The Economics of Illegal Immigration

The Trends editors have examined America’s need to proactively recruit the best talent from around the world, particularly STEM graduates of American universities. We’ve also explored the ways in which low-skilled immigrants—both legal and illegal—have added to the disruption experienced by American citizens in the bottom two economic quintiles as they try to adapt to the economic realities of the digital economy. In this issue, we will investigate another important dimension of immigration: the burden it places on America’s social safety net. What drives thes.....