Analysis of U.S. Census Bureau reporting by the Center for Immigration Studies showed nearly 600,000 immigrants have vanished from the U.S. labor force since January, attributed to the "Trump effect."
The lead author of the study, Steven Camarota, told The Washington Times, "It looks like there's been a Trump effect on the number of illegal immigrants in the country, based on the best data that we have."
The CIS report said that in addition to creating a vacuum in the labor force, the total number of immigrants who have left the country since January is close to 1 million.
From the first day of his second term in the White House, President Donald Trump began a concerted effort to enforce U.S. immigration laws and to remove illegal aliens while adding border security measures to prevent additional illegal immigrants from crossing into America.
Trump's Jan. 20 executive order titled Protecting the American People Against Invasion, was squarely aimed at people who had entered America illegally. "Many of these aliens unlawfully within the United States present significant threats to national security and public safety, committing vile and heinous acts against innocent Americans."
Since then, illegal border crossings have been significantly reduced. Immigration and Customs Enforcement efforts to round up criminal illegal aliens have increased. Recent enforcement actions in California have been targeted by protests and riots.
While some farms have reported their employee teams have dwindled with a negative impact on operations, Camarota said it is an opening for people in the U.S. looking for work to step in and fill the void.
"I think that this is good news particularly for less-educated Americans who are likely to see a rise in wages," he told the news outlet. "Maybe it'll even be helpful in dragging some of these noncollege-educated men who are working age back into the labor force."
The study indicated that an unknown percentage of the immigrant number reduction could be caused by people not truthfully admitting their status to the Census Bureau.
Nonetheless, Camarota said he believed the Trump effect is real.
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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