the fact that over 16 percent of the foreign-born in Ottertail County was living in poverty in 2000 (the overall poverty rate was 10 percent), immigrants probably consume more of those services than they pay for in taxes. The center cost $1.3 million to build, and its annual budget is $193,000, about 60 percent of it funded by the city and county.

For other public services provided to immigrants, the financial burden varies greatly from town to town. The contribution of local taxpayers to English instruction, for example, depends on how much aid a school district receives from state and federal agencies. Last year Pelican Rapids Schools spent $193,000 on English as a Second Language programming, but state ESL funding covered the entire cost, said Superintendent Kent Baldry.

Source: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis - fedgazette - September 2004

I would recommend the entire article entitled Focus:Immigration in the fedgazette. Click on the link and learn about what's happening, not just here in 56572.