Why Trump Allies Say Immigration Hurts American Workers

As President-elect Donald J. Trump’s second administration takes shape, his plans for a signature campaign promise are becoming clear: mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, including new detention centers, workplace raids and possibly the mobilization of the military to aid in expulsions.

Most economists are skeptical that this project will improve opportunities for working-class Americans. Mr. Trump and his allies don’t typically argue for purging undocumented immigrants on economic grounds; the case is more often about crimes committed by migrants, or simply a need to enforce the law.

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That’s why members of Mr. Vance’s wing of the Republican Party — a group that sometimes calls itself the “new right” — have embraced restricting immigration in the name of helping American workers. Its most prominent exponent is Oren Cass, chief economist at American Compass, a think tank that has positioned itself in opposition to the business-friendly elements of the traditional G.O.P.

“A situation where employers know they will have much less access to labor in general, and especially illegal, easily exploitable labor, the better the outcomes for workers in the labor market will be,” Mr. Cass said. “You can’t seriously claim to care about worker power and simultaneously suggest that high levels of low-wage immigration are good for workers who are here.”

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