The upcoming elections and the struggling economy have thrust economic issues and impacts to the forefront of conversation. Most of the discussion leans toward the falling stock market, unemployment rates and failing businesses. Immigration, however, has greatly affected the economy as well but seems to be lost in the crowd.N.C. State hosted a seminar on immigration and its affects on the economy this week which featured Dr. James Johnson, Kenan distinguished professor of strategy and entrepreneurship at UNC-Chapel Hill. Johnson spoke in support of immigration and said that a lot of people make exertions about immigration because hard data and evidence doesn’t exist. Johnson touched heavily on the impact of the Hispanic population to North Carolina’s economy.”Hispanic immigrants in general cost the state $800 million in 2004, but they contributed $900 billion to the state economy in terms of spending,” Johnson said. For ever dollar the state spent on Hispanics, they received $11 back in business revenue, which translates into major contributions to the state economy. Johnson said Hispanics pay taxes of $755 million and generate a net cost to the state of $102 per resident. The lack of hard data and empirical evidence often causes various arguments about the topic of immigration. “Most people fail to acknowledge that newly arrived immigrants are entrepreneurial,” Johnson said. Johnson said there are not enough people to address labor needs in the future but few people wish to accept immigration. Through the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise at UNC-Chapel Hill, Johnson and fellow colleague John Kasarda produced a study discussing the impact of the Hispanic population on North Carolina’s economy in 2006. “Our study was an effort to bring some hard empirical data to bear on,” Johnson said. The study revealed that the hispanic population in North Carolina jumped from 383,465 to 506,205 between 2000 and 2004, and Wake County experienced a 49.6 percent growth in those same years.”North Carolina had the most rapid increase of latino population of all the states between 1990 and 2000,” said Dr. Stephen Lilley, associate head and department extension leader of sociology and anthropology. “It used to be that almost all immigrants came to one of six states: New York, New Jersey, Florida, Texas, Illinois, or California.” However, illegal immigrants are taking part in services provided to citizens such as education and medical care. Though health insurance is not likely to be given to an illegal immigrant, they will go to the emergency room if assistance is needed because care has to offered regardless of insurance. School systems also have to provide education to children regardless of immigration status. Some argue that this use of services hurt the economy and cost legal residents. “Areas of high rates of immigration tend to be on the losing end of taxes received and what gets paid out,” Lilley said. “Studies agree that local governments with high rates of immigration are likely to lose money.”Eric Valentin, an N.C. State alum and promoter of the immigration seminar, believes that immigration deserves much more notice than it has been getting. “The government needs to compensate for the new culture,” Valentin said. “People need to realize that right now what they call the ‘typical American culture’ is changing.” Valentin also remarked on how immigrating hispanics take jobs that most Americans just won’t consider. These jobs, referred to as 3-d jobs meaning difficult, dangerous and dirty, often include hard outdoor labor with longer hours and lower wages. “A lot of people don’t understand the immigration problem because it’s been put on the back burner,” Valentin said. Valentin represents a pro-immigration outlook and believes that immigrants deserve to be educated and assisted. “Community colleges aren’t allowing illegal immigrants to be educated,” Valentin said. “If we don’t try to educate them then we will see a future of economic disadvantages and ramifications.”