Recent studies show that the number of undocumented immigrants has declined in recent years. Most researchers agree that economics is the main reason for this decline. This is not surprising considering that the vast majority of undocumented migrants are from countries where there are few opportunities. If their country offered economic security, immigrants would not move away from their families.
Some claim that the decrease in undocumented immigrants over the past year is due to increased immigration enforcement rather than economic downturn. All evidence supports the opposite.
Wayne Cornelius, Center for Comparative Immigration Studies’ June 2008 report states that there were a total of 58 cases. “The pattern of undocumented migrants responding to economic conditions rather than policy decisions has continued during the border enforcement build-up that began in 1993.”Cornelius also pointed out in a 2006 paper, that since 1993, “We have spent more than $20 billion on this project -; the population of unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S. has more than doubled.”In these years, the lure of economic prosperity prevailed over the threat posed by border enforcement.
The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis data shows that many industries in which undocumented immigrants are employed started to decline well before August 2007. The first quarter of 2007 saw the construction industry lose jobs. The service sector saw a slowdown in job growth during 2007’s first quarter, which was directly related to economic decline and lower undocumented immigration.
Politicians and think tanks have only one solution to illegal immigration: a heightened deportation-only agenda. They claim that if the recent drop in undocumented immigration were to be sustained, it would reduce illegal immigration by half in five years. Consider that over 275,000 illegal immigrants were expelled from the U.S. in FY 2007. This is hardly enough to reduce the estimated 12 million undocumented people.
This problem cannot be solved by the United States by deporting its citizens. Willing workers will always respond to economic opportunities.
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