Salinas, California, USA – June 19, 2015: Seasonal farm workers pick and package strawberries. Photo Credit: ShutterStock
This story was originally published in the GenZeal feature of LNP on Sunday, January 19, 2025
By Ali Mhusen ’26
Illegal immigration is almost always presented as a problem in the United States, despite such immigration being an integral part of a multitude of industries. This reliance across industries represents a concealed, unfunded need in the economic system.
In recent years, federal studies have found that about 40% to 50% of the workforce in agriculture-related jobs consists of immigrants who arrived illegally. While it is imperative and desired that farming keeps food supplied to the nation, many farm jobs are hazardous and very low-paying. Thus, they are rarely filled by native-born U.S. workers. Many farms would have huge labor shortages if they did not employ immigrants who arrived illegally, and this would lead to increased prices and lowered food availability nationwide.
Illegal immigration also contributes to the construction and service industries, which have been making high-profile complaints about workforce shortages for the past few decades. They need skilled employees who are flexible and can handle the hard — and sometimes harrowing — work that keeps industries afloat.
The country’s degree of economic dependence on immigrants who arrived illegally may be a social problem, but it is also an economic reality.
Meanwhile, immigrants who arrived illegally contribute much to public coffers. While they cannot access most federal benefits, they contribute billions of dollars to the tax base yearly. Their payroll taxes generate an estimated $12 billion yearly for Social Security, plus billions more in state and local taxes. These immigrants also contribute to many other significant community services.
On the whole, illegal immigration may be framed as a problem to be solved, but it is inextricably part of the economic structure in the United States. This economic reality could be considered in potential reforms that are not solely based upon enforcement measures. Such reforms could provide a means by which such employees can continue their contributions, but with basic rights and protections. That would be more representative of the actual needs of the United States economy and the immense contribution that these immigrants make daily.
Immigrants who Arrived Illegally Power American Economy
This story was originally published in the GenZeal feature of LNP on Sunday, January 19, 2025
By Ali Mhusen ’26
Illegal immigration is almost always presented as a problem in the United States, despite such immigration being an integral part of a multitude of industries. This reliance across industries represents a concealed, unfunded need in the economic system.
In recent years, federal studies have found that about 40% to 50% of the workforce in agriculture-related jobs consists of immigrants who arrived illegally. While it is imperative and desired that farming keeps food supplied to the nation, many farm jobs are hazardous and very low-paying. Thus, they are rarely filled by native-born U.S. workers. Many farms would have huge labor shortages if they did not employ immigrants who arrived illegally, and this would lead to increased prices and lowered food availability nationwide.
Illegal immigration also contributes to the construction and service industries, which have been making high-profile complaints about workforce shortages for the past few decades. They need skilled employees who are flexible and can handle the hard — and sometimes harrowing — work that keeps industries afloat.
The country’s degree of economic dependence on immigrants who arrived illegally may be a social problem, but it is also an economic reality.
Meanwhile, immigrants who arrived illegally contribute much to public coffers. While they cannot access most federal benefits, they contribute billions of dollars to the tax base yearly. Their payroll taxes generate an estimated $12 billion yearly for Social Security, plus billions more in state and local taxes. These immigrants also contribute to many other significant community services.
On the whole, illegal immigration may be framed as a problem to be solved, but it is inextricably part of the economic structure in the United States. This economic reality could be considered in potential reforms that are not solely based upon enforcement measures. Such reforms could provide a means by which such employees can continue their contributions, but with basic rights and protections. That would be more representative of the actual needs of the United States economy and the immense contribution that these immigrants make daily.
Sources:
https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ETA/naws/pdfs/NAWS_Research_Report_13.pdf
https://immresearch.org/publications/people-who-are-undocumented-occupations-taxes-paid-and-long-term-economic-benefits/