By George Fishman

Summary

• The Immigration Act of 1924 ushered in a four-decade-long Great Pause in mass immigration. This allowed the United States to assimilate the 20-plus million immigrants who arrived during the “Great Wave” that had begun in the 1880s. And the Act fostered a national economic climate conducive to the flowering of the American Dream, especially for Black Americans. Economists have concluded that from 1940 to 1970, largely paralleling the Great Pause, the average real earnings of white men rose by 210 percent and those of Black men rose by 406 percent.

• Not only “progressives”, “liberals”, “conservatives”, and “racists” supported restrictionist policies. So did many Black leaders. A leading Black newspaper concluded that the dramatic decrease in immigration during the First World War “gave [Blacks] the opportunity to get a foothold in the economic world”, but that “there have been many grave doubts about their ability to keep this foothold when fierce competition set in again”. Another proclaimed that the war “showed us just how keen a competitor cheap European labor had been for” Black workers.

• Roy Beck, founder of NumbersUSA, recently set forth an audacious hypothesis that the 1924 Act “was the greatest federal action in U.S. history — other than the Civil War Constitutional Amendments — in advancing the economic interests of the descendants of American slavery, and perhaps of all American workers”. The Act led to a tighter labor market, resulting in an openness and even a desire by employers both North and South to recruit Black workers. This, in turn, opened the door for the Great Migration of millions of Blacks out of the South and helped pave the way for the civil rights revolution of the 1960s. And it turned America into a middle-class society for whites and for Blacks. Beck’s hypothesis is not only plausible, it is the most compelling reading of the historical evidence.

• But not only did the 1924 Act dramatically reduce immigration, it also established country-by-country immigration quotas in reaction to the vast increase in immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe since the 1880s. Sen. David Reed argued that “[i]t was natural that the[ new immigrants] should not understand our institutions” and that they were “wholly dissimilar to the native-born Americans … untrained in self-government”. Thus, “it was best for America that our incoming immigrants should hereafter be of the same races as those of us who are already here”. The debate over the 1924 Act focused to a large extent on often ugly racial rationales for restriction.

• In 1965, Congress, in its zeal to remove the demon of national origins quotas, restarted mass immigration. Congress could have easily accomplished the former without the latter, but it did not do so. The results have been disastrous for our country, with a 19 percent drop in the average real earnings of white men (from 1970 to 2014) and a 32 percent drop for Black men.

Washington, DC: Center for Immigration Studies, 2024.

By American Immigration Council

In recent months, leading politicians and policymakers have renewed calls for mass deportations of immigrants from the United States. While similar promises have been made in the past without coming to fruition—during the 2016 presidential campaign, for example, Donald Trump pledged to create a “deportation force” to round up undocumented immigrants —mass deportation now occupies a standing role in the rhetoric of leading immigration hawks. To cite just one example, former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) director Tom Homan has promised “a historic deportation operation” should a hawkish administration return to power.While some plans have envisioned a one-time, massive operation designed to round up, detain, and deport the undocumented population en masse, others have envisioned starting from a baseline of one million deportations per year.

Given that in the modern immigration enforcement era the United States has never deported more than half a million immigrants per year—and many of those have been migrants apprehended trying to enter the U.S., not just those already living here—any mass deportation proposal raises obvious questions: how, exactly, would the United States possibly carry out the largest law enforcement operation in world history? And at what cost?

Using data from the American Community Survey (ACS) along with publicly-available data about the current costs of immigration enforcement, this report aims to provide an estimation of what the fiscal and economic cost to the United States would be should the government deport a population of roughly 11 million people who as of 2022 lacked permanent legal status and faced the possibility of removal. We consider this both in terms of the direct budgetary costs—the expenses associated with arrest, detention, legal processing, and removal—that the federal government would have to pay, and in terms of the impact on the United States economy and tax base should these people be removed from the labor force and consumer market.

In terms of fiscal costs, we also include an estimate of the impact of deporting an additional 2.3 million people who have crossed the U.S. southern border without legal immigration status and were released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from January 2023 through April 2024. We consider these fiscal costs separately because we don’t have more recent ACS data necessary to estimate the total net changes in the undocumented population past 2022, or the larger impact on the economy and tax base of removing those people, an impact that is therefore not reflected in this report.

