There has been much talk about the economic benefits of immigration reform. Long Island Wins even co-hosted a panel discussion on the topic earlier this year.
But exactly how much would the United States economy stand to gain by allowing an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants to come out from the shadows?
According to the Center for American Progress, our nation stands to see an increase of $832 billion in gross domestic product (GDP) over the first 10 years after legalization. The cumulative earnings of all Americans would increase by $470 billion and an average of 121,000 new jobs would be created annually.
Furthermore, this is under the assumption that under the new reform, the path to citizenship would take 10 years. If the path was shortened to five years, GDP would increase $1.1 trillion, cumulative incomes would increase $618 billion and 159,000 new jobs would be created every year.
As the infographic shows, not only do the 11 million undocumented already in the country stand to benefit from comprehensive immigration reform, but all of America as well.
