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Foreign-born Alaskans bring workforce and consumer power, presenters tell House Judiciary Committee
Summary
Presenters told the House Judiciary Committee on Feb. 19 that roughly 55,000 foreign‑born Alaskans contribute substantially to Alaska’s workforce, entrepreneurship and consumer spending, and recommended policies to improve integration and credentialing.
Mara Kimball, executive director of the ACLU of Alaska, told the House Judiciary Committee on Feb. 19 that immigrants and refugees are a significant part of Alaska’s population and economy. “There are approximately 55,000 foreign born Alaskans in Alaska,” Kimball said, and she told the committee that newcomers bring nearly $2,000,000,000 in spending power to the state.
The economic case for immigration was echoed by Kirk Rose, chief executive officer of Anchorage Community Land Trust, who said foreign‑born residents in Anchorage are more likely than U.S.‑born residents to run small businesses and to participate in the workforce. Rose said new Alaskans contribute about $1.8 billion in spending power and pay more than $300 million into state, local and federal taxes. “Immigrants help us build stronger communities and invest deeply in their new homes,” Rose told the committee.
Rose and Kimball pointed to entrepreneurship and small business formation as a key route by which newcomers add jobs and services. Rose said foreign‑born residents make up about 14.2% of Anchorage’s small business owners despite comprising roughly 8.5% of the city’s population. He described neighborhood projects such as Grow North Farm and other urban agriculture efforts that generate vendor sales and provide training; Grow North participants and vendors have brought in more than $500,000 in sales since 2019, he said.
Speakers said the workforce benefits cut across sectors. Project and resettlement program data presented to the committee showed arrivals bringing skills in trucking, construction, health care and other trades. Rose and other presenters urged targeted supports — such as career training, credential evaluation, and flexible hiring practices — to reduce “brain waste,” meaning situations where highly trained newcomers work in entry‑level jobs because credentials or language barriers prevent higher‑skilled employment.
Speakers recommended state efforts to align training, credentialing and language services with employer needs and to preserve pathways that allow newcomers to use their existing skills. The presenters did not propose specific state legislation at the hearing; they framed most recommendations as programmatic or administrative actions that would support integration and economic growth.
