Florida is on the coast, and is a nice Republican state. Immigration patrols are rampant (Alligator Alacatraz anyone) and we have lost landscapers, workers for our ongoing construction renovations required by State Law, pest control and so on and so on. Good workers, earning a decent wage, paying taxes and caring for their families. The administration suggests that when we throw all the immigrants (legal or illegal it seems) out of the country the jobs available for American workers will go up. Hmmmmmmm – Research says…..
- Complementary Roles: Research from organizations like the Hamilton Project shows that immigrant and U.S.-born workers are often complements, not direct substitutes. For example, a shortage of framing or drywall labor slows down housing projects, reducing jobs for U.S.-born electricians, plumbers, and project supervisors.
- Historical Data vs. Claims: Economic studies tracking past enforcement surges (such as Secure Communities or regional ICE spikes) find no evidence that deportations boost employment or raise wages for U.S.-born blue-collar workers; instead, local employment rates for specific U.S.-born cohorts often tick downward or stagnate. Estimates suggest removing roughly 500,000 workers correlates with tens of thousands of secondary job losses for U.S.-born workers.