Politics & Power Quote by Luis Gutierrez

A statistic can be a weapon when it’s aimed at a familiar target: the myth that immigrants are a net drain. Gutierrez’s line is built like a rebuttal brief, not a poetic meditation. The point isn’t simply that Latin American-born workers earn a lot; it’s that they circulate that money where the argument is happening, in American neighborhoods, American businesses, American tax bases. “93 percent spent locally” is the rhetorical kill shot: it converts “foreign-born” from an identity category into an economic engine with a ZIP code.

The intent is legislative and defensive at once. As a longtime immigration reform advocate, Gutierrez is speaking into a political climate where Latin American immigrants are routinely framed as outsiders siphoning resources. He flips the frame from cost to contribution, from border panic to balance sheet. The choice of “gross income” also matters: it sounds big, unfiltered, headline-ready. Even if “gross” doesn’t equal take-home pay, it maximizes scale and stakes, which is exactly what a coalition-builder wants when trying to move moderates and inoculate allies against attack ads.

The subtext is a demand for recognition: these workers aren’t guests; they’re customers, tenants, payroll, and purchasing power. It’s also a subtle warning to policymakers and employers: marginalize this population and you don’t just harm “them,” you kneecap local economies. Gutierrez’s move is pragmatic politics dressed as data - arguing belonging through measurable interdependence.