Australian National Review – The Notional Benefits of Open Borders

More than 10 million illegal immigrants have entered the U.S. under the Biden administration. Harris and other liberal Democrats have refused to protect the border, claiming that the U.S. profits from illegal immigration. Their arguments are false.

Below is a list of the top reasons they claim illegal immigrants and open borders are good for the US. These reasons are all easily refuted.

Many argue that illegal immigrants benefit the economy by filling critical labor shortages, especially in low-skill sectors such as agriculture, construction and hospitality.

However, these perceived labor gaps are the result of two factors: the Biden-Harris administration’s policies, which have increased financial aid and transfer payments, leading to a decline in labor force participation, as many recipients find work less attractive than receiving free money.

At the same time, open borders have led to a huge increase in the working population, pushing down wages.

These low wages do not offset the financial incentives for some people to stay home, further exacerbating the labor shortage.

Simple supply and demand economics shows that a larger pool of workers willing to accept lower wages depresses wages in low-skill sectors.

Some studies show that this only happens in certain sectors. But by displacing workers born in those areas, the total pool of workers looking for jobs in other sectors increases, driving down wages across all sectors.

Construction and the building industry are good examples of sectors where liberal welfare, anti-male ideology and open borders have combined to reduce the number of boys (yes, boys) willing to enter the sector, while also reducing wages. This has made the sector less attractive as a career path.

Claims that illegal immigrants contribute to the economy are misleading. Yes, every dollar someone spends in the U.S. contributes to the economy, but legal immigrants and citizens contribute more.

The average wages of illegal immigrants are lower, so their contribution to GDP is smaller. Moreover, citizens generally do not send a large part of their income abroad as remittances, while many illegal immigrants do.

Furthermore, while some illegal immigrants pay taxes, all native-born and citizens are required by law to pay taxes, and if they fail to do so, they are prosecuted.

The concept of net benefit is often overlooked by proponents of illegal immigration. The percentage of illegal immigrants, legal immigrants, and asylum seekers who rely on public services is dramatically higher than that of native-born citizens.

Native-born citizens contribute more per capita, earn more, pay more taxes, and are less likely to receive government benefits than undocumented immigrants.

As a result, the total economic contribution per person is much higher among native-born individuals. Moreover, when undocumented immigrants do rely on public services, such as health care or education, they create a net burden on these resources, which negates the positive impact of their economic contributions.

Liberals often ignore national security concerns about open borders, but these concerns are very real and well-documented. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reports that encounters with Chinese nationals at the border have increased 8,000% since 2021.

According to the Chinese National Intelligence Law, all citizens of the People’s Republic of China are required to cooperate in intelligence gathering, qualifying them as foreign agents under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

Confrontations with Russian and Iranian nationals have also increased, raising fears that authoritarian regimes are abusing American freedoms to position agents in the country.

In addition, the number of encounters with individuals on the terrorist list has increased. Many of them escape custody and are nevertheless allowed into the country, further increasing the risks to national security.

They claim that most undocumented immigrants are law abiding. However, many crimes committed by undocumented immigrants go unreported or are underrepresented in crime statistics because of sanctuary policies and catch-and-release practices.

After being released without bail, many offenders do not return for trial and are never included in sentencing statistics, further distorting the data on illegal immigrant crime rates.

While it is true that illegal immigrants commit crimes less often, the total number of crimes increases as they become more common.

Moreover, the crimes, especially those committed by international criminal organizations such as MS-13, Tren de Aragua and groups affiliated with cartels, are often violent and linked to drug trafficking.

These transnational criminal groups are growing in the U.S., fueled by human trafficking and illegal immigration. Closing the border would help contain these groups and limit their ability to expand their operations within the country.