Immigration Reform 2013: New Law Would Lower Deficit By $197 Billion

Sharply refuting the conservative argument that immigration reform would be costly, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated on Tuesday that if the Senate’s immigration bill passes, there will be a $197 billion decrease in federal budget deficits in the span of 10 years between 2014 and 2023. 

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) expressed his satisfaction with the estimate by connecting it to the work of fellow conservatives. 

“The CBO has further confirmed what most conservative economists have found: Reforming our immigration system is a net benefit for our economy, American workers and taxpayers,” Rubio said.

While Senator Rubio tries to give conservative economists credit by obliquely explaining that they thought of the lucrative potential of immigration reform before the CBO came out with the estimate, the idea that immigration reform would lead to a decrease in the deficit in itself is not novel. 

This major decrease in the deficit would be a natural result of what occurs when millions of undocumented immigrants finally are integrated into the economic system, an occurrence that should not be viewed as a shocking phenomenon. The bill will finally crack down on illegal hiring practices which will not only bring harsh penalties to employers who are violating the law by hiring undocumented workers, but will also protect these immigrants from being exploited and treated as modern-day slaves. 

However, for those who oppose the idea of allowing a large influx of immigrants to make it through the borders with the argument that jobs will become more scarce, it seems like these immigration opponents will have to take a step back, take a deep breath, and put their complaints aside. 

Not only will there be a great increase in legal immigrants, but an estimated 8 million undocumented immigrants will gain legal status. A lot will change for the U.S. in the coming years if this bill is passed and it will be an overall win for the U.S. as a whole. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) sums up the future of immigration reform best: “Immigration reform is not only the right thing to do to stay true to our nation’s principles, it will also boost our economy, reduce the deficit and create jobs.”

Americans, especially those skeptical about the current immigration bill, must understand that immigration reform is not just targeted at providing young people who were brought as children a fighting chance at finally and legally being accepted into the nation where they grew up. 

Pursuing immigration reform is also not just an aim to provide more STEM professionals with an opportunity to bring their skills and innovative ideas to the American workforce. The fight for immigration reform is also a fight for human rights, for the exploited immigrants who have suffered abuses from American employers, and a fight to preserve the American dream both by letting those who are willing to work for it pursue it and by giving U.S. citizens a chance to see a renewed economy where they too can flourish.