US Crackdown on Undocumented Immigrants Leads to Loss of 670,000 Jobs

"Each ICE Arrest Linked to Loss of 13 Jobs"


Widespread Contraction in Local Economies and Consumer Spending

A recent study found that the large-scale crackdown on undocumented immigrants by the Donald Trump administration last year led to a contraction in local U.S. economies, resulting in a reduction of nearly 670,000 jobs.

On the 30th, Yonhap News Agency, citing Bloomberg, reported these findings. According to the article, the Brookings Institution, a U.S. think tank, released a report estimating that approximately 668,000 jobs disappeared last year due to intensified crackdowns by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The researchers analyzed 86 cities where the number of ICE arrests surged and found that, on average, each arrest led to a decrease of 13 jobs.

On the 26th (local time), ICE agents stood guard outside the Delaney Hall detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, USA, while protests against inmate transfers took place. Photo by AP Yonhap News

The sector hit hardest was construction, which relies heavily on immigrant labor. However, job losses were not limited to construction; they occurred across a wide range of industries. For example, even in the arts and entertainment sector, which does not have a particularly high proportion of immigrant workers, there was a significant decline in jobs. The researchers explained, "ICE's sweeping immigration crackdowns led to reduced outings and consumer activities, which in turn caused companies to cut back on hiring." They pointed out that compared to the past, these more aggressive and fear-inducing enforcement tactics had a broad chilling effect on local economies as a whole.

Companies that had depended on immigrant labor suddenly faced severe labor shortages, which forced them to reduce their overall business operations—including jobs held by American workers. Of the estimated 668,000 jobs lost, as many as 297,000 were originally held by American workers.

A decline in consumer spending was also observed.

According to the report, in immigrant-concentrated neighborhoods in Los Angeles, consumer spending dropped by as much as 25% in the two months following ICE raids. The Brookings Institution noted, "If the goal of cracking down on undocumented immigrants is to protect American workers and strengthen local economic resilience, large-scale enforcement actions are not only costly but can actually backfire."

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