Trump’s immigration policies have caused quite the stir, specifically his hardline stance on illegal migration. So, how will these policies impact the US economy?
The US is in the midst of needing to double its industrial capacity, which will require a large labor force. Losing the population of 10-15 million undocumented immigrants would dig that hole even deeper. Trump isn’t approaching this from an economic or security perspective, his migration policies are being shaped by ideology.
By making the conditions for migrants worse and cutting off certain paths to legally enter the US, it will inadvertently encourage illegal border crossings and create enforcement inefficiencies. Practices like mass deportations are pulling resources from other important tasks and making future cooperation between the law and migrants less likely.
The better approach would be providing legal pathways for migrants to integrate into the economy, but Trump’s path is creating a permanent underclass.