What would happen to the US economy if all 12 million illegal aliens spontaneously got up and left one day?

Question

Would a lot of our crops start rotting in the fields? Some farmers claim this is already happening to them.

Answer 1

When you look closely at the unemployment figures (I mean really closely at the underlying detail, not just the headline figure) you will see that the number of people willing and able to work, but without full-time employment is, give or take 12 million. So we can replace illegals with people who need a job.

Now, you might argue that Americans don't want to do the jobs that would be vacant. That is erroneous. Americans don't want to do those jobs at the rate corporate thieves want to pay. It would be painful for a while but here is how it would work:
1. Illegals leave.
2. Jobs taken by legal immigrants/citizens at a fair wage rate.
3. Bad employers moan and whinge. Good employers get on with making money.
4. Bad employers, who spend too much time bleating about the good old days, go out of business because they refuse to tighten their belts temporarily.
5. In the meantime, employees are being paid and (SHOCK, HORROR) actually spend the money in the USA rather than sending it "home."
6. The increased spending in the USA benefits American companies.
7. As a result of increased spending, people pay more taxes into the US Treasury.
8. With all this extra cash, the US Government now has options. It can lower taxes, improve services or do a bit of both. Most prudent governments do a bit of both.
9. Taxes go down so entrepreneurial spirit is encouraged. Meanwhile, the inhabitants of the USA (citizens and legal immigrants alike) enjoy better services - improved schooling, better roads and better post-secondary training, which leads to a high-quality workforce.
10. As the American economy expands, more opportunities are created for immigrants to come to the USA legally. Because the USA is so popular, Immigration is able to choose only the best and brightest workers to immigrate.
11. After a hard and productive day's work we can all sit back, enjoy our leisure time and wonder why anyone ever thought illegal immigration was a good idea.
THE END

Answer 2

After the cheering stopped, the economy would boom. Those who are unemployed or who have given up looking for work would immediately take the place of the illegals. This would create a surge in federal income tax revenues, Social Security tax reveunues, and state income tax revenues, alleviating the need to raise taxes on the legal citizens. By spending their money in the U.S. rather than sending it home, the 12 million newly employed would create a boom in the economy. But that's just the beginning.

Smaller class sizes would mean the citizenry would be better educated and able to compete in the global economy. Fewer freeloaders in the hospitals would bring costs under control for the legals who pay the bills. Fewer uninsured drivers will bring down insurance rates, allowing legals to spend their savings on other things, helping the economy. Fewer illegals would mean fewer crimes committed, so that the size of police and emergency departments could be reduced, releasing more tax money for other uses.

The list of benefits is endless, really. When is this going to happen?

Answer 3

1. CRIME WILL CEASE, leaving thousands of cops unemployed.

2. Fewer people draining public resources means LOWER TAXES, and fewer government agencies (legals would get pink slips).

3. The illegals would TAKE ANCHOR BABIES WITH THEM, leaving tens of thousands of teachers unemployed.

4. Millions of landlords will lose billions annually by having no tenants.

5. Small businesses in areas with high numbers of illegals would be forced to close due to lack of customers.

6. Farmers, meat packers and other employers would be forced to hire legal workers at a competitive wage. Food and service prices will go up. Profits for companies will seize, sending the stock market into a nose dive. Pension funds, mutual funds and 401k/IRAs will lose value.

7. Baby boomers won't be able to retire for two reasons: the economy will need workers; and the boomers won't afford retirement.

8. Lou Dobbs will blame communist China for the country's economic crisis... wait a minute he already does that!!!

Answer 4

12 million leaving? Somebody has a fantasy.

Salaries in the USA would go way up with so little unemployment.
The price for American products would rise and exports would be at disadvantage.
The cost for some crops would skyrocket and imports of food would be a must.
More American companies would move out of the USA to be able to compete with cost/price.
Probably, the USA would end up importing immigrants.

Answer 5

1. Dancing in the streets.
2. Unemployment would go down to 2% or less (there are those who won't ever work and those who can't work).
3. Americans could get more exercise by cutting their lawns.
4. Taxes would/could go down.
5. Less crowding in our schools.
6. Less crime, smaller prison population.
7. Smaller drain on our social services.
8. More exports to Mexico to feed their expanding population.
9. Fewer uninsured motorists on the roads.
10. Maybe, just maybe, it could force Mexico to do something about fixing their economy.
I can see only good things happening here.

Answer 6

The farmers would just have to hire legals at a decent wage. They are complaining because they don't want to.

Anyway, look at this. http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/21/fruit-picking-robots-closer-to-reality/

It looks like Vision Robotics' would-be fleet of agriculture robots is getting a little closer to reality, with the previous crude 2D sketches of 'em now replaced with slightly less crude 3D models (among other developments). Last we heard from the company, its scout robot was still a long ways from hitting the farm, but Wired News is now reporting that Vision expects to have a prototype of it ready sometime next year, with the larger harvester bot expected to follow two or three years after that. As before, the company plans to have the scout robots plot out the best fruit-picking route, which the harvester would then follow, grabbing hard to reach fruit with the utmost delicacy -- no doubt picking up a few humans' jobs along the way.

Answer 7

well after the party......we will put our unemployed to work at the jobs the illegals were stealing from us. lower our welfare roles, have extra space in our prisons.... and no the crops would not rot in the fields. the jobs would be filled with American citizens the owners would just be forced to pay a living wage

Answer 8

It seems awful strange to me. These jobs that the illegal immigrants claim Americans don't want were filled "before" the law breakers jumped the river. Americans just want a decent, fair wage and not slave wages Hispanics seem willing to work for.

Answer 9

It may come as a surprise to the fine folks after they leave that the shear cost of supporting them outweighed the benefits of their being here. I believe we would be in a better place if things were regulated properly. We cannot afford to float the Illegals extended vacations any longer.... I cannot afford it nor can my town or state or Country.

Answer 10

Imagine New York City or another major city shut down that's what will happen. Taxes will go UP because of the billions in revenue LOST. Then we beg for immigrant help and lo and behold we're back in the same boat.