Study Makes Strong Economic Case for Immigration Reform

January 07, 2010

Reform would result in $1.5 Trillion increase in U.S. GDP

Washington, DC – Today, the Center for American Progress and the Immigration Policy Center released a new study by University of California at Los Angeles professor Raúl Hinojosa-Ojeda. The study, titled “Raising the Floor for American Workers: The Economic Benefit of Comprehensive Immigration Reform” states that legalization through immigration reform along with a program that allows for future immigration based on the labor market, would add an estimated $1.5 trillion to the U.S. gross domestic product over 10 years, support nearly a million jobs, increase wages and generate more tax revenue.

The following is a statement by Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum, a non-partisan, non-profit pro-immigrant advocacy organization in Washington.

Today’s report confirms that immigration reform makes economic sense. We must bring undocumented immigrants into the system which would generate billions in additional tax revenue, allow honest employers who play by the rules to compete and win, and reestablish flexible legal immigration limits that are efficient and responsive to the needs of the economy.  

The study makes clear that Congress’s choices on immigration reform will have serious economic consequences.  Mass deportation proposals would have  devastating effects by draining $2.5 trillion from the economy over ten years. In contrast, robust reform of our immigration laws with a path to legalization would lead to $1.5 trillion in economic growth.

The consequences of getting immigration reform right versus getting it wrong are too high to ignore.  The question is not whether Congress should fix our broken immigration system, but when. The American people want their elected leaders to tackle tough problems while seeking the nation’s best interests. Comprehensive immigration reform is a common sense, workable solution and represents a huge potential boost to the U.S. economy.  It is time for our elected leaders to roll up their sleeves and get to work on comprehensive immigration reform.

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