On Monday the White House claimed that the executive action on immigration reform taken by President Obama could result in a boost to the economy of the state of California by as much as $27.5bn.
The public relations blitz has commenced in advance of the roll-out of the expanded deferred action program created by the president’s executive action. Cecilia Munoz, White House adviser, says that Obama’s decision to ease the restrictions on high-skilled immigrants and allow millions of undocumented immigrants to obtain work permits will increase productivity and wages in the state, which is the largest economy in the United States.
“The executive actions encourage innovation and entrepreneurship,” Munoz claims. “By allowing undocumented immigrants … to come out of the shadows and into the mainstream economy, the president’s executive actions make it easier for both immigrants and US-born workers to find jobs that best suit their skills.” Munoz went on to cite White House Council of Economic Advisors statistics showing that the changes announced last November by President Obama will raise the gross domestic product of the United States by up to $90bn over the course of the next ten years.
The White House predictions have been dismissed by opponents of immigration reform, however, with Ric Oberlink from Californians from Population Stabilization saying that the only economic benefit from the changes will be to the immigrants themselves rather than to the whole of American society.