The Left continues to be tied up in knots over President-elect Donald Trump's plans for mass deportations of illegal aliens. While liberal pundits falsely claim that Trump will send military troopers into businesses to round up people at random, construction companies are complaining about losing cheap, illegal immigrant labor. Now a left-leaning group out of California is warning about "seismic" economic damage to the Golden State if Trump's deportations are carried out, based on the fact that businesses will have to hire legal workers and pay them higher wages. In fact, the reporting points out that the average hourly wage for a U.S. born worker in California is nearly double that of an illegal immigrant.
Complaints about the financial impact of companies having to pay workers higher wages are almost comical coming from the state that has proudly raised its minimum wage to $20 an hour over the objection of businesses. But this boost to wages is actually a net positive for the economy, according to immigration experts. "I think most Americans think that is good public policy," says Steven Camarota, Director of Research at the Center for Immigration Studies. "Making our least-educated and lowest-paid workers get a raise, by making illegal immigrants go home...I think that's desirable."
Not only will deportations cause wages to rise for lower and middle-class workers, but it will make the job market more competitive overall for American workers who won't have to compete with cheap, illegal immigrant labor. "And because low-wage workers account for such a small fraction of economic output, even a relatively substantial increase in their wages--like 10 or 15 percent--will have a miniscule effect on inflation," says Camarota.
Camarota also notes that rising wages will mean fewer of these workers qualify for government welfare programs, which will ultimately save more.
"So they'll be making more and taxpayers will be saving money," he says. "Granted, the employers may not like it, but America will be better off."
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