JCC The New European and U.S. Immigration Thread

Compare and contrast! Try to make sense! Don't write stoopid stuff.

Please don't try to outDrumpf the Donald.

Here's some stuff I think about when it comes to immigration to the U.S.

1. Were it not for immigration, the U.S. would have population growth rates much similar to many European countries. Immigration keeps our population relatively younger and our demographic pyramid more viable in terms of relatively more ethnically diverse young workers to support the mostly aging white boomers. 50 million plus

2. It's a dangerous ride though. Does the country need 400 million people in it? (2050!) Even though stabilizing the population at roughly zero growth would destabilize the population pyramid in the short term, it would even out again after a generation or two. 30+ years of sociodemographic challenges like the Chinese are having with their age disparities as the result of the only child policy, but the country would come out the other side with a more sustainable future. Only if we can limit immigration. If we can't limit illegal immigration, perhaps we cannot control our future sustainability.

3. Does illegal immigration suppress wages, particularly at the more unskilled end of the spectrum? Probably. Is it a damper on price inflation? Probably. Rich is the country with plenty of poor willing to work for peanuts. I'd welcome a better look at the data.

4. What happens to the economy in the short term, but also in the long term, if we could actually turn off the illegal immigration spigot. Price inflation? Labor shortages? Is short term disruption worthwhile in the pursuit of some better long term outcome?

 

Okay, I'll bite.

One way I interact with immigrants, of varying legal status, is through the food system. In regards to #3, I see it as a balancing act. Consumers are demanding cheap food, which keeps wages for farm workers (as well as restaurant workers) extremely low. It's hard for farm operators to hire at those wage levels, so they sponsor migrant workers to come do these jobs. They pay taxes both locally and nationally, receive minimal benefits at taxpayer expense, and keep prices low. It's a win-win-win for the country. Once here though (legally), the issue gets murkier. If people work here for years, benefiting our country, do we owe them some sort of legal standing? If a sponsoring employer lays them off (or abuses them), do they have a right to search for other work? If wages are as low as they currently are, workers are often trapped without a way to navigate the legal immigration system. Is it right to deport people who are benefiting the country because our food system is bankrupt and our immigration system is poorly defined and inaccessible?

#4: Food prices would explode if tighter immigration controls were in place, both for legal workers and undocumented. I wonder if we'd also lose huge amounts of free money being paid in taxes that likely will never be used in services by the payer. Stopping undocumented labor would have huge financial implications not just in industry, but in government as well.

 

It's complicated, isn't it? It's definitely not the majority of illegals, but I personally know undocumented workers who have fraudulently obtained Social Security numbers they use to file tax returns to the IRS and state depts. The IRS collects billions a year from undocumented workers. These "crimes" are committed in the name of contributing to society and the economy and being "good citizens" in the sense, at the very least, of paying taxes. Illegals pay $13 billion a year in social security taxes.

The IRS could be collecting a hell of a lot more. Granting some kind of amnesty to undocumented workers already here is not just about rewarding them for their criminal activity. It's also about rewarding them for their contribution to the economy and extracting money from them to fund the work of state and federal government.