ISSUE BRIEF

White House Report Confirms President Obama’s Executive Actions Will Harm American Workers, Taxpayers

By Eric A. Ruark, Director Of Research | January 30, 2015

immigration. According to them, granting Social Security numbers and work authorization to 5 million

illegal aliens and circumventing existing ceilings on guest workers (often ignored by the media) will

“grow the economy.”

The fact that these executive actions are unconstitutional and illegal must not be overlooked when

discussing their economic effects. An economy that rewards those who are most willing to break the law

is not a sound one. The rule of law is the onl y basis for sustained prosperity, which is one reason wh y the

past 45 years of unprecedented levels of illegal immigration have corresponded with increasing

President Obama, having asserted that he is the sole limiting authority on the extent of his

executive powers, is now claiming that he can circumvent the economic consequences of his actions by

presenting an alternative reality where outcomes are determined by wish fulfillment.

The crux of the president’s argument is that immigration grows the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and

this increase outweighs all other considerations. According to the White House, the increase in the GDP

will be $90 billion or 0.4% higher in 2024 than it would have been if the president had not usurped

Congress’ power to admit immigrants. Of this increase, they calculate, 0.3 %, or three-fourths, will come

from bringing in more “high-skilled” guest workers. It is true that low num bers of highly skilled

immigrants do provide economic benefits, though these benefits are modest and localized (willingness to

work more cheaply than a comparable American worker is