In total, we find that the cost of a one-time mass deportation operation aimed at both those populations—an estimated total of is at least $315 billion. We wish to emphasize that this figure is a highly conservative estimate. It does not take into account the long-term costs of a sustained mass deportation operation or the incalculable additional costs necessary to acquire the institutional capacity to remove over 13 million people in a short period of time—incalculable because there is simply no reality in which such a singular operation is possible. For one thing, there would be no way to accomplish this mission without mass detention as an interim step. To put the scale of detaining over 13 million undocumented immigrants into context, the entire U.S. prison and jail population in 2022, comprising every person held in local, county, state, and federal prisons and jails, was 1.9 million people.

In order to estimate the costs of a longer-term mass deportation operation, we calculated the cost of a program aiming to arrest, detain, process, and deport one million people per year—paralleling the more conservative proposals made by mass-deportation proponents. Even assuming that 20 percent of the undocumented population would “self-deport” under a yearslong mass-deportation regime, we estimate the ultimate cost of such a longer operation would average out to $88 billion annually, for a total cost of $967.9 billion over the course of more than a decade. This is a much higher sum than the one-time estimate, given the long-term costs of establishing and maintaining detention facilities and temporary camps to eventually be able to detain one million people at a time—costs that could not be modeled in a short-term analysis. This would require the United States to build and maintain 24 times more ICE detention capacity than currently exists. The government would also be required to establish and maintain over 1,000 new immigration courtrooms to process people at such a rate.

Even this estimate is likely quite conservative, as we were unable to estimate the additional hiring costs for the tens of thousands of agents needed to carry out one million arrests per year, the additional capital investments necessary to increase the ICE Air Operations fleet of charter aircraft to carry out one million annual deportations, and a myriad of other ancillary costs necessary to ramp up federal immigration enforcement operations to the scale necessary.

Some of the report’s key findings include:

• A multi-year mass deportation campaign, which would expand the infrastructure needed to arrest, detain, process, and remove one million undocumented immigrants per year, would cost $88 billion on average per year or a total of $967.9 billion.

• This operation would take over 10 years. For the same costs, the U.S. government could build 2.9 million new homes, pay full tuition and expenses for 8.9 million people to attend an in-state public college for four years or even increase annual worldwide funding for cancer research 18-fold for every year of the operation.

• Mass deportation would also deal a devastating blow to the U.S. economy, shrinking our GDP between 4.2 to 6.8%, and hit key industries already struggling with chronic labor shortages.

Washington, DC> American Immigration Council, 2024. 54p.

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By Joanne Passaro

Gender and Homelessness: The book explores how gender differences contribute to the persistence of homelessness, with a focus black men in New York City.

Cultural and Moral Location: Homelessness is not just an economic issue but also a cultural and moral one, where homeless men are seen as both hypermasculinized and emasculated.

Survival Strategies: Homeless women often strategize to appear"worthy" to move through the system, while homeless men lack similar strategies and face greater stigmatization.

Impact of Family Structures: The book argues that nuclear family ideologies play a significant role in who remains homeless versus who becomes houseless.

Psychology Press, 1996, 128 pages

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By Osmond K. Praenkel

Importance of Civil Liberties: The document emphasizes that civil liberties, such as freedom of speech, assembly, and protection from arbitrary arrests, are fundamental to a free society.

Historical Context: It discusses the origins and development of civil liberties in the United States, particularly through the Bill of Rights and subsequent amendments.

Challenges and Limitations: The text highlights the challenges in fully realizing civil liberties, including during wartime and in the face of discrimination.

Role of the Judiciary: The document underscores the critical role of courts in interpreting and enforcing civil liberties, ensuring that government actions do not infringe on individual rights.

The Viking Press, 1944, 277 pages

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By Jeff Karabanow, Sean Kidd, Tyler Frederick, and Jean Hughes

Study Focus: The book explores the lived experiences of homeless in Canada, focusing on their transition from homelessness stability.

Methodology: The study used a longitudinal mixed-method approach, involving in-depth qualitative interviews and questionnaires with 51 participants over a year.

Key Findings: Factors influencing the transition include consistent support,feelings of belonging,life and social skills, and housing stability.

Challenges: Youth face significant challenges such as instability,scheduling issues, and engagement difficulties during their transition.

Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press, May 30, 2018, 147 pages

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Edited by Debra J. Rog

Complexity of Homelessness: Homelessness is a multifaceted issue involving various subgroups such as mentally ill individuals, families with children, and those with substance abuse problems. Understanding These complexities is crucial for effective interventions.

Mixed-Method Approaches: Estimating the number of homeless individuals requires mixed methods to produce reasonable estimates, as highlighted by David S. Cordray.

