Do illegal immigrants contribute more to the economy than the cost attributable to them?

Americans for Immigration Refrom (AIR) asks this question:

Do illegal immigrants contribute more to the economy than the cost attributable to them associated with public education and health care for their families?

Fact: Undocumented workers contribute to the US economy.

* Undocumented workers comprise 5% of the American workforce, but are concentrated in low-skilled jobs such as farming, food production, construction and domestic workers and maintenance. (The Perryman Report, p. 27 ff)

* Undocumented workers are responsible for $651,511,000,000 in annual economic output and $1.757 trillion in annual spending. (The Perryman Report, p. 6)

Fact: Native-born Americans are not entering the workforce in unskilled jobs, and thus America’s workforce needs must be met from another population.

* “In 1960, about 50% of men in this country joined the low-skilled labor force without completing high school; the number is now less than 10%.” (“Late, Great Immigration Debate,” Los Angeles Times, February 20, 2007, as cited by The Perryman Report, p. 31.)

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