Tara Watson is the Director of the Center on Children and Families, at the Brookings Institution, and Professor of Economics at Williams College. She is a renowned economist and a specialist in US social policy with interests in health and immigration, who served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Microeconomic Analysis in the Treasury Department's Office of Economic Policy in 2015-16. Watson has just prepared one of the most comprehensive reports of a book that has a great impact in the United States and was produced by the Aspen Economic Strategy Group.

In an exclusive dialogue with LPO, Watson confirms that immigrants are a driver of the US economy and that migration helps not only GDP growth, but also the salaries of those born in the country to raise even more. She acknowledges the challenges that the Biden administration faces amid an overflow of migrants and warns that "the systems at the border are not working effectively."

What is the impact that immigrants have on the US economy?

Overall, immigrants are important contributors to the growth of the US economy. The growth in the workforce that comes from immigration is essential, and immigrants contribute disproportionately to innovation and entrepreneurial spirit. Immigrants are a net benefit for the government budget.

[Estados Unidos tiene la tasa de fertilidad más baja de su historia y necesita más inmigrantes para volver a crecer]Some people worry that immigration will lower the wages of the US-born, but the evidence suggests that immigration actually raises the salaries of the average native-born worker. The evidence is more conflicting for low-wage US workers, who may face lower wages to a lesser degree due to immigration.Several reports say that the United States should precisely encourage the arrival of immigrants so that the economy grows and there is more productivity. Do you agree with that idea?Yes absolutely. A significant increase in immigration would be good for productivity and growth. Immigrants pay federal taxes, including many undocumented immigrants.

The US social security system benefits from increased migration. And immigration is associated with better job opportunities for the average American worker.

AP

Is Biden's new plan to solve the situation of migrants that was announced recently wrong?I see the border situation as a political challenge that is different from the general economic question. It is necessary to expand the mandated pathways for asylum seekers to obtain assistance and for other potential immigrants to find a way to legally enter the US.Our systems at the border are not working effectively right now: we have a record backlog in asylum, for example, and there is a general sense of chaos. This creates a negative political reaction in the US that makes it difficult to expand regular migration routes. Biden is trying to discourage border arrivals and open up other pathways into the US, but it is difficult to do so without creating a lot of hardship for those who have already made the journey.Some people worry that immigration will lower the wages of the US-born, but the evidence suggests that immigration actually raises the salaries of the average native-born worker.There is an idea that immigrants do not pay or pay less taxes and that is an argument for a sector to be against migrants entering the country. But statistics show exactly the opposite...Immigrants pay federal taxes, including many undocumented immigrants. The US social security system benefits from increased migration. And immigration is associated with better job opportunities for the average American worker.

["Los migrantes son el motor de Estados Unidos pero los líderes demócratas son en proponer cambios de raíz"]

Yes, I think there should be a better system to allow migration in certain industries. Eldercare is an example: we have a significant challenge filling those jobs now and it will only get worse in the future. There are also ongoing conversations about improving the system for farmworkers. In the area of highly educated immigrants, we should also be doing much more to expand opportunities to come to the United States.

Translator: Bibiana Ruiz.