Question

Why is each of these statements somewhat misleading? (a) “Illegal immigrants take only jobs that no American wants.” (b) “Deporting 100,000 illegal immigrants would create 100,000 job openings for Americans.

Answer 1

ANSWER :

Both statements are misleading, because:

(a) Illegal immigrants probably charge lower wages by increasing the supply of unskilled workers, thus some jobs that native born unskilled workers are displaced and receive lower wages.

(b) This is also misleading because if we deport 100,000 illegal immigrants the supply of unskilled labor will decrease. This will cause wages to rise and the quantity of labor demanded to fall, so not all of the 100,000 jobs will still be available.