Post by Nick Potter. Colgate Class of 2022.

Source: Hackman, M. (2021, March 17). “Illegal Border Crossings Near Two-Decade High, Mayorkas Says.” Wall Street Journal.

Through the first few months of 2021, the United States in on pace to see the largest number of illegal immigrants crossing its southern border in 20 plus years, according to homeland security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Several factors are contributing to the massive uptick in illegal immigration: first, the Biden administration’s undoing of Trump’s anti-immigration policies and its softer stance on migration has encouraged more migrants to attempt to migrate illegally; and second, the economic hardships caused by Covid in origin countries have compounded some of the push factors that motivate migrants to leave their home countries. 

The growing number of immigrants is cause for concern to many, but not necessarily for economic reasons. The main concern when there is a large influx of illegal immigrants is a humanitarian one- the U.S.’s ability to humanely accommodate detainees with the existing infrastructure at the borders. The economic impacts of immigrants on the native population are less certain. The fact that Covid has had more adverse effects on the poor compared to the rich may cause the immigrant cohort to be composed mainly of low-skilled workers. An influx of low-skilled workers may help many high-skilled native workers by raising their relative wages but harm low-skilled native workers. An alternative possibility is that low-skilled native workers’ employment outcomes will not be harmed either because the immigrants have some degree of complementarity or because the immigrants may end up working the jobs that native workers shun at the prevailing wage.