How Does Illegal Immigration Affect The Economy

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Running head: Illegal Immigration and The Economy 1 Illegal Immigration and The Economy Courtney J. Jarrett Florida Institute of Technology Introduction to Macroeconomics August 2014 Running head: Illegal Immigration and The Economy 2 Abstract Illegal immigration has both negative and positive effects on diverse parts of the economy. The economic costs and benefit of illegal immigration are staggering and are very difficult to determine indefinitely. Currently, the nation is torn between two arguments on whether the benefits outweigh the cost of illegal immigration. Advocates of illegal immigration argue that it lowers prices for labor (agricultural produce, construction, etc.) that advance the social and economic development…show more content…
It is vital to understand that undocumented immigrants are more than simply workers but supply U.S. economy through their investments and consumption of goods and services. There are both economic and social implications that are caused by illegal immigration. Illegal aliens have cost billions to taxpayers in government services (i.e. food support programs, federal prisons, medical treatment, Medicaid, federal aid to schools, etc.). It is true that corporations and consumers receive the benefits of cheap labor, but to facilitate stability, taxpayers must cover the infrastructural cost. Notwithstanding all the negative ramifications, illegal aliens do raise the general effectiveness of the U.S. economy by adding profitable contributions via taxes and hence diminishes marginal cost for total product production. Though this topic is important, there are more significant topics (i.e. automation in manufacturing or the growth in global trade) that will have more impact on the U.S.…show more content…
(2010). Top 10 Myths About Immigration | Immigration Policy Center. Retrieved from http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/high-school/top10-myths-about-immigration Colander, D. C. (2013). Macroeconomics (9th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Colorado Alliance for Immigration Reform. (n.d.). Economic costs of legal and illegal immigration | colorado immigration law resources reference. Retrieved August 3, 2014, from http://www.cairco.org/issues/economic-costs-immigration Cox Media Group. (2010, August 17). Educating illegal immigrants is costly | www.ajc.com. Retrieved from http://www.ajc.com/news/news/opinion/educatingillegal-immigrants-is-costly/nQjSw/?__federated=1 Federation for American Immigration Reform. (2013). Illegal Aliens Taking U.S. Jobs (2013). Retrieved from http://www.fairus.org/issue/illegal-aliens-taking-u-s-jobs The New York Times. (2013, February 12). Do Illegal Immigrants Actually Hurt the U.S. Economy? - NYTimes.com. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/17/magazine/do-illegal-immigrants-actuallyhurt-the-us-economy.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1& The New York Times. (2012, April 17). Without Immigrant Labor, the Economy Would Crumble - NYTimes.com. Retrieved from

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