Evaluation Challenges: Evaluating programs for the homeless, such as those targeting substance abuse or mental health, involves significant methodological and practical challenges, including diverse evaluation designs and data collection issues.

Program Evaluations: The document reviews several large-scale national demonstration programs, emphasizing the importance of both individual and system-level evaluations to improve service delivery and policy implications.

Jossey-Bass, 1991, 94 pages

By Lisa Klee Mihaly

Homelessness Impact: Homelessness severely affects children's health,emotional well-being, and development, often leading to long-term consequences.

Causes of Homelessness: Major causes include inadequate income,lack of affordable housing, and insufficient family support systems.

Policy Failures: Current policies and emergency shelters are insufficient to address the needs of homeless families.

Recommendations: The document suggests increasing affordable housing, improving income support, and providing comprehensive services to prevent and address homelessness.

Children’s Defense Fund, 1991, 25 pages

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Edited by Matthew A. Kraljic

Homelessness Statistics: The document discusses the challenges inaccurately quantifying the homeless population, highlighting discrepancies in data sources and the implications of these numbers.

Causes of Homelessness: It identifies multiple causes, including urban renewal, lack of affordable housing, insufficient mental health care, and economic disparities.

Impact on Different Demographics: The document emphasizes that homelessness affects various groups, including former middle-class individuals, children, and rural populations.

Potential Solutions: It explores potential solutions, such as combining volunteerism, private sector aid, and public policy initiatives to address homelessness more effectively.

The H.W Wilson Company, 1992, 162 pages

By Peter Nagle and Richard Summerrell

On 10 August 1987 the then Prime Minister, the Honourable R J L Hawke, announced the formation of a Royal Commission to investigate the causes of deaths of Aboriginals while held in State and Territory jails. The Royal Commission was established in response to a growing public concern that deaths in custody of Aboriginal people were too common and poorly explained. This Commonwealth Royal Commission was the 108th since Federation. The establishment of the Commission and the appointment of the Honourable Mr Justice Muirhead as Royal Commissioner had the support of all State and Territory governments….Access to records collected or created by government has always been subject to opposing pressures. Access to records is seen as providing a check on arbitrary government power, but privacy considerations and other sensitivities also need to be protected….”

National Archives of Australia. 1996. 85p.

By Maren Machles

“This is one of 16 deaths in custody detailed in a report the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) commissioned in 2021. The details of what took place and who this individual was are vague because the report was heavily redacted. The agency hired an outside contractor to review the investigations of 16 deaths that took place in a handful of the more than 90 detention centers the BIA operates and/or funds on tribal lands. The BIA has yet to publish the report. However, POGO’s analysis of a redacted version of the report, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), raises troubling questions about the BIA’s compliance with federal requirements around reporting deaths in custody, whether those deaths are being adequately counted and investigated by the agency, and whether proposed reforms would address why these deaths occur in the first place.”

Program on Government Oversight. POGO. June 27. 2023. 9p.

By Richard Wright

Historical Context: The book discusses the psychological and social impacts of Western colonization on Asian and African societies, highlighting the long-term effects of oppression and cultural disruption.

Psychological Reactions: It explores the psychological responses of oppressed people, including feelings of inferiority, resistance, and the complex dynamics of loyalty and identity.

Cultural Critique: The author critiques both Western and non-Western societies, emphasizing the need for mutual understanding and the dangers of cultural arrogance and ignorance.

References: The document includes numerous references to works by other authors and poets, illustrating the interconnectedness of cultural and literary expressions.

Doubleday, 1957, 190 pages

By John Stone

Historical Context: The study of race relations became central insociology post-World War II, influenced by decolonization and civilrights movements.

Power Dynamics: Minority groups' power and influence are crucial in understanding racial conflicts and social changes.

Global Perspective: Racial and ethnic conflicts are not limited to the West but are a global phenomenon, affecting socialist and capitalist societies alike.

Social Institutions: Race relations impact various social institutions, including education, employment, and legal systems, highlighting the complexity of achieving racial justice.

Fontana Press / Collins, 1985, 191 pages

By Herbert Adolphus Miller, PH.D.

Group Dynamics: The book explores the psychology of domination and freedom within groups, emphasizing the importance of mutual understanding and the development of sentiments for resolving conflicts.

Americanization: It discusses the challenges and paradoxes of Americanization, highlighting the need for a rational and empathetic approach to integrating immigrants.

Pseudo-Science Critique: The author criticizes the misuse of pseudo-science in justifying social hierarchies and emphasizes the need for genuine scientific methods.

