Does immigration increase housing costs?

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) sparked a social media debate this week when he claimed illegal immigration drives up the cost of housing.

After an economics professor attempted to correct Vance on Twitter, sharing a graph that suggested rent had risen independent of immigration levels, Vance responded by calling the professor one of the “left wing ideologues” in academia and insulting his IQ.

Vance highlighted several flaws in the professor’s argument, which had many defenders on social media.

Among them was the likelihood that the professor used only legal immigration figures in his analysis, while the...