September 14, 2023
K-State economics professor writes on undocumented immigrant amnesty
Hugh Cassidy, associate professor of economics, recently published a research paper with the Baker Institute at Rice University, "How Granting Amnesty to Undocumented Immigrants Could Boost the U.S. Labor Market."
There are approximately 12 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. According to Cassidy's research, though many of these immigrants are employed, lacking legal status to work likely harms these workers' earnings since they are restricted from working in a number of occupations that require occupational licensing, a driver's license, or that are public-facing and thus may lead to greater risk of detection and deportation.
A widespread immigrant amnesty program is frequently discussed to address the issues of undocumented immigrants. According to Cassidy, understanding the benefits to the labor market from such an amnesty program is an important aspect of this debate.
Cassidy's paper produces an estimated effect on earnings that currently undocumented immigrants might enjoy if they were granted legal status.
He finds that, though undocumented immigrant workers earn far less on average than legal immigrant workers, most of this gap is due to differences in individual characteristics such as education level and English proficiency. Nonetheless, the paper estimates that, if granted amnesty, the total earnings of undocumented immigrants would rise by approximately $14 billion per year. This increase would be driven both by undocumented immigrants having a wider range of occupations to choose from, as well as enhanced incentive to invest in skills, notably English language ability, since after receiving amnesty, these immigrants would be more likely to stay in the U.S. for a longer time.