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Top Stories: How Immigrants Benefit The Local Economy; How To Address Health Disparities

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The top local stories this morning from KERA News: A new report from the group New American Economy looked at the economic contributions of immigrants in the city of Dallas.

This comes as the U.S. Supreme Court this week declined to take up the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA program, which shields thousands of undocumented young immigrants from deportation.

The report found more than 93 percent of the DACA-eligible population in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area are employed. They contribute $161 million in taxes and hold nearly $700 million in spending power.

The report also found immigrants in Dallas represented almost one-third of entrepreneurs in 2016, generating $495 million in business income.

New American Economy is a group of mayors and business leaders of all political stripes who support immigration reforms that result in job creation.

Other stories this morning:

  • A new Tarrant County report found another mental health facility is needed in order to keep up with a growing population.
  • This week in Breakthroughs, a conversation about going beyond advanced medical tech and treatments to address health disparities.

You can listen to North Texas stories weekdays at 8:22 a.m. and 6:20 p.m. on KERA 90.1 FM. 

Former KERA staffer Krystina Martinez was an assistant producer. She produced local content for Morning Edition and KERANews.org. She also produced The Friday Conversation, a weekly series of conversations with North Texas newsmakers. Krystina was also the backup newscaster for the Texas Standard.