You know what illegal immigrants do?
Work. For shitty wages.
You know what that does?
Boosts the US' labor force and economy, which buffers the declining fertility rate [0].
The fact that anti-immigration (of any sort) folks never think beyond first-effects is mind boggling. Illegal immigration causes some problems; it also solves others.
[0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_terr...
I'm also not sure we see the math the same way.
Illegal immigrant = working, not consuming social services (outside of guaranteed entitlements like EMTALA), paying payroll and sales taxes
Tax cuts = ??
You think COVID stimulus would have made people understand that flooding more money into a system with limited supply capacity will just lead to price inflation.
The way to address quality of life for parents and promote having children is to decrease the economic cost of doing so.
PS: Bolding actual americans made me laugh. Actual Americans are anyone who works hard in this country.
https://timesofsandiego.com/military/2025/06/12/afghani-who-...
The guy worked with the US in Afghanistan. Do you not think he has a real case here? He'll get killed if they send him back.
Illegal immigration = the difference between legal immigration supply and demand for immigration (both external and domestic)
And the rioting / nativist arguments are political theater to score points.
It's a fact that most illegal immigrants don't commit crimes or riot, in the same way that most people in general don't. But distorting frequency and total count has long been a popular pathos argument.
Similarly, enculturation and assimilation is a broader topic than a flag. And more over, the US explicitly and unambiguously grants freedom of expression as a right (all persons in America, not just citizens). So saying "I hate this country; I support ____" is and has always been an option as an American.
The effects you describe have higher order effects as well that can indeed have negative effects. Not saying republicans would give a crap about them, but they are undeniable. For wages developments and housing prices, topics that fundamentally influence basic needs very much in contrast to GDP growths, even if there are positive side effects as well.
I think compared to the EU these immigrants can only be a net positive because people are forced to ultimately care for themselves.
Putting aside the moral qualms about underpaying someone for hard, physical work, it's hard to argue that the American economy (and the average American) loses more than it gains from cheaper labor.
Housing would be a clusterfuck without illegal immigration, so I'm also hesitant to draw that connection too boldly. Would stopping all illegal immigration ease prices? A bit. Would it fix an undersupplied housing market and overconsolidated rental market that's driving price inceases? No.
[0] https://apnews.com/article/chicago-migrants-black-latino-bid...
[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/07/nyregion/adams-migrants-d...
[2] https://www.reuters.com/investigations/an-american-education...
[4] https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2024/02/15/how-american...
Here I was expecting data about how all these illegal immigrants are causing crimes everywhere at higher rates than americans, or how many cats and dogs they've eaten but I guess there's no actual evidence of a crisis.
Do you truly think the evidence you provided would convince someone ignorant on the matter that there really was a migrant crisis that warrants the Trump administration's behavior?
I do!
The term 'crisis' has been politicized to the point where the term's applicability is basically a shibboleth. When Biden called it a crisis in 2021, the White House issued a statement saying "The President’s use of the “crisis” label doesn’t represent the administration’s official position".[0] The administration had an official position on the use of the term 'crisis'! Point being, it's hard to convince someone that the border situation is a "crisis" when their priors on the topic have been prejudiced by political messaging. If someone was new to the topic, it would be easier for them to be objective.
You and I have already been inundated with political messaging, though. The best way to simulate ignorance on the matter is to abstract away the politics and pose the question in a way that doesn't trigger a connection to politics:
"The year is 2034. A situation has arisen. To deal with the situation, the city of Chicago alone has spent $300 dollars. The mayor of New York City has stated that the issue "could destroy the city of New York". 30% of schools say the issue affects their ability to educate our children. 77% of Americans say the situation is either a "crisis" or a "major issue".
Would someone ignorant of the matter be more justified in assuming that this was reflective of a crisis, or mere "vibes"?
> Before I put my fedora back on and leave
I honestly loled.
[0]https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/19/politics/biden-border-crisis-...
Nope, that's just your brain on right wing propaganda. Nothing of the sort has happened to justify throwing away the rule of law as this administration is doing. It is like murdering someone because you're annoyed that they chew with their mouth open, just an absolutely, wildly disproportionate response to what has happened. Coincidentally (to riff on the GP) it is almost word-for-word the propaganda Orban used in the mid 2010s to consolidate his authoritarian rule of Hungary.
that's a boldfaced lie.
there were fewer illegal immigrants in 2022 (under Biden) then in 2018 (under Trump) [0]
[0] https://ohss.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2024-06/2024_0418_o...