Trump is Wrong: Undocumented Immigrants Help the Economy

By Wayne Pac

As it stands, libertarians are pro-immigration for the most part. Many libertarians don’t like the proposed policy that Donald J. Trump has claimed he would uphold. Trump has said that he would create a new Law Enforcement agency for the purpose of deporting undocumented immigrants. Many people are against that, and many people think it’s abhorrent. It’s a failed way of thinking.

• Undocumented immigrants account for around 11.1 million people in America, as of 2014 according to Pew Research Center.
• Undocumented immigrants pay an estimated $11.6 billion annually across the board of the population, according to the Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy.
• The Congressional Budget Office released a report that estimated around 70%-80% of undocumented immigrants pay state and federal taxes. The report was made in 2007.

Those are three useful pieces of information regarding undocumented immigrants’ contributions to the economy. These immigrants may not be contributing a vast amount of capital to the economy, but they are still contributing, and it’s better to have somebody contribute something, rather than nothing.

Keep in mind, these are all estimates done by organizations and one by the government. This should allow for a more clear perspective on the issue from an economic stance. Gathering solid financial data on undocumented immigrants can be difficult.