Mass deportation will impact all Americans

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With inflation and economic stability at the forefront of concerns for most American voters, it’s ironic that Donald Trump and his right-wing band see mass deportation as America’s fix-it-all plan but fail to realize it will ultimately affect their own wallets.

As the recent American Immigration Council’s report, “Mass Deportation: Devastating Costs to America, Its Budget, and Economy,” shows, mass deportations would not only diminish the American workforce for essential services we take for granted, but would also slash tax revenues, cripple key industries, and disrupt communities nationwide.

The report underscores that every taxpayer would feel the cost of mass deportation. The reason is simple: By reducing the tax base and removing a significant percentage of the workforce, mass deportations would increase the country’s fiscal burden on all American citizens — blue-, red-, and purple-leaning. And yes, undocumented workers do pay taxes despite the lies and fake news.

Consider this: Undocumented immigrants are disproportionately of working age, with nearly 90% between ages 16 and 64, compared to just over 60% of U.S.-born citizens. This age group plays an essential role in sectors like construction, agriculture, and hospitality, which are already facing labor shortages nationally. Just ask any farmer, including in so-called red states, trying to hire for simple chores like milking cows daily or picking fruit and vegetables.

With an unemployment rate consistently under 4%, there are simply not enough U.S.-born workers to fill the gap that would be left by mass deportation, regardless of the lies that these immigrants are taking American jobs. It’s no wonder industries as varied as meatpacking, agriculture, construction, and hospitality rely heavily on undocumented workers to keep their businesses afloat.

If mass deportation were enforced, the report found that nearly 1.5 million workers in construction and more than 224,000 in agriculture would be lost, as well as hundreds of thousands in hospitality, manufacturing, and transportation. This would create severe labor shortages in areas crucial to America’s economy and to consumer access to affordable goods and services.

Undocumented immigrants are essential to the American workforce in specialized roles, making up over a third of roofers, plasterers, and drywall installers, as well as a quarter of agricultural laborers and housekeeping cleaners.

If this workforce is taken away, labor shortages will force businesses to raise wages, which sounds positive at first, but ultimately means higher costs for all consumers, not just Democrats.

The economic contributions of undocumented immigrants extend far beyond labor, AILA said. In 2022, they paid nearly $47 billion in federal taxes and more than $29 billion in state and local taxes, helping fund essential services from education to infrastructure. They contributed another $22.6 billion to Social Security and $5.7 billion to Medicare — funds that help sustain these programs as the U.S. population ages. The loss of these contributions would strain the U.S. social safety net, leaving it in a more precarious position for future generations.

The report also highlights that approximately 1 million undocumented entrepreneurs generated $27 billion in business income in 2022. Many operate small neighborhood businesses that drive local economies and provide jobs for American citizens. Imagine the impact on communities if these businesses were forced to close — lost jobs, shuttered storefronts, and reduced spending power.

Perhaps the most startling takeaway is the potential effect on the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Mass deportation would reduce GDP by an estimated 4.2 to 6.8% — a hit comparable to the Great Recession of 2007–2009, the report found. For context, this would mean a loss of up to $1.7 trillion annually. As the GDP contracts, the impact on consumers would be devastating, as businesses downsize, wages stall, and inflation rises, all of which would further erode Americans’ purchasing power.

In short, the pursuit of mass deportation could fundamentally reshape the American economy and weaken consumer stability while increasing inflation and costs. Rather than embracing solutions that target immigrants, the nation and its lawmakers would be wise to pursue policies that integrate, rather than expel, those who are already contributing to its prosperity.

It’s time to recognize that undocumented immigrants are more than a statistic — they are an essential part of the American economic engine, supporting industries and bolstering our social safety net. To ignore this is to jeopardize America and all Americans.

Felicia J. Persaud is the publisher of NewsAmericasNow.com, a daily news outlet focused on positive news about Black immigrant communities from the Caribbean and Latin America.