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The political debate about immigration has always had an economic component. Advocates for more open immigration see immigrants as a welcome addition to the domestic labor force, bringing entrepreneurial initiative and dynamism to the economy. Those for more restrictive immigration fear new entrants place downward pressure on native wages and are a net drain on social welfare programs. Presumably, it is the job of the legislative branch of the federal government to balance these considerations and develop a coherent and workable immigration system.
The continued specter of illegal, or if one prefers, unauthorized immigration indicates something is amiss in the system. It is estimated that there are more than 10 million residents in the United States not legally authorized to be here. In January of this year, there were some 78,000 arrests and detentions at the Mexican border—a number double that of pre-COVID pandemic January 2020.
Of course, crossing any national border without proper legal authorization entails risk. The most obvious is apprehension by the national authorities which inevitably imposes costs on the would be migrant. Less obvious is the potential harm from extra-legal “bad actors” that are common to all illicit markets. The migrant without legal authorization to be in the country has little recourse from being exploited by criminals on either side of the border.
Unfortunately, for the last few decades the federal legislative branch has been remiss in enacting coherent immigration laws. Instead, a hodgepodge of court rulings, coupled with executive policies that have varied wildly between various administrations, have led to chaos and tragedy. The strict and draconian policies of the previous administration gave us the horror of family separations at the Mexican border.
The new administration has pledged to reverse these policies, highlighting its commitment to a more “humane” policy toward illegal migrants. However, this has led, quite predictably, to a surge in unauthorized border crossings. The number of unaccompanied minors apprehended at the border rose 120% from October to December, potentially straining existing holding facilities for minors. This surge undoubtedly delights those “coyotes” who profit from the illegal trafficking of would-be migrants.
So what should be done? Congress could refine, update and modify current immigration rules to allow for clearer paths to legal immigration while simultaneously securing our borders. We suspect they will not, however, because a continuing crisis on the border advances the political agenda of both sides. This is both tragic and irresponsible.•
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Bohanon and Curott are professors of economics at Ball State University. Send comments to ibjedit@ibj.com.
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You didn’t address the most important economic arguments: (1) legalizing those 10 million people, many of whom work, will provide a shot in the arm for our limping Social Security system and help carry its forthcoming burden of Baby Boomers; (2) it will help alleviate our demographic bust, as younger less-skilled immigrants have always had higher birth rates than “native born” Americans; (3) Latino immigrants are a critical base of construction workers today, important in an era of tight housing markets.