Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2008
Abstract
Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, repeatedly complains about strict immigration policies' impact on the ability for businesses to hire skilled workers. In terms of other sectors of the economy, an American Farm Bureau Federation study notes that "if agriculture's access to migrant labor were cut off, as much as $5- 9 billion in annual production of... commodities.., would be lost in the short term. Over the longer term, this annual loss would increase to $6.5-12 billion as the shock worked its way through the sector." Preeminent economist John Kenneth Galbraith effectively responded to those who have advocated for closed borders and mass deportation of our undocumented workers: Were all the illegals in the United States suddenly to return home, the effect on the American economy would... be little less than disastrous. A large amount of useful, if often tedious, work.., would go unperformed. Fruits and vegetables in Florida, Texas, and California would go unharvested. Food prices would rise spectacularly. Mexicans wish to come to the United States; they are wanted; they add visibly to our well-being.... Without them, the American economy would suffer ...
Recommended Citation
Ediberto Román,
The Alien Invasion
, 45 Hous. L. Rev. 841
(2008).
Available at: https://ecollections.law.fiu.edu/faculty_publications/306
