RALEIGH, N.C. -- Experts say food shortages, housing insecurity and other hardships many North Carolinians are experiencing from the pandemic could become commonplace as climate change drives more extreme weather events.

According to the state's Climate Science Report, the past decade represents the warmest 10-year period on record, and recent data show 2019 was the warmest year to date for North Carolina.

Steffi Rausch, lead organizer for the Asheville Citizens' Climate Lobby, said warmer temperatures are already driving displacement.

She reported farmworkers and other seasonal workers are leaving other coastal regions and traveling to North Carolina in search of work.

"So we're finding that people from Florida are definitely moving here more because of the events that they are experiencing down in Florida with sea-level rise and flooding," Rausch observed.

Rausch added seniors, low-income people and other vulnerable populations are the first wave of climate migrants in the U.S. She noted of the five coastal areas most frequently hit by hurricanes between 1960 and 2008, three were North Carolina counties.

A 2019 report by NOAA found North Carolina cities such as Wilmington could expect two- to threefold increases in tidal flooding in the near future.

Rausch also predicted as sea level and extreme weather risks rise, coastal residents will face heftier down payments and inequities in insurance, which could increase household debt.

"And then there's Farmers Insurance, which has stopped writing NC homeowners' policies in 2008," Rausch remarked. "So, the insurance companies are seeing the writing on the wall."

Ericka Pino, chief meteorologist at Univision, said global climate-driven migration is happening in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, countries which have struggled with drought since 2014.

"People are moving around because they are losing their homes," Pino explained. "Where they're coming from specifically, it doesn't just have to be Central America. There are other places that are being affected by extreme typhoons and earthquakes and all sorts of stuff."

She contended building border walls and withdrawing from international treaties aren't going to solve the inevitable climate crisis.

In his first few days in office, President Joe Biden rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement, canceled the Keystone XL Pipeline and ordered a federal review to jumpstart the process of reinstating environmental regulations rolled back by the Trump administration.


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With the Randall's Island Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center closing, immigrant advocates want the other such centers closed, too.

The centers were built to accommodate the influx of migrants from the southern border but they have been decried for poor health and safety conditions. Some Congressional leaders consider the Floyd Bennett Field relief center a disaster.

Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, said the city's shelter system is better equipped to help newly arriving migrants despite its imperfections.

"It is a system that has an infrastructure and staffing as well as facilities that they can use that are appropriate to shelter individuals seeking a place to stay while they get on their feet," Awawdeh pointed out.

However, shelters have been inundated with migrants since day one. New estimates showed 64,000 migrants spread across 200 of New York City's shelters. Awawdeh noted Randalls Island itself presented challenges for migrants since there is little access to public transportation or necessary services. He stressed from here, the conversation for migrants and other New Yorkers in shelters must center around their ability to assimilate into life in the city and thrive.

Another challenge migrants are dealing with is anti-immigrant policies from Mayor Eric Adams. One rule he issued limited migrant and asylum-seekers' shelter stays to 30 to 60 days. Awawdeh argued repealing the limits could improve migrant outcomes.

"We should be removing the 30- and 60-day limit so that people who actually need additional support are getting it," Awawdeh contended. "Then once they get that support more than likely they will be getting out on their own two feet being able to fully integrate within the city."

A New York City Comptroller report showed the rule's implementation was disorganized because other services migrants need are inadequate.


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Amid the ongoing debate on immigration, a new report showed how much immigrants boost Virginia's economy.

The report, "Immigrants Are a Vital Part of Virginia's Future," revealed immigrants contribute more than $100 billion to the state's economy and are essential to critical industries such as health care, technology and hospitality.

Freddy Mejia, policy director at the Commonwealth Institute, which helped publish the report, said immigrants are a key part of many industries.

"Sixteen percent of Virginia workers are immigrants and 34% of all chefs, 44 % of all computer engineers in Virginia and 28% of child care workers," Mejia outlined. "Immigrants are playing a vital role in feeding our community, in raising children."

The Immigration Research Initiative and Economic Policy Institute also contributed to the report. The findings come as immigration policies remain a hot-button issue, with critics expressing concerns over job competition and resource allocation.

Critics have argued undocumented immigrants are a strain on public services, yet Mejia pointed out the report highlighted undocumented immigrants, while paying taxes, often cannot access many public resources due to their legal status.

"That group in particular is paying into a system that does not allow them to participate in many of those uh, critical resources that many of us rely on," Mejia explained. "I think that's just important to note."

The report made several policy recommendations, particularly focusing on improving health care access and educational opportunities for immigrant children. Mejia added as Virginia's population ages, immigrants will play an increasingly important role in sustaining the state's economic growth.


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Immigration boosts the economy - in Colorado and across the U.S. But new policies are needed to maximize gains and make it harder for employers to abuse workers, according to a new Colorado Fiscal Institute study which found that each year, immigrants generate $54 billion in state economic output.

Despite widespread claims that immigrants are coming to take jobs from U.S.-born Americans, Sophie Shea, policy analyst with the Colorado Fiscal Institute, argues that immigration actually increases opportunities for all Coloradans.

"Research shows, study after study, that there is no fixed number of jobs in the state. When immigrants move to Colorado, the economy grows. That doesn't mean fewer jobs, that means more jobs," she said.

More than a half-million Colorado immigrants work in low-wage, middle-wage and higher-wage jobs. They are nursing assistants, cooks and software developers. Nearly one in five small businesses in the state was launched by immigrants, creating jobs for U.S.-born and new residents alike.

The report also shows how immigration has led to better, not worse, wages for U.S.-born workers.

Immigration has come under increasing scrutiny, fueled in large part by misinformation. Immigrants are tapping taxpayer-funded programs like food stamps, for example. Undocumented immigrants are not currently eligible for safety net programs. But in 2022, they contributed over $436 million in state and local taxes, a number Shea says could be higher if Congress reforms outdated immigration laws.

"If those workers were granted work authorization, that number would increase their state and local tax contribution to $537.8 million. So, that's a $100 million boost," she contended.

Colorado's working-age population is declining at the same time that Baby Boomers are exiting the workforce. Shea believes immigrants will be critical for blunting the impacts of this labor shortage and ensuring that older Coloradans can retire with dignity.

"So, it is really is very important that we are investing now, before we see those large gaps continue to grow, in welcoming and incorporating immigrants to our state, " she continued.


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