Whether right or wrong, illegal immigrants DO come in response to market forces. So what would happen if.....?

Question

What would happen to our economy/job markets/prices of goods and services if we totally closed immigration (de facto, not just de jure -- I mean like impenetrable borders)?

What would happen to our economy/job markets/prices of goods and services if we totally opened immigration?

I DON'T KNOW, BUT I'M GUESSING THE COST OF GOODS AND SERVICES WOULD RISE EITHER WAY.

In the former case we wouldn't have any illegals to hire at sub-minimum wage, but in the latter case we would have to pay legalized immigrants at minimum wage.

What do you think?

(Intelligent answers only please. There are lots of questions to vent your opinion for or against immigrants on, and this is not one of them!)

Dixie: Nobody can tell you what you can and can't do. You are the only one who ever said "can".

If you were at all considerate, you would try to answer the question I asked.
And if you're any better looking than I am, why don't you show your face, coward?

Answer 1

The other half of the market forces are in Mexico, remember. Illegal immigrants come to USA because they have the belief that life in the United States as an illegal immigrant is better than life in Mexico as a citizen.

If we closed immigration, then prices on some goods and services would rise, certainly -- cheap labor would be harder to find, and more would have to be paid to those who pick strawberries.

If we totally opened immigration, then the cost of goods and services would rise, largely through increased taxation required to support an increased number of schools and bilingual teachers.

Answer 2

Yes, the cost of goods and services would rise. Quality of work would decrease because without the incentive to remain in the USA, no one would want to do the dirty work. This would also put pressure on women to leave the work force and become home makers and have more babies. With more women working and not having babies it is only a matter of time before the economy will not have the population it needs to keep growing. Even more threatening will be the influx experienced when the "baby-Boomer" generation bubble reaches retirement age. We will not have enough medical doctors to take care of so many elderly people. Immigration has allowed USA to grow it's economy quicker than the population can grow to support it, so it is a good thing economically despite the cultural differences.

Answer 3

I'd say, yes. The price of goods/services would go up. BUT. Employers of those 'manual labor' jobs that 'no one wants' would be forced to provide benefits such as insurance and worker's comp....and pay at least minimum wage. Also, with cost of living rising for everyone else do to the increase in goods/services...all wages would raise. ILLEGAL immigrants to a dis service not only to the US (by breaking our laws) but to themselves. They'd be better off coming here legally and getting one of many maunal labor jobs that more than willingly give benefits that they could actually support their familys on, and still be able to send $$ to relatives back in their native country. Thus...they could not only make $$ just to live...but can support our economy by purchasing as well.

Answer 4

How about we pay Americans a decent wage instead of immigrants? It would be worth most any price to ensure that our country remains our country as we know it! At lease if the costs rise the extra tax dollars would be spent on Americans not illegal criminals! Our schools, hospital care, medicare, social security, HUD, welfare, auto insurance have all been degraded because of illegal immigrants!

But as I have said many, many times this is not an emotional issue this is strictly about obeying our laws! Either it is against our laws to be in this country or it isn't. As we all know we have immigration laws and they should be strictly enforced by local, state & federal people!

Representation for Middle-class Americans
No Amnesty (by any name)
Attrition thru Local, State & Federal Enforcement
Repeal the 14th Amendment

Answer 5

How dare you come on here a public place and ask a question and then try to tell us how we can answer!!! Guess what buddy you don't get what you want. I can vent on illegal immigrants if I want! You see this is America, it's why all the illegals want to be here! Besides we will never have impenetrable borders so your question is just foo foo. You want opinions on something that will never happen. I'm sick and tired of jobs wanting you to speak Spanish, having to push extra buttons because of damn Mexicans. Everything should be in English and if they need Spanish then they should have to push an extra button!! If they are going to live here they could at least learn our language. It only makes sense! I wouldn't move to another country and expect everyone to know English so it makes it easier for me, I would learn their language. These people are trying to make America Mexico. We need to run them out, put them in jail or send them to Iraq to fight for this country they want to take advantage of!!! If they come back alive, THEN they can be citizens. To bad they don't have any backbone to fight their own government so they can have the opportunities we do!! Maybe we should just go down there and take it over so it ends the issue!! Why don't you ask a real question next time and then not tell us how we can answer. BUTT HEAD! OH BY THE WAY YOU'RE UGLY TOO

Answer 6

Hmmm ... no matter what way we look at it, illegal immigration is a scurge on this country ... if the market needs workers, there's no stopping the powers that be increasing the number of legal immigrants ... and has anybody ever thought of what would happen if we have a serious downturn in the economy? All economies are cyclical, ours is no exception ...

If we legalize 12-15 million illegals who are in this country now, and all of those, plus any number of Americans, are laid off in a downturn of the economy, you'll have to sing for your supper, or your pension, or your healthcare ... not to mention education ...

Immigration should be regularized, as our existing laws stipulate, and as all civilized countries stipulate for prospective immigrants ... immigration should be based on what is good for the country, not on what people want or demand as a right ...

Answer 7

You are correct cost will rise either way.

But so will problems rise if we allow "totally" open immigration. I do not believe we are able at this time to handle those problems in the best way possible. And many will be hurt by it. We need time to answer some of those issues. Or we will pay a higher price in more than one way.

Just my view on it.

Answer 8

Could be that costs would rise. Wages might rise too.

I don't really favor "utilitarian" arguments here. As an extreme example, my opinion of antebellum slavery would not change, whatever the impact of abolition on the Southern economy.

I think that we should control our borders, and who comes here.

But the political class is not interested in that - rather, they are concerned with an end-run around the minimum wage and in finding new constituents.

Answer 9

again as i stated in a question earlier that i had answered that goods and service does not have to go up big buisness can in fact make a profit off of normal average joe americans and even pay the american alot better but it is the greed of big buisness that makes it like this and in fact the prices would indeed go up if illegals were kicked out because big buisness is that greedy

so what do we do to stop this

we need to put a cap on big buisness and enforce a better wage

you are so wrong

think about it for a second

cap big buisness and raise wage and big buisness still would make a nice profit we need to stop big buisness from being so greedy and make a law on that and then there wouldnt be a need for illegal immigrants

Answer 10

The cost of many products would go up. For example the prices of US grown fruits and vegetables would go up, so people would stop buying US fruits and vegetables, and turn to Mexican grown ones, because most people only care about price, not how their spending affects the economy - why do you think Wal-Mart is so successful? Because everything there is made in China, instead of the higher wage US.