Tom Homan's Deportation Strategy Likely to Increase Mexican Presence in the U.S.
Tom Homan's Deportation Strategy Likely to Increase Mexican Presence in the U.S.
The perspective here is that mass expulsion of Mexicans from the U.S. might lead to an even larger number of Mexicans attempting to get into the U.S. This is a straightforward economic concept. Irrespective of one's beliefs, please continue reading.
As expressed by Crispin Agustin Mendoza, mayor of Alcozauca, Mexico, "I construct their American dreams. My reliance is solely on the U.S. economy." This statement is derived from reporting by Simon Romero of the New York Times. Some might dismiss Romero's reporting as Times propaganda, but it's more constructive to consider the substance of his reporting.
Mendoza constructs houses financed by remittances from Mexican workers in the U.S., and the houses he constructs in Alcozauca are a direct result of Mexican productivity within the U.S. economy. Pause and reflect upon that.
What it conveys initially is contrary to the widely-held belief that Mexicans are migrating to the U.S. for welfare, the more accurate narrative, one that Americans perceive daily, is that they're migrating to the U.S. to work. Annual dollar remittances to Mexico from Mexicans working in the U.S., estimated at $63 billion, underscore this truth.
What the remittances further imply is that rather than an openness to Mexican workers potentially causing a massive influx, it's more probable that Mexican workers currently present in the U.S. actually limit the influx of many more. The aforementioned remittances suggest this possibility. Precisely because such a significant amount of dollar wealth flows back to Mexico, a substantial number of Mexicans don't need to migrate to the U.S. exactly because remittances sustain them in Mexico.
Thus, those championing planned deportations of Mexican workers ought to be cautious about their wishes. If deportations indeed occur, the economic impact on the Mexican economy will be catastrophic. Consider the $63 billion in estimated annual remittances.
With a significant piece of Mexico's economy relying on production in the U.S., a halt to those inflows will logically impoverish a considerable number of those formerly sustained directly by remittances. Beyond that, consider the businesses and workers within Mexico likewise sustained by those remittances.
If they cease, the result will be more economic hardship within Mexico, not less. From there, readers need only pause and contemplated what the effect of economic hardship is: migration to where there isn't hardship. Think the U.S. Deportation will paradoxically increase the urgency within the Mexican population to migrate to the U.S.
To which some will respond that President-elect Trump's border czar Tom Homan means business and will not allow the inflow of people that past presidents have. Okay, but how?
Seemingly overlooked by conservatives in their support of deportation, walls, enhanced border security, and other deterrents is that none of this will come cheap. Which raises the obvious question of how much conservatives will tolerate the growth of a substantial amount of government necessary to keep increasingly desperate Mexicans out of the U.S.
Thus, conservatives should arguably proceed with caution in endorsing Homan, along with any policy intended to stifle the market signal that is Mexican citizens choosing to work in the U.S. Markets always communicate, and if Mexican labor in the U.S. that sustains people and the economy in Mexico is stifled, the costs to the U.S. economy in terms of productivity and soaring government expenses will be immense. And may paradoxically result in more Mexicans migrating to the U.S. despite costly efforts to keep them out.
John Tamny, an economist and columnist, argues that the mass expulsion of Mexicans from the U.S. could potentially lead to an increase in illegal immigration from Mexico. This viewpoint contrasts with Tom Homan's stance as President-elect Trump's border czar, who intends to reduce the inflow of immigrants into the U.S.
The economic impacts of these policies are significant. While Homan's approach to border control could be costly, Tamny suggests that stifling Mexican labor in the U.S. could have detrimental effects on the US economy, potentially leading to higher government expenses and increased illegal immigration from Mexico. Meanwhile, Mexicans like Mendoza rely on remittances from their counterparts working in the US, making it less likely for more Mexicans to migrate.