In an article published in the Times of Trenton on December 11, 2013, Matthew I. Hirsch makes a fiscally-based argument advocating for comprehensive immigration reform.
“One of the core principles of CIR is legalization of the undocumented. What are the economic benefits of legalizing the undocumented? A UCLA study looked at the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act legalization and found that legalized immigrants earn higher wages, move into higher-paying occupations, invest more in education, open bank accounts, build and buy homes and start businesses. Projecting forward, that study found that CIR would add $1.5 trillion in U.S. GDP over 10 years. More specifically, the report found that, in the first three years, the higher earning power of legalized workers would yield increased personal income of more than $30 billion, $5 billion in new federal taxes and enough new spending to support 750,000 new jobs”.
The full article, titled “Comprehensive Immigration Reform would bring huge economic benefits”, can be found here.