Number of Latino-owned businesses to grow

St. Paul, Minn. — A new report predicts Minnesota's Latino workforce will grow significantly by 2030.

Based on the latest census data, the report found Mexican-American owned businesses are growing faster than the state average.

The study also finds Mexican-Americans contribute an estimated $283 million in federal and state taxes.

Bruce Corrie, professor of economics at Concordia University, authored the report.

A taste of home

Corrie said a third of the immigrants are non-citizens, a group that includes people who hold lawful permanent residence green cards or other official documents allowing them to legally work and live in the United States and the undocumented. But he said the state has no contingency plan to address a potential labor shortage should lawmakers clamp down on the flow of undocumented immigrants.

"They are very passionate about certain kinds of policies, but they are not looking at the bigger picture ,and we cannot afford the luxury of making a mistake, especially at this time in the economy," Corrie said.

Corrie said industries, such as meat processing, that depend heavily on immigrant labor would be especially hurt by a labor shortage.