Conservative Think Tank: Indian Immigrants Cut US National Debt By $1.6 Mln Each

WASHINGTON, DC – A recent study by the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank, says that “Indian immigrants are the most economically beneficial immigrant group” in the US that reduces national debt and contributes to GDP growth.

The report, published by the Institute on October 23, also revealed that an average Indian immigrant reduces the US “national debt by over $1.6 million over 30 years and increases GDP more than immigrants from any other country.”

By legal status, H-1B visa holders expand the GDP the most, with an average H-1B visa holder increasing it by $500,000 after 30 years while reducing the debt by $2.3 million, the study added.

Daniel Martino, the report’s author and Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute, termed South Asian immigrants, especially Indians, the “most fiscally positive group.”

He predicts that if the H-1B visa program is ended, it would expand the US debt by $185 billion over 10 years while shrinking the economy by $26 billion.

The report also recommends ending the H-1B lottery process and implementing a wage-based visa regime.

The report comes as the White House on October 23 vowed to fight lawsuits against the administration’s crackdown on H-1B visas.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said: “The president’s main priority has always been to put American workers first. The administration will fight these lawsuits in court. We know for far too long, the H-1B visa system has been spammed with fraud, and that’s driven down American wages. So, the President wants to refine this system, which is part of the reason he implemented these new policies.”

Last week, the US Chamber of Commerce, the country’s biggest business organization, sued the Trump administration over the new visa rules, calling it “unlawful.”

It was the second major domestic legal challenge to new H-1B rules, after a group of unions, education professionals and religious bodies sued the Trump administration on October 3.

India-born workers hold the bulk of approved H1-B visas. (IANS)