A Brookings Institution report finds that the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement surge, centered on increased Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests across U.S. cities, coincides with significant job losses. The report estimates that the surge is associated with 668,000 job losses, alongside a “chilling effect” described as spreading through local economies. According to the report, the enforcement actions were broader and more visible than prior ICE efforts, including those conducted after 2008. The analysis also indicates that businesses and American-born workers are affected, not only immigrant workers.
Business Standard adds that, in the 86 cities with the sharpest rise in ICE arrests, the estimated job impact is about 13 lost jobs for each excess arrest. Across the outlets, the core finding is consistent: higher ICE arrest levels during the period studied correlate with larger employment declines in those areas, reflecting weaker economic activity and operational disruption for employers in affected localities.
