Undocumented workers aid economy, study claims

A recent study conducted by the Waco, Texas-based Perryman Group shows Oklahoma would lose $1.8 billion in spending and nearly 13,400 jobs if undocumented workers were removed.

Oklahoma ranked 13 among states most heavily impacted by undocumented workers. Consumer spending nationwide is estimated to decline by $1.7 trillion without undocumented workers, and there would be an estimated loss of about 8.1 million jobs.

"The undocumented work force is vital to U.S. business growth and prosperity and in some cases sustainability and thus an enforcement-only and removal approach is simply not viable,” said Ray Perrryman, a financial analyst and president of the Perryman Group.

"It eliminates a huge part of our work force without looking at our work force needs or offering any alternate solutions. If you put a program in place with nothing but building walls and penalizing business, it's going to disrupt the economy.”

In Texas, Perryman said there are about 450,000 unemployed people but 1.2 million undocumented workers.

Consequently, it is not logical that, even if every available worker in Texas was gainfully employed, the state could absorb the loss of undocumented workers.

"And a lot of those domestic workers don't have the skills to do construction or the stamina for agriculture, not to mention they are not located where the jobs are,” Perryman said.

Perryman conceded that while undocumented workers create economic positives for the federal government, many business and ultimate savings for consumers, local governments receive the short end of the stick. Local governments must bear the burden of increased spending on public education and safety, he said.

On one end, undocumented workers pay into programs like Social Security and Medicare even though they are not legally entitled to participate. In fact the Social Security Administration rakes in more than $7 billion annually into its suspense fund — largely made up of contributions from undocumented people working under fraudulent Social Security numbers.

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