Across Mountain West states, immigrants without legal status are a big part of the economy. An estimated 813,000 of them have a combined household income of roughly $26.8 billion and pay billions more in state and federal taxes.
In Las Vegas, striking Culinary Union workers won their battle for new work contracts at most resort and casinos in 2024. Most of the union’s members are immigrants, said spokesperson Ted Pappageorge.
“This is the greatest economy in the world. But this economy needs workers,” he said while on the picket line in Las Vegas back in December 2023. “These are hard-working people who deserve a path to citizenship.”…