COLUMN: Young immigrants benefit economy

ANNA GUADARRAMA

 

Many U.S. citizens perceive immigration as having a negative effect on the U.S. economy. But on June 15, 2012, the Obama administration announced an executive order that could benefit undocumented youth. Individuals from this group who are granted deferred action can get relief from deportation and a renewable two-year working permit.

According to the Migration Policy Institute, an estimated 1.76 million undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children could be granted relief. As of this January, the Department of Homeland Security released data confirming out of nearly 400,000 submitted and accepted applications, 154,404 young undocumented immigrants have so far been granted deferred action.

As of December, the Deseret News stated that in Utah, nearly 17,000 undocumented youth could be eligible. According to federal statistics, almost 800 individuals in Utah applied during the first month of deferred action. 

Why do this, if immigrants are perceived to be a drag on the U.S. economy? A recent Wall Street Journal article quoted former Congressional Budget Office professional Arlene Holen, who wrote that adding more skilled workers to the U.S. labor force would bring in $100 billion over a 10 year period. In addition, her writings for the Technology Policy Institute inform us that “High-skilled immigrants and temporary workers are generally relatively young or in their prime working years, are self-selected, highly educated, and are in high demand by employers.”

President Obama agrees with Holen, stating on Jan. 29, 2013, that immigration “keeps our workforce young… keeps our country on the cutting edge” and “helped build the greatest economic nation the world has ever known.” Which means, the integration of immigrants – authorized and unauthorized – in U.S. society and into its labor force advances U.S. economic development. 

An executive order such as deferred action is also put into place because of U.S. labor demand. Pia M. Orrenius, a Senior Economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas wrote, “Most U.S. immigrants are active participants in the labor market,” meaning within the last decade the U.S. labor force increased almost more than half its size as a result of immigration, both legal and illegal.

Most people do not realize that when U.S. labor demand rises, so do the numbers of entering foreign-born individuals. Economics Professor Ben Powell from Suffolk University agrees, saying that as U.S. labor force increases, so does its employment – that more workers doesn’t necessarily mean more unemployment. 

Implementing deferred action demonstrates immigrants are not an overall drag on the U.S. economy, despite popular public opinion. Deferred action enhances immigration policy as it considers the economic and social aspects behind U.S. immigration, further stimulating economic growth. A better understanding of why immigration occurs is vital to developing relevant and beneficial immigration policies. 

 

– Anna Maria Guadarrama E. is a senior International Studies major at Utah State University. Send comments to statesmaneditor@aggiemail.usu.edu.