The Economics and Policy of Illegal Immigration in the United States

Illegal immigration's overall impact on the US economy is negligible, despite clear benefits for employers and unauthorized immigrants and slightly depressed wages for low-skilled native workers. This is the finding according to Professor of Economics Gordon Hanson of the University of California, San Diego, and the Migration Policy Institute's Labor Markets Initiative.

The largest economic gains from illegal immigration flow to unauthorized workers, who see very substantial income hikes after migrating, Hanson says, suggesting that policy changes could increase the positive contribution that low-skilled workers make to the US economy by converting illegal flows to legal ones.

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