“Sending the illegals home” would result in massive wage inflation in agriculture, construction, and services.
Ever visited a farm in the Central Valley? Or walked around a construction site anywhere in CA? Or gone behind the scenes at a locall hotel or restaurant? All of these businesses employ immigrant labor, much of it illegal.
In a state where unemployment is already low at ~5%, where do you think we’d find people to fill the millions of jobs vacated by the illegal immigrants we send home?
Overnight you would see cash wages rise by 20-30% in order to entice legal workers into these low-end jobs. And these employers would also begin paying more in health insurance, etc.
And all of these costs would immediately be passed on to consumers.
Who wants to see inflation move from 2-3% pa to double digits?
The majority of consumers here in CA are net beneficiaries of the widespread employment of illegal aliens. Most debate centers around the significant costs involved in providing education, healthcare, etc to this very large component of the workforce, but few talk about the very positive effects this group has on prices.
