Pretty much every poll shows the economy remains the #1 voter issue in the upcoming US presidential election. Many of these same polls show immigration and border security as the second most important issue.

Concerned by reports of a surge of undocumented immigrants crossing the border illegally in recent years, many voters worry about the economic, social and political implications of this wave of bodies, and wonder if America can effectively absorb & afford them.

I recognize this is a quite sensitive topic, one that some would say is outside of the purview of this channel. But this issue does have important economic implications, and from what I hear from viewers, many regular Americans feel they just don't have a good sense of the facts on this situation.

So that's why I'm sitting down today with Dr Steven Camarota, who serves as the Director of Research for the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), a non-partisan Washington, D.C.-based research institute that examines the consequences of legal and illegal immigration on the United States.

We're going to do our best to lay out the facts of the situation at our borders, in as non-partisan, respectful and impartial a manner as possible

#illegalimmigration #bordersecurity #immigration

0:00 Context For The Discussion
7:00 How The Legal Immigration System Works (And Doesn't)
21:01 How Big Is The Flow Of Illegal Immigrants?
26:50 Why Do We Grant Illegals Work Authorization?
31:04 How "Remain In America" Works
40:08 Will Illegals Impact Future US Elections?
44:28 Why Allow *Any* Illegal Immigration Vs Expanding Legal Immigration?
47:37 Charts Visualizing The Recent Surge In Illegal Immigration
1:01:15 Education Level Differential Between Legal & Illegal Immigrants
1:07:49 Are Illegals Taking Jobs From Working US Citizens?
1:20:20 Can The US Afford To Absorb The Current Volumes Of Illegals?
1:26:23 What Is The Crime Risk From Illegals?
1:35:59 Are Mass Deportations Feasible?
1:40:00 What Reforms To Our Immigration System Would Be Wise To Consider?

---

Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thoughtful-money/support