Giovanni Peri's comments on immigration was featured in a Los Angeles Times column
Professor Peri's research on the impact of immigration on the economy was recently featured in a Los Angeles Times column that compared his views with that of Harvard professor, George Borjas. Professor Peri sees immigration as an asset to the American economy while Professor Borjas sees it as a drain.
Professor Peri argues that unauthorized workers have a far higher employment rate than native-born residents. This is not because they have pushed native-born workers out of jobs. Rather, it is because low-skilled immigrants tend to go after different jobs than natives do.
Professor Borjas argues that immigration has definitely affected employment and wages for the native-born workers. He argues that the $50 billion a year that immigrants add into the economy is consequently wiped out by the social costs of hosting immigrants.