CNN’s Harry Enten Says Trump’s Approval Rating On Immigration Has Surged ‘Like A Rocket’

rjs330 · 2026-01-19T14:37:16-0600

The Barbarian said:
Until the early 1900s, we had open borders.

This isnt the 1900s. There have also been times of shutdown of immigration and periods of severe limitations of immigration. We have MILLIONS and MILLIONS of illegals here. We do NOT need more immigrants. We have enough illegals along with the legals at this time. Getting rid of the illegals should be a priority.

The Barbarian said:
It actually worked back when we needed workers. It's working now.

No it's not. Otherwise we wouldn't have a multitude of millions of illegals. People MUST be forced to apply to come here and we should be far more strict on who comes and how long they can stay. The economy does NOT need all these illegals. Maybe there are parts that could use temporary workers. But NONE of them should be illegals. And as we are seeing in Minnesota we have legals who are scamming Americans out of millions. We have enough Americans doing this. We don't need to import immigrants who will do the same things. We can't limit Americans. But we can limit immigrants. We can't choose our family, but we can choose our friends.

The Barbarian · 2026-01-19T15:40:53-0600

Until the early 1900s, we had open borders. There was a good reason for it. We needed workers. Now, we see more immigrants coming in, as happened before the 1900s. For the same reason. Our demographics show a need for working-age immigrants. The economy noticed before politicians did. That's a symptom of market economies.

rjs330 said:
This isnt the 1900s. There have also been times of shutdown of immigration

Not until the 1900s.

rjs330 said:
and periods of severe limitations of immigration.

Open immigration actually worked back when we needed workers. It's working now.

rjs330 said:
No it's not.

That's a testable claim...

How much money do undocumented immigrants contribute to the United States economy

Undocumented immigrants pay substantial taxes and provide major labor-market contributions: several analyses estimate they paid roughly $96–97 billion in federal, state and local taxes in 2022, and other work‑force studies place undocumented workers as large shares of agriculture, construction and service sectors (e.g., 1-in-7 field workers or 25–50% shares cited) [1] [2] [3]. Economists and policy groups also find that removing millions of undocumented workers would shrink GDP, reduce tax revenue, and worsen labor shortages — but estimates of total economic contribution, fiscal net effect, and long‑term budget impact vary across sources [4] [5] [6].

https://factually.co/fact-checks/finance/undocumented-immigrants-economic-contribution-us-b6ab56

You've been badly misled about that.

rjs330 said:
The economy does NOT need all these illegals.

That's testable, too...
It is well known that mass deportation reduces aggregate economic variables like GDP due to scale effects. We project that deportation also reduces wages of high-skill workers, compromising 63% of workers. Still, authorized low-skilled workers can see their wages increase but only if the deportation policy is permanently sustained after 4 years. Even with new funds provided in the 2025 OBBBA, we estimate that permanent deportation would cost an additional $900 billion over the first 10 years.

Mass Deportation of Unauthorized Immigrants: Fiscal and Economic Effects — Penn Wharton Budget Model

It is well known that mass deportation reduces aggregate economic variables like GDP due to scale effects. We project that deportation also reduces wages of high-skill workers, compromising 63% of workers. Still, authorized low-skilled workers can see their wages increase but only if the deportati

budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu

Wharton, BTW, is the school from which Trump claims to have graduated with honors.

rjs330 said:
We have enough Americans doing this. We don't need to import immigrants who will do the same things.

See above. Seems to me that $900 billion is a lot of money, even over 10 years.

The Barbarian · 2026-01-19T16:21:57-0600

Yeah, I know economics is hard to digest when it's mixed with xenophobia. But those are the facts.

Vambram · 2026-01-19T16:32:39-0600

The Barbarian said:
Yeah, I know economics is hard to digest when it's mixed with xenophobia. But those are the facts.

It ain't hard to digest the lies and spin coming from your sources.

The Barbarian · 2026-01-19T17:02:03-0600

Vambram said:
It ain't hard to digest the lies and spin coming from your sources.

Read the sources. They link to data. Reality doesn't care what we think of it.

Vambram · 2026-01-19T17:59:11-0600

The Barbarian said:
Read the sources. They link to data. Reality doesn't care what we think of it.

Then perhaps you should be more careful of your sources who don't agree with reality.

The Barbarian · 2026-01-19T18:31:09-0600

Vambram said:
It ain't hard to digest the lies and spin coming from your sources.

