Rate Of American-Born Men In U.S. Workforce Fell Under Biden’s Immigration Policies
The surge in illegal immigration is being cited as a contributing factor to the declining workforce participation of American-born individuals in the United States.
A study released this week by the Center for Immigration Studies revealed a significant increase in the number of working-age (16 to 64), American-born men not participating in the workforce. According to Fox News, this figure rose from 11.3% in April 1960 to an alarming 22.1% in April of this year.
“This is relevant to the immigration debate because one of the arguments for allowing in so many legal immigrants, or even tolerating illegal immigration, is that there are not enough workers,” the group stated in a post accompanying its findings. “But this ignores the enormous increase in the number of working-age people not in the labor force.
“Further, being out of the labor force is associated with profound social problems such as crime, overdose deaths, and welfare dependency,” the post continued. “Policy-makers should consider encouraging work among the millions on the economic sidelines rather than ignoring the problem by bringing in ever more immigrants.”
Between 1960 and 2024, the study found, the number of American-born men not participating in the workforce rose by 13.2 million. Simultaneously, the number of immigrant men entering the workforce increased by 14.1 million.
E.J. Antoni, an economist at the Heritage Foundation, pointed to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, emphasizing that recent job growth can largely be attributed to immigrant workers.
“There are now 1.1 million fewer native-born Americans employed than a year ago,” Antoni noted in a post on X. “[A]ll net job growth has gone to foreign-born workers, totaling just over 400k since Nov ’23.”
Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump has outlined plans for a large-scale deportation of illegal immigrants, with contingencies for nations that refuse to accept deportees.
NBC News reported that once Trump takes office, migrants ordered deported by an immigration judge could be relocated to alternative destinations such as Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas, Grenada, or Panama if their home countries refuse to take them back.
Although Trump’s transition team has not confirmed this plan, it could mark a significant step toward his promise to implement the largest deportation initiative in U.S. history.
The extent to which local governments in these countries might allow deported migrants to remain and work, or the kind of leverage the Trump administration may apply, remains unclear. Requests for comment from Trump’s transition team went unanswered, according to the Daily Caller.
Foreign governments’ refusal to accept deportees has long posed challenges for U.S. immigration authorities, spanning multiple administrations. To prevent indefinite detention, individuals are often released back into the U.S. even after an immigration judge has ordered their removal.
Under President Biden, the U.S. experienced an unprecedented surge in illegal immigration, with significant challenges arising in February when Venezuela—one of the largest sources of illegal immigrants—stopped accepting deportation flights.
Approximately 8 million Venezuelans have fled the country under the leadership of President Nicolas Maduro, whose regime has been linked to hyperinflation, economic collapse, and political repression. Reports suggest that Maduro’s government is pressuring Trump to negotiate a deal that would resume deportation flights in exchange for easing U.S. sanctions.
It is unclear whether Trump’s incoming administration will entertain such a proposal, according to the Caller.
Historically, governments like China and Cuba have also resisted deportation flights. However, both nations have recently resumed accepting more flights from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
During his first term, Trump established safe third-country agreements with El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, requiring asylum seekers to seek refuge in those countries before applying in the U.S. Biden, however, suspended these agreements immediately after taking office, along with other Trump-era policies.