US laws make it illegal to knowingly hire unauthorized immigrants. One might suspect, then, that there are unauthorized immigrants who, with respect to a certain employment opportunity, are willing and skilled enough to perform it but are prevented from doing so by employment restrictions targeting them based on their immigration status.
DACA ([Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deferred_Action_for_Childhood_Arrivals)) is an executive order from 2012 that gives temporary work authorization to immigrants who would otherwise have been unable to work in the US legally on account of having been brought to the US as young children. This offers an opportunity for studying the effects of employment restrictions based on immigration status by analyzing the impact of DACA on occupational outcomes.
# Summary
This research paper by Aimee Chin, Kalena Cortes, and Camila Morales explores this question. Their conclusions are that the jobs that DACA workers fill, relative to those filled by non-DACA unauthorized immigrants, are:
* less likely to be high-risk
* more likely to hold government jobs
* more likely to require occupational licensing (🤮🤮🤮 but it’s a win here so)
* more likely to be higher paying
* more likely to require more education
In sum, this paper concludes that legal barriers exclude otherwise willing and qualified workers from employment opportunities, misallocating labor and reducing economic efficiency.
# Relevance
Freedom of movement is a core principle of this community. This research paper provides empirical evidence showing that legislation violating freedom of movement (specifically restricting immigrants’ freedom to participate in the labor market based on their immigration status) reduces economic efficiency. Economic arguments for freedom of movement neatly complement rights-based arguments.
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# Context
US laws make it illegal to knowingly hire unauthorized immigrants. One might suspect, then, that there are unauthorized immigrants who, with respect to a certain employment opportunity, are willing and skilled enough to perform it but are prevented from doing so by employment restrictions targeting them based on their immigration status.
DACA ([Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deferred_Action_for_Childhood_Arrivals)) is an executive order from 2012 that gives temporary work authorization to immigrants who would otherwise have been unable to work in the US legally on account of having been brought to the US as young children. This offers an opportunity for studying the effects of employment restrictions based on immigration status by analyzing the impact of DACA on occupational outcomes.
# Summary
This research paper by Aimee Chin, Kalena Cortes, and Camila Morales explores this question. Their conclusions are that the jobs that DACA workers fill, relative to those filled by non-DACA unauthorized immigrants, are:
* less likely to be high-risk
* more likely to hold government jobs
* more likely to require occupational licensing (🤮🤮🤮 but it’s a win here so)
* more likely to be higher paying
* more likely to require more education
In sum, this paper concludes that legal barriers exclude otherwise willing and qualified workers from employment opportunities, misallocating labor and reducing economic efficiency.
# Relevance
Freedom of movement is a core principle of this community. This research paper provides empirical evidence showing that legislation violating freedom of movement (specifically restricting immigrants’ freedom to participate in the labor market based on their immigration status) reduces economic efficiency. Economic arguments for freedom of movement neatly complement rights-based arguments.
!ping IMMIGRATION&ECON