A Rising Tide or a Shrinking Pie: The Economic Impact of Legalization Versus Deportation in Arizona

Author: 
Raúl Hinojosa-Ojeda and Marshall Fitz
Date of Publication: 
March, 2011
Source Organization: 
American Immigration Council

Our national debate over urgently needed immigration reform is now careening through the USA, and nowhere is that debate more contentious than in Arizona, where the state's legislature sought to rid the state of undocumented immigrants with passage of S.B. 1070.

This analysis shows that the S.B. 1070 approach would have had devastating economic consequences if its goals were accomplished. When undocumented workers are taken out of the economy, the jobs they support through their labor, consumption and tax payments disappear as well. The type of economic dislocation envisioned by S.B. 1070-type policies runs counter to the interests of the nation. This analysis also shows that legalizing undocumented immigrants in Arizona would yield a significant positive economic impact.

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Citation: 

Hinojosa-Ojeda, R. and Fitz, M. (2011). A Rising Tide or a Shrinking Pie: The Economic Impact of Legalization Versus Deportation in Arizona. Washington DC: Immigration Policy Center.

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