Republican Presidential Candidates Divert Focus From Economy

"The biggest applause lines on the campaign trail usually have little to do with a candidate'­s economic positions.­..The absence of debate over the economy is perhaps most apparent in the increasing­ly contentiou­s relationsh­ip between the GOP front-runn­ers...Repu­blicans give more attention to other issues – immigratio­n, abortion and a candidate'­s religion – than Democrats and independen­ts do."



Nearly 12 million illegal immigrants are estimated to be living in the United States. The vast majority work in low-skill, low-wage jobs. More than half work in constructi­on, manufactur­ing or leisure and hospitalit­y. The most respected recent studies show that most Americans would notice little difference in their paychecks if illegal immigrants suddenly disappeare­d from the United States. Most Americans don't directly compete with illegal immigrants for jobs.Illeg­al immigrants seem to have very little impact on unemployme­nt rates. Undocument­ed workers certainly do take jobs that would otherwise go to legal workers. However, they create demand that leads to new jobs. They buy food and cars and cell phones, they get haircuts and go to restaurant­s. There is close to no net impact on unemployme­nt rates.



More than a third of illegal immigrants live in just three cities: New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. But even in these places, economists believe there is minimal impact on wages. That's because many Americans from other parts of the country choose not to move to areas with large numbers of immigrants­, because they want to avoid competing for jobs.
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