Illegal Immigrants Mask True State of Economy

Illegal immigrants line up at a remote U.S. Border Patrol processing center after crossing the U.S.–Mexico border, in Lukeville, Ariz., on Dec. 7, 2023. John Moore/Getty Images

Economists are expressing concern over the increasing number of illegal immigrants in the United States, who they believe are obscuring the actual condition of the jobs market and the U.S. economy.

A closer look at the household survey of the employment report shows that employment for native-born Americans has been in decline over the past four years. This means that all of the job gains have gone to foreign-born workers.