Trump’s immigration policies, particularly his pledge for mass deportations, reveal a dangerous trifecta of ignorance, racism, and incompetence that could irreparably harm the U.S. economy. First, let’s address the ignorance. Trump and his supporters either fail to understand or deliberately ignore the overwhelming economic contributions immigrants make. Undocumented immigrants alone pay billions in taxes each year—an estimated $27.2 billion annually in federal, state, and local taxes, with $12 billion specifically going to Social Security. That’s money that they give to YOU that they’ll never be able to claim back. Moreover, immigrants, both legal and undocumented, occupy critical jobs in industries such as agriculture, construction, and healthcare. Approximately 73% of the agricultural workforce consists of immigrants, meaning mass deportations could cause an acute labor shortage, leading to higher prices on everyday goods like food. Trump’s lack of basic economic understanding is obvious: by removing a core workforce, you destabilize industries, shrink GDP, and drive up inflation. In fact, estimates suggest that deporting 7 million workers could reduce the national GDP by 6%, a loss of about $1.6 trillion. Labor builds America, and by reducing it, you reduce America’s capacity. It’s extremely simple to anyone who understands the basics of economics.
Racism permeates Trump’s entire immigration agenda. He vilifies immigrants, despite the evidence proving that they are less likely to commit crimes than native-born Americans—he gaslights people into thinking the opposite. A study by the libertarian CATO Institute found that immigrants, particularly undocumented ones, have significantly lower incarceration rates than U.S.-born citizens. Trump’s race-baiting rhetoric, however, aims to paint all immigrants as dangerous criminals, fostering an environment of fear and xenophobia. His approach is built on stereotypes and racist assumptions, with no regard for the facts or the human cost. Worse, his policies specifically target immigrants from Latin America and Africa, perpetuating the myth that immigrants from these regions are inherently problematic while ignoring the substantial contributions they make to society.
Lastly, incompetence drives the catastrophic implementation of these racist, ignorant policies. Economists widely agree that mass deportation would lead to economic disaster. Deporting millions of undocumented immigrants would cost between $400 billion and $600 billion and shrink GDP by up to $1.6 trillion over two decades. Moreover, the labor shortage that would follow deportation would reignite inflation and worsen unemployment for U.S.-born workers. The Bipartisan Policy Center predicts that deporting millions of workers would cause unemployment to skyrocket, increasing joblessness among both unskilled and skilled American workers. Ironically, Trump’s proposal, designed to “save American jobs,” would ultimately take nearly a million jobs from U.S. citizens and cause economic pain for millions more.
And it gets worse: Trump’s plans would also plunge mixed-status families into poverty, slashing their median income by 47%, forcing countless U.S.-born children into hardship. With up to 1.2 million mortgages tied to undocumented families, the housing market would face immense strain, risking mass foreclosures. By destabilizing entire industries, inflating costs, and dismantling immigrant communities, Trump’s policies would wreak havoc across the board, but especially for the middle and working class.
The kicker? Trump, in his grotesque commitment to outdoing his previous term’s cruelty, has expanded his deportation target list to include legally protected migrants under Humanitarian Parole and Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The man who claims to stand for “America First” is willing to gut the U.S. economy, destroy families, and uproot entire communities—all to placate his most xenophobic, ignorant, and bigoted supporters.
Supporting Trump’s immigration policies, therefore, isn’t just an act of misguided patriotism; it’s a willful engagement in ignorance, racism, and incompetence that will severely harm America.
Additional Insight on Housing Impact:
Trump’s mass deportation would also ravage the U.S. housing market. Economists project that deporting undocumented immigrants, many of whom live in owner-occupied homes, would lead to an increase in foreclosures. One-third of undocumented immigrants live in owner-occupied homes, and with their removal, up to 860,000 homes in California alone would be at risk of foreclosure. The impact would mirror the 2008 housing crisis, where the widespread loss of income destabilized neighborhoods, drove property values down, and exacerbated economic woes for both homeowners and renters alike.
Worse, Trump and his supporters mislead their base by framing these economic devastations as “good for the housing market” because prices will drop. This absurdity shows an utter lack of understanding of how economics work. Falling home values don’t benefit the economy; they drag it down, pushing more families into poverty, causing job losses, and triggering recessions. The rich might temporarily benefit from cheaper properties, but the devastation for everyday Americans is overwhelming and long-lasting.