One of the central questions surrounding the issue

of the impact of illegal aliens on the labor market centers on whether illegal aliens actually "displace" legal residents from jobs they would otherwise have taken and the effect on the earnings of legal residents: (a) What is the effect of the presence of illegal aliens on wages and working conditions in different jobs?

4.

(b) To what extent do domestic workers adjust their
labor force participation and occupational choice
to changes in wage rates and working conditions?
To what extent do income support payments serve as
an impediment to labor force and occupational
adjustments for legal residents?

(c) What are the labor force characteristics of the
illegals: wages, skill, and occupational distribution,
labor force participation, unemployment, etc.?

(d) What is the effect of illegal aliens on GNP, on

the distribution of this income and on the efficiency of resource allocation?

(e) What is the net social cost (or net social benefit) How can the net cost be minimized?

from illegals?

Use of Public Services

The question of whether or not illegal aliens create a burden for public service programs is of considerable

importance in assessing the significance of their presence

to this country.

There is, however, very little data to

support any conclusions on this topic. Most studies tend
to indicate that the use of public services by illegal
aliens is infrequent. Unfortunately, the quality of
this data is poor. A meaningful assessment of this
question cannot be made until additional research has
been done. Such studies may need to address the different
groups within the illegal alien population, different
areas of the country and the different services.

One HEW study which will shortly be underway
deals with the medical costs incurred by illegal
immigrants. This project will attempt to
determine the magnitude of the problem in seven
different cities where large numbers of illegal
aliens are apprehended by the INS.

Researchers

will determine what criteria hospitals use in

identifying illegal aliens and how accurate these
identifications are. The study will assign a

rough dollar figure to the services rendered and
will be able to conclude whether or not a substantial
problem exists for the hospitals included in the

study.

In an effort to encourage Federal/state interaction, case studies using state agencies, immigration aid groups and the like should be undertaken at the local

5.

level. One promising area of inquiry would be a

study of the impact on the educational system of a

large city such as Los Angeles or New York. The County
of San Diego has already undertaken a systematic
search of its records and agencies in an effort to
determine the uses of its services by illegal aliens.
The problem with this approach rests with creating non-
comparable data and using incompatible methodologies.

Migration Patterns

The rise of Third World nations, their exploding populations and the implications for interregional economic development are becoming more apparent. In our case, there is the added dimension of border region research and policies.

concentrate on the following areas:

Research should

Comparative study of migration experience, including intra-European and intra-Caribbean migration, including guest workers, and the mechanisms which have been

developed in those areas.

Demographic trends and policies and their impact on

migration to the border zones and from one country to

another.

The impact that movement of people has on international transfer of science and technology.

Evaluation of alternatives for economic assistance for

Specific

the development of the border regions in Mexico. attention would be given to those elements essential for a coordinated and integrated economic approach.

For the future, more should be done in the way of assessing the perceptions of certain communities towards illegal aliens, their impacts and the relative effects of

various law enforcement techniques which are used to

The ethnic makeup of our legal immigration since 1965 is considerably different from that of the preceding The ethnicity and the demographic characteristics

era.

of immigrants are increasing in importance as social policy issues because of government programs. More research must be devoted to longitudinal analysis of legal immigrants. At this time study should concentrate upon the optimal characteristics of immigration including analysis of admission criteria and systems. U.S. experiences with guest worker type programs and comparative analysis with labor importing countries should be assessed in order to evaluate the trade in goods or trade in labor supplies questions immigration policy poses.

CHAPTER VIII

CONCLUSIONS AND MAJOR RECOMMENDATIONS

In drawing conclusions and formulating recommendations, it is important to reemphasize the preliminary nature of this report. The illegal immigration phenomenon is complex and an interagency examination of this issue is a very recent development. The charge to the Domestic Council Committee was to develop a comprehensive approach to the issue. In furtherance of that goal, this report attempts to provide a clear statement of the issue in its broad terms, assess current information, and chart the process and tasks through which the executive branch of government should proceed as a result.

One clear theme of this report is that a dramatic lack of reliable information makes thorough analysis of illegal immigration impossible at this time. Thus the conclusions which the Committee has drawn are tentative and subject to revision. Nevertheless the Committee believes that certain judgments can and should be made in an effort to channel further inquiry in a productive fashion.

major source of illegal entrants to the United States.