Why Hurricanes Hit Immigrants Hardest
“These communities are particularly vulnerable to natural disasters, and it’s clear that the storm amplified existing inequalities in Houston. The MPI report cites a 2017 survey of 24 Texas counties, including Houston’s Harris County. It found that 64 percent of the region’s immigrants reported job or income loss following the storm, compared to just 39 percent of non-immigrant residents. More than half surveyed had already been below 200 percent of the federal poverty threshold and did not have much of a social safety net.”