Despite the nation's current rosy economy, it is a mistake to assume that immigration is benefitting our economy, our fiscal well-being, or the health of our labor market. Furthermore, the earning power of these poor immigrants is deteriorating and is likely to remain low throughout their working lives. In a very real sense, we are importing poverty.
Immigrants are a drain on national, state and local budgets.
Part of that price is lost productivity. Business and social transaction costs rise, as time, effort, and money are spent overcoming language and cultural barriers. Communication becomes difficult, often due to language barriers. In 1996, analysis of all the metropolitan areas with over a million residents found that the higher the immigrant population in the city, the smaller the middle class share. The jobs immigration does create are often for other immigrants and at the expense of Americans.