Wages are on the rise thanks to the nearly 1 million illegal migrants who have taken advantage of the Trump administration’s self-deportation program, according to the nonpartisan research organization Center for Immigration Studies.
CIS put the number of illegal immigrants coming into the U.S. under the Biden administration at a conservative 15.4 million. While the Trump administration has followed through on its promise of mass deportations, the self-deportation program implemented by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in February is “cheaper for taxpayers and arguably much more effective,” wrote CIS fellow in law and policy Andrew Arthur.
“DHS can’t arrest and deport 15.4 million illegal aliens, but if it simply enforces the law, many aliens will get the message and leave on their own — as hundreds of thousands apparently already have,” Arthur wrote.
Arthur cited two reports in ascertaining the number of self-deportations.
First, The Wall Street Journal calculated that the immigration population has fallen by 773,000 since the outset of President Donald Trump’s second term. The Washington Post reported its analysis showed that “more than a million foreign-born workers have exited the workforce since March.”
The Post also reported that average hourly wages accelerated by 0.4% in May, leading Arthur to contend that “with fewer illegal immigrants, businesses have had to raise wages to attract workers.”
But a self-deportation program is only as good as the threat of arrest and deportation if illegal migrants choose to stay, Arthur wrote. DHS has reported 207,000 deportations as of June 11.
“But aliens will only leave if they believe Trump and [border czar Tom] Homan are serious about arrests, and employers know the feds are targeting shady businesses,” Arthur added.
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