Historical Context: The book provides a historical analysis of various social and political conflicts, drawing lessons from past mistakes to suggest better approaches for the future.

Read-Me.Org, 2024, 196 pages

By James B. McKee

Historical Context: The book explores the development of the sociology of race relations in the United States, highlighting its evolution from the early 20th century to the 1960s.

Sociological Failure: It critically examines the failure of sociologists to predict and understand the civil rights movement and the subsequent racial struggles in the 1960s.

Perspective Critique: The author argues that the failure was due to the sociologists' perspective, which was shaped by their own social context and often ignored the realities of racial change.

Black Sociologists' Struggle: The book also discusses the challenges faced by black sociologists in expressing their perspectives within a predominantly white academic field.

University of Illinois Press, 1993, 376 pages

By Philip Mason

Purpose and Scope: The book aims to introduce the subject of race relations, drawing on various academic disciplines like biology, psychology, and social anthropology.

Race and Behavior: The author argues that race itself does not determine intelligence or behavior, but beliefs about race significantly impact human behavior and societal structures.

Historical Context: The book discusses historical examples of race relations, including colonialism, slavery, and apartheid, highlighting their long-term effects on societies.

Intelligence: The text explores the concept of intelligence,distinguishing between innate and acquired intelligence, and emphasizes the role of environment and societal expectations in shaping intellectual capacities.

Oxford University Press, 1970, 181 pages

By George Padmore

Oppression of Negro Toilers: The document details the severe exploitation and oppression of Negro workers across various regions, including British, French, Belgian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian Africa.

Black Slaves in the New World: It discusses the conditions of black slaves in the United States, the West Indies, and Latin America, highlighting the brutal realities of slavery and its lasting impacts.

Revolutionary Movements : The document describes the awakening and revolutionary movements among Negro workers in different regions, emphasizing their struggles for freedom and better living conditions.

Imperialist Exploitation: It outlines the role of imperialist powers in exploiting Negro workers and the economic and social challenges faced by these communities under imperialist rule.

Read-Me.Org, 2024, 126 pages

Edited by William Gervase & Clarence-Smith

Significant Slave Trade: Over a million slaves were exported from Indian Ocean and Red Sea ports in Eastern Africa during the 19th century, with millions more moved within the continent.

Economic Impact: The slave trade expanded significantly in the 19th century, driven by demand for labor in the western Indian Ocean and improved maritime security.

Diverse Uses: Slaves were used in various roles, including laborers, concubines, eunuchs, and administrators, with significant numbers employed in agriculture, urban economies, and domestic roles.

Regional Variations: The nature and scale of slavery varied across regions, with some areas like Zanzibar and Pemba having plantation systems similar to the New World, while others had more subsistence-based servitude.

Frank Cass & Co Ltd., 1989, 222 pages

By James Denson Sayers

Racial Purity: The author argues that the survival of American Civilization depends on maintaining the purity of the white race and avoiding racial amalgamation.

Historical Examples : The book cites historical instances where civilizations allegedly declined due to racial mixing.

Racial Hierarchy: The author asserts a hierarchy of races, with the white race being superior in intellect and capability.

Proposed Solutions: The book suggests measures to preserve racial purity, including segregation and preventing racial mixing.

Independent Publishing Company, 1929, 255 pages

Edited by David Ryden

Economic Challenges: British West Indian planters faced rising slave prices, higher provisioning costs, and warfare on the high seas, making sugar planting increasingly costly.

Political and Social Threats: Planters were anxious about slave uprisings and the anti-slave trade movement, which threatened their industry.

Pro-Slavery Arguments: Pro-slavery writers defended the slave trade using arguments based on mercantilism, imperialism, and humanitarianism, emphasizing national wealth and security.

References: The document includes various pamphlets and reports defending the slave trade, providing insight into 18th-century attitudes toward race, work, and power.

London Pickering & Chatto, 2003, 428 pages

Edited by John Oldfield

British Dominance and Abolition: The British were the leading nation in the transatlantic slave trade during the 18th century but also spearheaded the abolition movement.

Economic vs. Moral Debate: Historians debate whether the abolition was driven by economic decline in the British Caribbean or by moral and humanitarian reasons.

Abolitionist Campaigns: The Society for Effecting the Abolition of theSlave Trade, formed in 1787, played a crucial role in mobilizing public opinion through petitions, pamphlets, and international cooperation.

Impact of the American Revolution: The American Revolution influenced British abolitionist thought, linking political representation and freedom with the fight against slavery.

London Pickering & Chatto, 2003, 373 pages