Trump's Stand On Immigration Will Hurt The Economy

Well, this is interesting. Donald Trump tells immigrants at our border that the United States is full, and they are not needed.

Meanwhile, Trump's chief of staff Mick Mulvaney tells a gathering in England that the United States is desperate for immigrants. He says the U.S. needs more immigrants to keep the economy growing.

Actually, the two men are not that far apart. Both want more immigration. They just don't want poor or people of color to immigrate to this country. Instead, they want skilled (white) Europeans to come to this country. Their policy is both racist and not what this country needs.

Trump has told his followers that he opposes immigration because those immigrants depress wages by taking jobs that American citizens need (for less money). Sadly, his followers believe that because it coincides with their own racist views. But the truth is far different.

America doesn't need skilled workers to come here. The U.S. has all the skilled workers it needs. Bringing in more will just take jobs away from Americans (jobs they want) and depress wages because the immigrants will work for less to get into the country. That would be good for Trump's corporate cronies, but bad for workers.

The immigrants that America really needs are those Trump is caging and denying entry to on our Southern border. Those people would happily take the low-wage, dirty, and dangerous jobs that Americans don't want. They would contribute critically to the economy without competing with workers for high-wage and skilled jobs.

As usual, Trump and his Republican cohorts have it backwards -- and they are following a nonsensical policy that will hurt the economy instead of helping it.