The nuances of immigration issues
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To get a sense of the immigration crisis, look no further than Amazon.com. The company was the largest sponsor of H-1B work permits for skilled foreign workers over the past three years, and would likely hire far more if allowed. It’s also chronically short of warehouse workers, and since 2022 has run a program to help refugees get work at the company.
Yet Amazon, like much of corporate America, would almost certainly face a backlash if it pushed for more immigration. Public opinion has hardened on undocumented immigrants. And more restrictions may be coming, regardless of whether Donald Trump or Kamala Harris prevail in the November election.
The consequences matter. The labor market, while softening, remains tight, with 1.2 job openings per unemployed person. Immigration, meanwhile, ranks as a top issue for voters. How it’s handled by Trump or Harris, along with the next Congress, will impact the country’s economic growth, labor markets, and the U.S. fiscal deficit—none of it positively if immigration is curbed, according to nonpartisan forecasts.
