Economic Value of Immigration: A Resource List
Prepared by the LWV Immigration Discussion Group Leadership (August 2024)
Recent papers:
July 2024, Congressional Budget Office: Effects of the Immigration Surge on the Federal Budget and the Economy CBO estimates that the immigration surge will add $1.2 trillion in federal revenues over the 2024–2034 period. The annual increase in revenues grows over time and reaches $167 billion (or 2.2 percent of total revenues) in 2034 in the agency’s projections.
July 2024, Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy: Tax Payments by Undocumented Immigrants. Undocumented migrants paid $96.7 billion in federal, state and local taxes in 2022.
December 2022, The Contribution of High-Skilled Immigrants to Innovation in the United States Shai Bernstein, Rebecca Diamond, Abhisit Jiranaphawiboon, Timothy McQuade & Beatriz Pousada, NBER Working Paper 30797
Recent articles:
Economist, 7/21/24: The rich world revolts against sky-high immigration: economic consequences.
“ Warwick McKibbin of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, a think-tank, reckons that in the unlikely event Mr Trump successfully managed to deport 7.5m people, American GDP would fall by 12% cumulatively over three years.”
“Cracking down on migration risks provoking the re-emergence of labour shortages that plagued economies across the rich world in 2021 and 2022, and which drag on GDP per person by creating inefficiencies.”
“Over time rich countries, which have aging populations, will need more workers who are young and keen to work.”
Wall Street Journal, 3/30/24: Business owners oppose GOP Effort to Police Immigration Status
Business interests typically allied with the GOP say their members are already struggling to find and hire the right workers and shouldn’t have to also be immigration cops.
Washington Post, 2/14/24 : States w/ labor shortage need migrant workers
Map showing need in each state.
Books:
Zeke Hernandez, The Truth About Immigration, Why Successful Societies Welcome Newcomers (2024) Key theme: immigrants are essential for economically prosperous and socially vibrant nations.
Tim Kane, The Immigrant Superpower, How Brains, Brawn and Bravery Make America Stronger (2022) Stanford/Hoover Institute Fellow on role of immigrants in US economy, military strength and innovation.
Advocacy Groups:
American Business Immigration Coalition, website https://abic.us/
Frequent posts on X (Twitter)
Promotes common sense immigration reform that advances economic competitiveness, provides companies with both the high-skilled and low-skilled talent they need, and allows the integration of immigrants into our economy as consumers, workers, entrepreneurs, and citizens.