Why Does Imigration Divide America?: Public Finance And Political Opposition To Open Borders

Americans are roughly divided between those who favor scaling down immigration, out of concern about labor-market pressures and the burden on public finance, and those who support maintaining it at current levels. One result of divisiveness is inaction. Despite apparent agreement across the political spectrum that US immigration policy is in need of repair, the likelihood of serious reform appears slight. Hanson explores the interplay between public finance and immigration policy and offers two strategies to reduce immigration's consequences for the public coffers. One is to attract individuals likely to pay more in taxes than they draw in public services; a second strategy is to restructure immigrants' rights to public benefits.