When you consider the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania to be a source of "lies and spin", you've gone completely off the rails.

Vambram · 2026-01-19T20:16:18-0600

No. I have not. And I would appreciate it if you don't insult me.

The Barbarian · 2026-01-19T20:27:12-0600

Vambram said:
No. I have not.

The Wharton School

Welcome to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

www.wharton.upenn.edu

Pretty much says it all.

Vambram · 2026-01-19T20:33:30-0600

The Barbarian said:
The Wharton School

Welcome to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

www.wharton.upenn.edu

Pretty much says it all.

The writer of that report is spinning data into lies and opinions.

The Barbarian · 2026-01-19T20:44:59-0600

Vambram said:
The writer of that report is spinning data into lies and opinions.

"As 44 percent of unauthorized immigrants contribute to income and payroll taxes, their removal results in a decrease in tax revenue, equal to $187.4 billion from 2025 to 2034. Consequently, primary deficits would increase by $270.1 billion over ten years. Factoring in dynamic effects, primary deficits increase by $349.6 billion, mainly due to lower economy-wide average wages that reduce tax revenue. As discussed below, wages fall for high-skilled workers who face the highest marginal tax rates.

The 10-year policy (Table 3B) extends deportation through 2034, increasing outlays by $561.4 billion over ten years. These new required outlays are in addition to the $170 billion already allocated in the 2025 OBBBA for enhanced border security, interior enforcement, and deportation. With a greater reduction in population compared to the 4-year policy, the loss in revenue grows proportionately to the number of unauthorized immigrants no longer paying taxes. Revenues would decline by $300.4 billion from 2025 to 2034. Primary deficits would increase by more $861.8 billion over the 10-year budget window. With dynamic effects, primary deficits increase to $986.8 billion."

The Wharton School

Welcome to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

www.wharton.upenn.edu

Show us which of these claims is a lie, with your calculations to support your opinion.

RocksInMyHead · 2026-01-19T21:18:30-0600

Vambram said:
The writer of that report is spinning data into lies and opinions.

Do you have any data to back up this assertion? Or is it just...opinion?

loveofourlord · 2026-01-19T22:02:48-0600

RocksInMyHead said:
Do you have any data to back up this assertion? Or is it just...opinion?

it hurts his case.

rjs330 · 2026-01-19T22:25:54-0600

The Barbarian said:
Undocumented immigrants pay substantial taxes and provide major labor-market contributions: several analyses estimate they paid roughly $96–97 billion in federal, state and local taxes in 2022,

Estimate? They have no idea how much taxes they pay. You know why? Becauae they dont know who is and who is not an illegal. The fact they use the words undocumented is enough to know its a bunch of leftist gobbldy gook. You see businesses do not indicate in their payrolls who is legal and who is not.

The Barbarian said:
other work‑force studies place undocumented workers as large shares of agriculture, construction and service sectors (e.g., 1-in-7 field workers or 25–50% shares cited) [1] [2] [3].

That may be true. You seem to be under the impression that we NEED illegals.

The Barbarian said:
is well known that mass deportation reduces aggregate economic variables like GDP due to scale effects.

Well known huh? How? We've never done mass deportations. In fact we are not doing them now.
At the current rate How long eould it actually take to deport them all? Should we not consider that as people are deported other changes in immigration would or could occur?

This honeatly is nothing more than pure speculation. So, its actually not testable at all.

It sounds like you are being badly mislead by pure conjecture and speculation.

essentialsaltes · 2026-01-20T08:54:55-0600

rjs330 said:
Estimate? They have no idea how much taxes they pay. You know why? Becauae they dont know who is and who is not an illegal.

It's an underestimate of the total amount, but we know who files taxes using an ITIN instead of a SSN. Looks like estimates are ~$20 billion in federal taxes alone. And, of course, they're paying into Social Security and other benefits that they are not eligible to receive.

The Barbarian · 2026-01-20T08:54:58-0600

rjs330 said:
Estimate? They have no idea how much taxes they pay. You know why? Becauae they dont know who is and who is not an illegal.

There are actually very good statistics on this. There's really no point in denial.

rjs330 said:
The fact they use the words undocumented is enough to know its a bunch of leftist gobbldy gook.

If you judge people's competence by your (or anyone else's) standards of political correctness you're going to be constantly wrong.

rjs330 said:
That may be true. You seem to be under the impression that we NEED illegals.

