Legal, Illegal Immigrants Shipped $58.9 Billion Out of U.S. Last Year

Immigrants shipped $58.9 billion back to their home countries in Latin America and the Caribbean last year, according to the Inter-American Development Bank.

The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that 2010 remittances from U.S. immigrants climbed 0.2 percent over 2009, and that 2011 is starting out stronger. The Inter-American bank data do not distinguish between legal and illegal immigrants, estimated to number more than 10 million.

The increased outflow of greenbacks comes even as the U.S. economy continues to struggle with high unemployment and stagnant wages. Which again raises the question: How much is immigration helping U.S.-born workers and the U.S. economy at large?