Study: Amnesty Will Boost U.S. Economy

Here is a creative argument to grant millions of illegal immigrants in the United States amnesty; it will help the nation’s ailing economy by adding $329 billion and creating 1.4 million new jobs in the next few decades.

At least that’s what a new study, published by a bipartisan group of U.S. mayors and business leaders, claims. The preposterous assertions will likely get adopted by the increasingly powerful open borders movement as well as its allies in Congress. If Uncle Sam rewards young illegal aliens with a pathway to citizenship under the controversial Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act), Americans would benefit financially, according to this particular study.

“Enabling these 2.1 million eager-to-be-Americans to contribute to building the American Dream would deliver a double boost to our economy,” the authors claim in an introduction. They add that it’s important to note that the benefits would not simply be a one-time addition but instead unfold over time, with the economic benefits growing larger as time goes on; an “upward trajectory.”

Here’s how; the one-time illegal immigrants would be able to attend college, work legally and obtain professional licenses that translate into higher paying jobs. That means they will pay more taxes and have more money to consume goods and services. It’s a win-win situation for everyone, though the report fails to mention the cost of operating a program that legalizes millions.

One Texas newspaper seems to have bought it hook, line and sinker, publishing hypothetical figures on how much the state would rake in as a result of the amnesty; slightly more than $66 billion by 2030, the story says. That is second behind California, which would make out like a bandit with $97 billion, according to the piece.

The story does point out, however, that the $66 billion for Texas might not be a net gain because the cost of implementing the DREAM Act remains “largely unknown.” The study conveniently omits these costs to the government, which would include manpower to verify eligibility and lots of paperwork. We’ve already seen this in the short time since President Obama implemented his “deferred action” plan for young illegal immigrants.

Under that plan nearly 1 million young illegal immigrants have been spared from deportation but they must prove they have lived in the U.S. continuously since 2007. This has already created a costly “bureaucratic nightmare” for one public school district in California because applicants have rushed to obtain academic records to show they qualify.

Because hundreds of thousands of current and former students have rushed to request records, the cash-strapped Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has already spent at least $200,000 in unexpected staff expenses. A local newspaper reveals it’s “creating a backlog and new challenges for the nation’s second-largest school system.”