We merely need them to maintain our current standard of living. We could do with less. You see, that's your problem. The economy noticed a need for more workers before politicians did. During the pandemic, when the number of jobs fell, so did the number of illegal aliens. The economy is smarter than most politicians. Real wages would decline as GDP would decline if all undocumented workers left the country.

is well known that mass deportation reduces aggregate economic variables like GDP due to scale effects.

rjs330 said:
Well known huh? How?

On construction sites across Baldwin County, Ala., workers are vanishing mid-shift. Not because they quit, but because immigration agents hauled them away—the “God-fearing, family-oriented” laborers who braved blistering summer heat on rooftops to support their families.

Now, contractors warn the raids are deepening a labor shortage that already threatens the state’s economic prosperity: Even in Alabama, where 65% of voters backed President Donald Trump with immigration as a top campaign issue.

Alabama builders rethink deportations as raids disappear hundreds of their ‘God-fearing, family-oriented’ immigrant workers | Fortune

Builders are now calling for a work visa for law-abiding undocumented immigrants.

fortune.com

The sight of unpicked produce rotting in the field was still on farmers’ minds when they gathered for a seminar on Alabama’s new immigration law Aug. 6 in Huntsville.The seminar, held in conjunction with the Alabama Farmers Federation 39th Annual Commodity Producers Conference, followed a day of tours that included a stop at Jackie Loyd’s farm in nearby Stevenson, where migrant workers have fled in advance of the Sept. 1 effective date of the new law. Unfortunately, speakers at the seminar gave farmers little hope of reversing the flight of migrant workers or repealing provisions of the law that hurt agriculture.”Employers should not expect the courts to block the sections most relevant to you,” said Ted Hosp, an attorney with Maynard, Cooper and Gale, referring to multiple lawsuits challenging the new law that were recently consolidated in federal district court.

Migrants Flee Alabama’s New Immigration Law - Alabama Farmers Federation

The sight of unpicked produce rotting in the field was still on farmers’ minds when […]

alfafarmers.org

Unauthorized immigration surged sharply in 2021–24 but has since declined abruptly with negative implications for economic growth. Estimates based on historical data and a structural vector autoregression model suggest gross domestic product growth in 2025 is 0.75 to 1 percentage points lower than in a benchmark simulation using the Congressional Budget Office’s immigration projections through November 2024.

Declining immigration weighs on GDP growth, with little impact on inflation

Unauthorized immigration surged sharply in 2021–24 but has since declined abruptly with negative implications for economic growth.

www.dallasfed.org

The economy is smarter than most politicians. Now so are Alabama employers.

rjs330 said:
This honeatly is nothing more than pure speculation. So, its actually not testable at all.

A simple check would have shown how wrong you are.

You are being badly mislead by your own conjecture and speculation.

wing2000 · 2026-01-20T09:33:18-0600

The Barbarian said:
We merely need them to maintain our current standard of living. We could do with less. You see, that's your problem. The economy noticed a need for more workers before politicians did. During the pandemic, when the number of jobs fell, so did the number of illegal aliens. The economy is smarter than most politicians. Real wages would decline as GDP would decline if all undocumented workers left the country.

...even dumber politicians today.

Say, are there any GOP active bills in congress to fix our legal immigration system?

The Barbarian · 2026-01-20T09:40:55-0600

wing2000 said:
...even dumber politicians today.

Say, are there any GOP active bills in congress to fix our legal immigration system?

They are too busy investigating if Jack Smith was mean to Trump.

We hope the site problems here are now solved, however, if you still have any issues, please start a ticket in Contact Us

CNN’s Harry Enten Says Trump’s Approval Rating On Immigration Has Surged ‘Like A Rocket’

Well-Known Member

Crabby Old White Guy

How much money do undocumented immigrants contribute to the United States economy ​

Crabby Old White Guy

Born-again Christian; Constitutional conservative

Crabby Old White Guy

Born-again Christian; Constitutional conservative

Crabby Old White Guy

Born-again Christian; Constitutional conservative

Crabby Old White Guy

Born-again Christian; Constitutional conservative

Crabby Old White Guy

God is innocent; Noah built on a floodplain!

Newbie

Well-Known Member

Fact-Based Lifeform

Crabby Old White Guy

E pluribus unum

Crabby Old White Guy

Similar threads

How much money do undocumented immigrants contribute to the United States economy