Ask the Expert: Jorge Madrid on immigrants and the environment

What are common arguments anti-immigrant groups make about immigrants and the environment?

Immigrants are blamed for an entire host of environmental challenges in this country - everything from accelerating the effects of climate change, increasing harmful greenhouse gases, being the driving force behind issues like urban sprawl and the destruction of open space, and even our overreliance on fossil fuels, automobiles, and increasing pollution.

Why are these arguments wrong?

These arguments are simply not true. In fact, data shows that immigrants live very low-carbon, eco-friendly lifestyles. Our data shows that the 10 cities with the lowest carbon footprints actually have very, very high immigrant populations on average of about 25 percent but some of them as high as 36 or 40 percent. Now, this contrasts very sharply with the cities with the 10 largest carbon footprints who in fact have very small immigrant populations - somewhere between 3 and 5 percent. Immigrants are more likely to use public transit, and they're more likely to live in very high-density, low-carbon cities.

How can immigrants help promote a clean energy economy?

Here's an important thing to consider: Not only are immigrants not the driving force behind our environmental challenges - they are actually part of the solution. Immigrant-rich communities, particularly the Latino community, overwhelmingly support environmentally friendly, green policies that not only help combat climate change but help create new green jobs, and new industries that are low carbon and that help clean up the environment. One part of the story that needs to be told is that immigrants are actually part of the environmental movement and have been from the beginning. They fought alongside environmentalists to ban the use of harmful pesticides on our fruits and vegetables. They are also part of a community that fights very strongly against locating oil refineries, toxic waste dumps, and other hazardous sites in their communities. They fight for more park space, and they fight for more organic food - a lot of things that are good for their communites but are also good for the planet. And more importantly, immigrants can be our allies in the fight against climate change and the movement toward a healthier, cleaner economy.