Women have always been at the heart of movements for justice – and that includes the tens of millions of immigrant women who only strengthen our nation through their perseverance, their ingenuity, their creativity, their contributions, and their hopes and dreams. This Women’s History Month, we celebrate the immigrant women who continue to better our country not just for themselves, but for all.
“There are over 23 million female immigrants in the United States,” making up 51.3% of the total foreign-born population and 14% of the entire female population overall, the American Immigration Council said in 2023. “Mexican-born women accounted for 22.1 percent of foreign-born women living in the United States in 2021, followed by India at 5.6 percent, the Philippines at 5.2 percent, and China at 5.1 percent. Together, “they play a valuable role in U.S. society and the economy.”
“The 12.7 million immigrant women active in the United States labor force occupy roles across the educational and occupational spectrum,” the American Immigration Council continued. “Immigrant women are particularly vital in the Health Care and Social Assistance industry, followed by Professional Services, and Hospitality. Women from the Philippines are particularly likely to work in Health Care and Social Assistance, with 42 percent working in this industry sector.”
Industries like caregiving – where three in five workers are women – simply couldn’t operate without the skills contributions of these immigrant workers, as we noted last month. For immigrant women like Felicitas, an early educator, caregiving is more than a job, it’s a purpose. “Working in child care has been enriching and rewarding because it goes beyond the professional,” she said. “For me, it is a commitment to the future, to the formation of human beings, and to the possibility of positively influencing their lives.”
We also know that immigrant women are also natural-born entrepreneurs who keep the country running, whether through a popular food truck or a top tech company. While entrepreneurship and immigration are commonly associated, women are too often left out of the conversations despite their immense contributions, the American Immigration Lawyers said in 2022. “The 2021 Annual Report from the National Women’s Business Council, shows that 1.5 million women business owners are not U.S. citizens, representing 11.5% of all women business owners and 38.6% of all immigrant business owners.”
“Resilience is the important factor that immigrant women and entrepreneurs have in common,” AILA continued. “After all, starting a company is a lot like moving to America—you have to adapt to survive. A report from the New American Economy shows that in 2017, there were 1.2 million immigrant women entrepreneurs in the United States. More than 65,000 immigrant women ran their own restaurants and food service businesses, more than 55,000 owned beauty salons, and another 50,000 had their own nail salons.”
Their cumulative contributions are immense. “Immigrant women as a whole brought in an estimated total of $740 billion in earned income in 2023, typically paying “$3,995 in annual federal income tax, not including state and local taxes, or sales taxes on consumer goods, which means immigrant women pay tens of billions in federal income taxes every year,” the National Women’s Law Center said in 2025. The organization also noted immense economic contributions that immigrants overall make to our country and economy.
“The Institute on Tax and Economic Policy estimates that undocumented immigrants paid $96.7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes—$8,889 per person—in 2022. In fact, undocumented immigrants generally pay more taxes than similarly situated U.S. citizens, and more than a third of tax dollars paid by undocumented immigrants go toward payroll taxes to fund programs , such as Social Security, SNAP, TANF, and other basic needs support programs whose benefits they are not permitted to access.”
Women have always been at the heart of movements for justice.This Women’s History Month, we celebrate the women who continue to shape our country.
— America's Voice (@americasvoice.bsky.social) 2026-03-01T14:30:18.563Z
“Policies should recognize and uplift the invaluable labor of the immigrant women who are the backbone of so many industries,” National Women’s Law Center continued. “Anti-immigrant policies hurt everyone, destabilizing the economy and making life harder for workers and consumers alike.”
No matter what the opponents of immigration may claim, the simple fact is that when immigrant women are given the opportunity and freedom to succeed, our entire country succeeds. In Indiana, immigrant entrepreneur Delinec “Deli” Fernández shared last year how she began her business as a way to pay her bills during the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only is Sweet Deli Venezuelan Bakery the state’s first Venezuelan bakery, it also serves “as an economic engine” in the community, BORGEN Magazine reported.
“It employs other immigrants, stimulates local commerce by sourcing ingredients from Indiana suppliers and even contributes to the Venezuelan economy by importing small quantities of traditional products,” the report said. “We wanted Venezuelans to have a space that feels like home,” Fernández told the outlet, “but we also wanted to prove that small immigrant businesses can strengthen the local economy.’”
