Prompt Cast
The Impact of Immigration on the US: Jobs, Wages, and Crime
TLDR This episode of Science Versus explores the impact of immigration on the United States, discussing topics such as job availability, wages, and crime rates. While immigrants may fill jobs that Americans don't want, they have a minimal impact on wages and crime rates, and actually contribute to economic growth.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
This episode of Science Versus is about immigration and its impact on the US, including recent policies implemented by Donald Trump and new scientific research on the subject.
04:13
This section of the podcast discusses the impact of immigration on the US, including the construction of a wall at the US-Mexico border and the effects of strict immigration laws in certain states.
08:42
After Alabama passed an immigration law, farmers like Jeremy Calvert struggled to find workers and had to work longer hours themselves, contradicting the promise that losing immigrants would open up jobs for Americans.
12:48
Immigrants can fill the jobs that many Americans don't want to do, such as farming, because Americans have become more educated and want better jobs, and farm work is tough.
16:55
Immigrants can drive down the wages of low-income earners, but the overall impact on the wages of Americans is very small, and most Americans won't lose their jobs because of immigrants; in fact, immigrants create jobs through their spending and demand for goods and services.
21:05
Immigrants boost the economy, create jobs, and fill government purses through their spending and demand for goods and services, and highly skilled immigrants also contribute to innovation and long-term economic growth.
26:07
While immigrants may take public resources such as education and welfare in the short term, the American-born children of immigrants contribute more in taxes and have an overall positive impact on long-run economic growth in the United States, according to a National Academy of Sciences report.
30:45
Research from the UK suggests that immigrants, particularly those who are asylum seekers and unable to work, have little to no effect on violent crime rates, and while there may be a small increase in property crime in areas where asylum seekers settle, it is not significant enough to be noticeable to the general population.
34:29
The majority of research shows that immigrants do not increase the crime rate and may even lower it, and economists generally agree that immigrants are good for the economy.
