Researchers Find 'No Evidence' That Deportations Created Jobs for Americans

New research from the University of Colorado Boulder showed that US-born workers aren't filling jobs left behind by unauthorized immigrants. 

The Details: After comparing federal labor data with ICE arrest data over the last two years, economists at UC Boulder found that heightened ICE activity didn't create more jobs or higher wages for US-born workers. Instead, employment decreased among both unauthorized immigrants and US-born men with a high school degree or less. One researcher noted that "for every six male undocumented workers lost, the labor market also lost one male US-born worker." The study also showed that employment among "likely undocumented immigrants" declined 4% on average after an ICE surge, which they attributed to a "chilling effect" where immigrants stopped working out of fear. 

For Context: According to the Department of Homeland Security, over 3 million unauthorized immigrants have left the US since October 2023, including an estimated 2.2 million self-deportations. In their study, the UC Boulder economists reported that industries most impacted from the loss of workers were agriculture, where 17% of employees were undocumented, manufacturing (6%) and construction (13%).

How the Media Covered It: Outlets that covered the story emphasized that the findings contradicted President Trump's strategy that removing unauthorized immigrants would boost work for American citizens. They also noted that unauthorized immigrant workers often complemented US-born workers. The New York Times (Lean Left bias) reported the impact in each sector, and cited previous research showing deportations slowed housing construction and drove up home prices. Fortune (Center) focused on the overall long-term economic impact and the benefits of hiring unauthorized immigrants. AllSides only found right-leaning coverage from Washington Times (Lean Right). It noted that employers were now either automating jobs or "waiting out the Trump team" instead of hiring US-born workers. It also quoted a White House spokesperson who said Trump "continues to implement a commonsense agenda" to boost economic growth.

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