Central American Illegal Migration Tracks US Job Openings, Mexican Illegal Migration Tracks Visas

David J. BierThe U.S. Border Patrol could arrest as many immigrants from Central America ’s Northern Triangle of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras this year than any year in its history. Several causes have combined to create this historic migration, but one that has received little attention so far is the state of the U.S. economy. Contrary to the perception that the labor market is doing poorly, U.S. employers actuallyhad more unfilled positions in February of 2021 (seasonally adjusted) than in February of 2020 before the pandemic.U.S. employers need workers, and Central Americans are helping fill those positions. It is important to state upfront that this says nothing about the motivation of the migrants. A  job can be a motivator to relocate but it can also just be a means to enable relocation. Of course, the truth will often be a mixture and depend on the individual. Regardless, Central Americans are paying between$6,000 and$10,000 to smugglers to obtain passage to the United States. Whether fleeing persecution or gang violence, natural disasters or domestic abuse, poverty or famine, a  job is a prerequisite to afford the costly journey.The National Academy of Sciences (NAS)report on immigration enforcement summarized the state of the academic literature on Central American illegal immigration in 2012 as follows:Among migrants from Central America, the data show that enforcement also interacts with the state of the U.S. economy. When employment demand and wage...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs