WILLING TO WORK

Immigrants, both legal and undocumented, are willing to work in a variety of occupations from skilled scientists, engineers, and health care workers to day laborers. Calls to deport all undocumented persons would cause the U.S. to face labor shortages, while costing over $500 billion. Reform of the U.S. immigration system and legal status for immigrants would be beneficial for the work force and for the economy.

Immigrants pay almost $59 billion in taxes annually and contribute $26 billion in Social Security taxes, despite being ineligible to receive the social benefits they pay for.

Undocumented workers provide:

~ 50% meat processing

~40% poultry processing

~50% farm work

~40% construction

~75% day labor

This October 2025 the Labor Department made a new rule that lowers pay for seasonal migrants working in agriculture under the H-2A visa program. The move was to cut farmers’ labor costs by $24 billion over the next 10 years. It also shifted the burden for paying for worker housing from employer sponsors to migrant workers, with some exceptions.

Since January 2025, the labor force has shrunk by more than 1.2 million immigrant workers. Restaurant owners and farmers are especially hard hit.