Bennett Hypothesis: Financial Aid Increases Tuition

[alexf.1990]

Ex-felons need to work just like anyone else, and these companies don't have a reason to not hire felons. It's not illegal. Ex-felons are a legal part of the applicant pool. If wages in a particular industry get too high, employers will hire people in other countries if it's feasible. For example, Mexico is close and has cheaper labor, so it makes business sense for Ford to move production down there.

I don't see how any of this is a defense against illegal immigration? It wasn't very long ago that labor unions were one of the strongest voices against flooding the labor market with cheap, unskilled labor. I can't see how the working class gets any benefit from illegal immigration. If anything, it seems to have been one of the biggest obstacles to higher wages. Raising the minimum wage above the market price will simply increase the amount of surplus labor (unemployment). The only way to meaningfully raise wages is to decrease the number of unskilled workers in the labor market.