Alien Impact on American Economy

Nadadur, Ramanvjan. "Illegal Immigration: A Positive Economic Contribution to the United States." Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies July 2009: 1037-1052.

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Ramanujan Nadadur lays out the basic argument that illegal immigration has a positive impact on the US economy. Nadadur writes, “Classical economics holds that immigration benefits the host country because it subsides the labor supply.” Nadadur uses statistical facts and history of illegal immigration as a backdrop for his paper. He makes it seen that illegal immigrants positively contribute to the US economy as consumers in the market. “90 percent of the wages that the undocumented population earns are currently spent inside the US. As a result, “The total consumptive capacity of illegal immigrants remaining in the US is around $450 billion.” Nadadur notes many different arguments throughout the article. “Immigrants also positively benefit the economy by increasing demand, spurring investment, and keeping receiving-country industries competitive through enhancing capital productivity.” Nadadur acknowledges that “immigrants are more willing then legal immigrants and native workers to take jobs where high labor turnover and poor working conditions” and suggests that this may also be a hint to the US economic downfall.

Nadadur’s point of view is important because it addresses an issue the US is currently facing. The issues of illegal immigration and the economic crises in the US have been a continuous, and controversial topic among American’s. Some believe that illegal immigrants are a part of the economic downfall but Nadadur proves a greater good for these aliens. On top of educating the readers on immigration and the amount of money used to control the borders he makes us aware of the positive contributions they bring to the country. He suggests, “Allocating resources between the federal and state governments could help solve this dilemma.” By purposing the positive attributions illegal immigrants bring to the economy, Nadadur challenges his audience to consider how immigration is indeed a positive economic stimulant.