Illegal Border Crossings Today:

Illegal Immigration effects on Jobs and the Economy

Illegal & Legal Immigration and The Economy

Illegal immigration dramatically increases competition in the labor market, particularly for low-skilled jobs.

Fast Facts
  • Cheap foreign labor increases the dependence of entire sectors – from tech giants to big agriculture – on it, which results in poor labor conditions, less innovation, and lower wages.
  • Illegal or foreign workers drain the country of revenue through the more than $150 billion sent overseas through remittances.
  • In Fiscal Year 2018 employment-based admissions constituted 12.6 percent of all legal admissions.
Immigration Harms American Workers

With more than 11 million illegal aliens already in the U.S., and tens of thousands more unlawfully crossing the border and overstaying visas each year, states all around the country are subject to the problems caused by unchecked illegal immigration.

Perhaps the most pressing consequence of uncontrolled immigration is the immediate toll it places upon the American worker, and by extension the U.S. economy.

Illegal immigration dramatically increases competition in the labor market, particularly for low-skilled jobs, and depresses wages by perpetuating a class of worker willing to work for substandard wages.

FAIR supports and calls for the enforcement of solutions meant to help mitigate the effects of illegal immigration on the workforce and economy.

E-Verify

Congress created the E-Verify program in 1996 to help employers comply with the federal ban on employing unauthorized aliens.

Millions of U.S. citizens would find gainful employment if they did not have to compete against unauthorized workers who undercut local wage rates.

While E-Verify usage is not required by federal law, many states and localities have passed legislation requiring all or some employers in their jurisdictions to take advantage of the program and verify the work authorization of newly hired employees.

This plays a critical role in alleviating unfair competition against unauthorized workers; and states utilizing the program are experiencing positive job growth.

FAIR calls for states and the federal government to make E-Verify usage mandatory for all public and private employers to protect and empower the American worker.

THE LATEST