Journal of Economic Perspectives
ISSN 0895-3309 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7965 (Online)
Illegal Immigration and Immigration Control
Journal of Economic Perspectives
(pp. 101–115)
(Complimentary)
Abstract
The Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) was passed in the closing days of the 1986 legislative session. The primary purpose of IRCA is to remove illegal aliens from the U.S. labor market. It has two primary policy instruments. One is granting legal status or amnesty for certain illegal aliens, thereby in part "wiping the slate clean." The other is imposing penalties, referred to as employer sanctions, against employers who "knowingly" hire illegal aliens. Employer sanctions are intended to reduce the demand for illegal alien labor. The first sections of this paper develop an economic analysis of the illegal alien labor market, including the determinants of illegal migration and the impact on the economy. Then, that model is applied to the major provisions of IRCA and used to describe its likely consequences. A concluding section argues that because IRCA does not address the economic realities it is not likely to accomplish its objectives. The partial amnesty and impotent employer sanctions have not solved the illegal alien dilemma.Citation
Chiswick, Barry R. 1988. "Illegal Immigration and Immigration Control." Journal of Economic Perspectives 2 (3): 101–115. DOI: 10.1257/jep.2.3.101JEL Classification
- D72 Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
- J15 Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
- J18 Demographic Economics: Public Policy
- J61 Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
- J82 Labor Standards: Labor Force Composition
- K37 Immigration Law