Week 15: Economic Impact of Immigrants

Tasks

• collect S/R paper
• decide due date for final project (Th, 5/18 or day exam is scheduled?)

Discussion/Lecture

• Basics:

• What do we mean by wages are not changing? http://tinyurl.com/qxuhn2o 
• But's it's really complicated...
• median HH income not as bad: http://tinyurl.com/2gxv22c
• but that only tells half the story
• wages have clearly stagnated
• the bottom has been hit hardest
• shrinking middle class is a result of people moving into lower rungs of society AND people moving into upper rungs http://scrible.com/s/4BM2S

• you were assigned: 

• Borjas – 2016 – Yes, Immigrants Hurt American Workers (http://tinyurl.com/hol5pmp)
• Borjas (Harvard economist), but even one of his colleagues contradicts his assertions
• Crider: An Immigration Raid Aids Blacks -- For a Time
• see annotated version https://goo.gl/tchANF
• wages went from $6/hr to $7-$9/hr
• brutal work and not surprisingly native-born workers demanded better treatment and wages 
• turnover is very high
• on immigrants and welfare: 
• data is actually questionable- comes largely from discredited CIS-- http://scrible.com/s/4Bw2S 
• Waldinger-2003-How the Other Half Works-Introduction (http://tinyurl.com/japtqkq)

• Given this discussion, what are we to make with the DREAMERS and DACA?
• Plyler v. Doe - extends rights of education to children under 18 regardless of citizenship status
• in theory (and before this case), can we decide that children who are not authorized to be in the US not be allowed have free public school education?
• what was the argument for this decision?
• what about the "Dreamers"? 
• should we help undocumented/unauthorized students with financial aid, etc. to attend college?
• DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and DAPA (Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents)