Immigration Policy Center absurd study claims immigration "reform" would help economy

The Immigration Policy Center (IPC) - part of the American Immigration Lawyers Association-linked American Immigration Law Foundation - has released a new, canard-rich study called "What Immigration Reform Could Mean for the U.S. Economy" (immigrationpolicy.org/index.php?content=fc011309):

1. They claim that the 2006 and 2007 comprehensive immigration reform bills would have paid for themselves. They fail to note the full cost of those amnesties which would include such things as giving the Mexican government even more political power inside the U.S.

They note that the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the "Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006 would have generated $66 billion in new revenue during 2007-2016 from income and payroll taxes, as well as various administrative fees."

Now, divide that by 10 years, and then divide that by a very generous low estimate of 100 million U.S. households. That means that the increased revenue they promote represents approximately $5.50 per month for each household in the U.S.

Would you sell out U.S. sovereignty, give foreign governments and far-left and racial power groups even more power inside the U.S., and reward massive illegal activity by millions of people, and enable years of corruption by politicians for the equivalent of a midsize Burger King combo? There might certainly be additional economic benefits from "reform", but there would also be additional costs. And, the IPC isn't including all of those in its analysis.

If anyone tries to offer an economic argument in favor of "reform", ask them for a bottom line of the monthly take of the average U.S. household. Then, point out all the costs they aren't taking into account.

2. As have many others, they claim that enforcement doesn't work because we've spent billions on it even as the number of illegal aliens has risen. They fail to note that much of that enforcement has been designed to fail or has been undercut by those groups who support illegal immigration.

3. For their claim that deporting current illegal aliens wouldn't be feasible, they rely on the joke study "Deporting the Undocumented" from the Center for American Progress.

4. They agitate against EVerify using the CBO study that showed that the use of that program could cause the federal government to lose about $17 billion over 10 years due to lost tax revenues. They fail to note that that tax revenue would be from money that was earned illegally, a massive moral hazard that we must do without.

Tue, 04/14/2009 - 07:21 · · Importance: 4