What are the economic benefits for the United States if Congress allows unauthorized immigrants to earn legal status and also sets flexible limits on permanent and temporary immigration that responds to future labor demands?
The answer is provided in a major study by Dr. Raul Hinojosa Ojeda of the University of California, Los Angeles, which finds that immigration reform with those components would create widespread economic growth, including a significant rise in the gross domestic product and a boost in wages for native-born workers and immigrants.
Immigration reform will raise GDP in the United States by over $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years. In contrast, deportation-only proposals will cost the U.S. economy over $2.5 trillion—above and beyond the cost of deporting 12 million people.
On January 7, 2010, left will meet right on the economic benefits of immigration reform for the United States and workers in America. Daniel Griswold of the Cato Institute, Heather Boushey of the Center for American Progress, and Ben Johnson of the American Immigration Council will join Hinojosa at a press conference to discuss the findings of the report, the implications of immigration policy for the U.S. economy, and the shared interest in reform across the political spectrum.
Featured Speakers:
Dr. Raúl Hinojosa Ojeda, Founding Director of the North American Integration and Development, or NAID Center at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Daniel Griswold, Director of the Center for Trade Policy Studies at the Cato Institute, Washington, D.C.
Heather Boushey, Senior Economist at the Center for American Progress
Benjamin Johnson, Executive Director of the American Immigration Council
Moderated by:
Angela Kelley, Vice President for Immigration Policy and Advocacy at the Center for American Progress
If you are a member of the press, please RSVP to Suzi Emmerling at 202.481.8224, [email protected] or Wendy Sefsaf at 202- 507-7524, [email protected]
Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis and not guaranteed.
Map and directions.
Nearest Metro: Blue/Orange Line to McPherson Square or Red Line to Metro Center
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