,The Fiscal Cost of Low-Skill Immigrants to the U.S. Taxpayer

The Fiscal Cost of Low-Skill Immigrants to the U.S. Taxpayer


 

Publication Date: May 2007

Publisher: Heritage Foundation (Washington, D.C.)

Author(s): Robert Rector; Christine Kim

Research Area: Population and demographics

Keywords: Immigration; fiscal burden

Type: Report

Coverage: United States

Abstract:

Current immigration practices, both legal and illegal, operate like a system of trans-national welfare outreach bringing millions of fiscally dependent individuals into the U.S. This policy needs to be changed. U.S. immigration policy should encourage high-skill immigration and strictly limit low-skill immigration. In general, government policy should limit immigration to those who will be net fiscal contributors, avoiding those who will increase poverty and impose new costs on overburdened U.S. taxpayers.