Immigrant Daily

IPCs Report on Economic Benefits of Comprehensive Immigration Reform

The Center for American Progress (CAP) and Immigration Policy Center (IPC) have released a report on comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) in U.S. entitled,  ”Raising the Floor for American Workers: The Economic Benefits of Comprehensive Immigration Reform.” According to the report, legalizing nation’s unauthorized workers and putting new limits on immigration that rise and fall with U.S. labor demand would help lay the foundation for robust, just, and widespread economic growth. CIR will create a pathway to legal status for unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. and establishes flexible limits on permanent and temporary immigration that respond to changes in U.S. labor demand in the future. It produces the greatest economic benefits such as:

• CIR generates an annual increase in U.S. GDP of at least 0.84 percent. This amounts to $1.5 trillion in additional GDP over 10 years. It also boosts wages for both native-born and newly legalized immigrant workers.

• The temporary worker program generates an annual increase in U.S. GDP of 0.44 percent. This amounts to $792 billion of additional GDP over 10 years. Moreover, wages decline for both native-born and newly legalized immigrant workers.

• The deportation reduces U.S. GDP by 1.46 percent annually. This amounts to $2.6 trillion in lost GDP over 10 years, not including the actual cost of deportation.2 Wages would rise for less-skilled native-born workers, but would reduce wages for higher skilled natives, and would lead to widespread job loss.

For a complete report, please click: Raising the Floor for American Workers: The Economic Benefits of Comprehensive Immigration Reform