Immigration reform is a priority for the incoming administration, so I dove into the research to get the facts. I learned that the majority of undocumented migrants pay taxes. They pay a lot of taxes: 96 billion dollars in 2022. Undocumented workers can’t collect social security, but they still pay into the system. In 2022, they contributed 26 billion to social security, helping to keep it afloat.
When migrants come to the U.S., they gravitate to places where jobs are plentiful, and often take work Americans don’t want. For example, more than 50% of meat processors are foreign-born. Immigrants can revitalize a community, as they did in Springfield, Ohio. The city was in decline when a few companies dramatically increased their investments. Jobs became plentiful, but there weren’t enough workers. Haitian immigrants heard about this opportunity and came to fill the vacancies. The revived economy did have growing pains. Housing shortages and price increases posed challenges for the community.
An interesting fact is that prior to 1965, there were few restrictions on crossing the southern border. Migrants entered the U.S. legally when jobs were available and went home to their families at the end of the season. After a crack-down on border crossings, migrants were stuck in the U.S. If they went home, it would be hard to return when their labor was needed. Some experts believe the U.S. doesn’t have enough workers, and more temporary visas could solve problems. Companies who hire immigrants often hire more Americans as well, because some jobs require good English skills.
How will mass deportation impact Ohio? Scioto Analysis posed this question to 20 Ohio economists. Fourteen said deportations would hurt our economy, noting that migrants buy goods and services while here and pay about $250 million yearly in Ohio taxes. Three economists believed mass deportations would have no effect on our economy, and the remaining three were uncertain. If mass deportations begin, we’ll see which of these economists were correct.
Debbie Dalke
Bowling Green
