The migrant experience provides the fullest spectrum of human suffering in the world.
They are exiting their homelands under various circumstances. There are the asylum seekers, the victims of human trafficking, the refugees, the environmental migrants, and those facing the specter of torture or forced disappearance.
Among them are people who, if forced out of the country as part of President-elect Donald Trump’s mass-deportation plan, will have a direct negative impact on our economy. That’s because most migrants fill vital roles such as laborers, seasonal and temporary workers, and highly skilled businesspeople.
Migration doesn’t only benefit those who come to the United States. There is ample evidence and economic data that illustrates the value of migrants in filling untold numbers of lower-paying jobs, service jobs, and highly technical positions as is seen in government, research and industry.
There isn’t any doubt that most people are supportive of enforcement activities that will expel criminal migrants. These are people who do not generally contribute to society, and, in fact, are threats to security and community well-being.
Sadly, too many headlines have punctuated our collective consciousness with tragic instances of brutal crimes committed against innocents by undocumented immigrants. Add to that acts of theft, fraudulent activities, and drug and alcohol offenses and the public outcry will certainly drive the intended public policies to clean the slate.
However, such criminal-minded migrants are the minority. Their deportation will have little to no impact on the economy because these individuals do not typically hold jobs, pay taxes or contribute to communities as law-abiding migrants do. Their removal would be welcome.
But the vast majority of migrants do remain engaged in careers, pay taxes, and rent or own property.
What does “mass deportation” really mean? At this juncture it’s left to conjecture. Certainly, the rhetoric is vicious and the underlying policy themes are informed by ignorance and motivated by hatred.
Beyond the criminal element, expelling migrants becomes a politically expedient method for correcting massively failed policies from Washington. The most glaring recent example is the dangerous and misguided “open border” policies pursued by the Biden administration.
Now, with equal misjudgment, Trump and his sycophants Stephen Miller, Kristi Noem and Thomas Homan want to kick off a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions to reverse decades of failure in addressing this issue.
Here in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, if there is fear and disruption in gateway cities and immigrant-laden communities, people will revert to living in the shadows. If there is widespread removal of working migrants – especially those with a legal status – a shock to employers and consumers will be inevitable. Small businesses will be faced with worker shortages and prices will spike as wages are pushed higher with firms competing for fewer workers.
At this hour the degree of the tragedy is not fully known. But if the threats being made by Trump are carried out to an excessive degree, Massachusetts with its very large migrant population incubated by its own right to shelter policies will create widespread suffering for many,
Joe D’Amore writes from Groveland. He is a former resident alien – or “green card” holder – and a naturalized citizen.