Economist Krugman fact-checks Trump’s claim that Biden job gains went to 'illegal immigrants'

Under President Joe Biden, the United States has enjoyed record-low unemployment and considerable job growth. The unemployment rate, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), was 4.1 percent in June — which was an increase from 3.7 percent in May but shows no sign of a recession.

Trump has claimed that much of the job growth under Biden has gone to illegal immigrants. But liberal economist Paul Krugman debunks that claim in a July 23 newsletter for the New York Times.

"Since President Biden took office," Krugman explains, "the United States has gained 15.7 million jobs. Trump, however, has been dismissing the good news on employment, claiming that all the job gains are going to illegal immigrants."

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The economist/columnist goes on to lay out some data.

"The question…. is whether the jobs immigrants have taken would have gone to native-born workers if immigration had been lower," Krugman writes. "Well, if immigrants were stealing our jobs, we'd expect to see a sharp rise in unemployment among the native-born. We don't."

Krugman adds, "The unemployment rate among native-born workers is near a historic low." The economist adds that there is no evidence showing that immigrants cause wages to go down.

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"Most labor economists now believe that immigrants don't do much head-to-head competition with native-born workers; they bring different skills and take different jobs," Krugman argues. "And the past few years, with elevated immigration, have also been an era of exceptional growth in wages for the worst paid. So, none of these negative claims about the effects of immigration hold up.

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