Mark Regets

There is no sign that the US-born are benefiting from the fall in immigrant workers. Native unemployment is up and labor force participation down.

Immigrant INCREASE opportunities for natives.

But the greatest damage is being done to the economic growth needed to honor our debts and promises.

I recently pointed out to a lawyer concerned about the impeachment threats against Federal judges that this is as big of an authoritarian threat.

Trump does things that have the same rhymes and rhythms of the horrors of the last century. Analogies to Peron, Hitler, Mao, and to American nativists and isolationists. It can't be called history repeating as farce as too many are being hurt.

Now we have Stalin's 1937 purge of Census takers.

The headlines are focused upon "weak employment growth" both in the current month and recent months after revision.

It is very hard to have much employment growth when the labor force is shrinking.

Today's BLS report shows 1.7 million fewer foreign-born workers than in March 2025.

The decline is now large enough and consistent enough from month to month to be significant for both statistical and policy purposes.

nfap.com/research/u-s...

Substantial law enforcement resources have been diverted away from terrorism and other crimes to assist ICE/ERO with its raids. Even ICE/HSI would normally be using its resources against criminal networks rather than deportation operations.

Those who falsely believe that America is in decline are doing much to make it true.

In fact terrorists and spies are usually so well behaved that they are in America legally (even excluding those born here).

Reagan was pro-immigration, pro-trade, anti-authoritarian, and supported America's allies.

Whatever your criticisms of Reagan (and there are several I would agree with) he DOES NOT deserve to be grouped with Trump.

Faculty Support of George Mason’s President Draws Federal Investigation

The authoritarian movement that controls the White House is seizing control of America’s universities one by one.

Now, mine.

Faculty afraid to speak.

These actions are a perversion of our Dept. of Justice, and the opposite of Conservative.

America has always led the way in innovation, and as new technologies emerge, New Dems want to keep it that way.

That's why we released our innovation agenda—a roadmap for how to promote American innovation & use these advancements to lower costs & improve lives.

Today at the @nationalacademies.org I had to pay my respects to Einstein.

Timely words of that great refugee, carved there in stone:

“As long as I have any choice in the matter, I shall live only in a country where civil liberty, tolerance and equality of all citizens before the law prevail.”

Rationing H1B visas by wage rate is misguided for 2 reasons:
—The shortage is artificial. Increasing the number of visas is better than rationing.
—If it eliminates early career scientists and lower-paid fields such as biomedical, choosing the higher-paid worker may not add the most long-run value.

He is a Six-Sigma expert devoted to enhancing the "bottom line".

You and I are both channeling our inner 10yos this morning and should stop now.

The man seems like a serious profession with good credentials.

Apologies Dewey!

I was going to claim foul, but it appears Dewey Butts III exists—he is a 3rd level LinkedIn connection of mine.

Housing vouchers/rental assistance were supposed to be a market-friendly alternative to public housing that was backed by many conservatives.

Combined with YIMBY reforms vouchers actually encourage more construction by the private sector.

Opinion | Kindness Is MAGA Kryptonite

NYT Gift article by David French about America's favorite illegal alien.

MAGA's negative reaction to the very ordinary sentiments in this movie shows that they stand for neither truth, nor justice, nor the American way.

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/17/o...

They should care about the falling labor supply (and domestic consumer base). So far it is likely less the detention numbers than the effect it is having on emigration and new arrivals (legal and illegal).

But Trump's domestic war did just get >$170B in new funding.

That is true. Just the unauthorized pay >$100B directly in taxes. I fear we are going to lose many legal immigrants too.

And looking just at direct tax payments neglects that economies are systems—businesses who make money from immigrants as their workers or their customers pay taxes too.

Opinion | ‘Egregious.’ ‘Brazen.’ ‘Lawless.’ How 48 Judges Describe Trump’s Actions, in Their Own Words Dozens of judges, appointed by presidents of both parties, have stood up to the administration’s lawlessness.

Gift link: The NYT compiles 48 scathing pronouncements by federal judges on Trump lawlessness, from recent opinions and case comments. For those who care to keep count, 17 of the comments are from Republican-appointed judges, 31 from Democratic-appointed.

🙃 Krugman only says "psychohistory" seemed like it would be cool to do (and it would be).

I like how he is inspired by popular culture—at an AEA meeting decades ago he personally turned me onto "Buffy the Vampire Slayer".

As an Asimov fan I should agree with your girlfriend, but as a fellow economist I think we both have reasons to be skeptical of psychohistory. 🙃

Attending Principles First meeting in DC on the rule of law (or current lack there of).

JD Vance is suggesting that neo-Nazis and the descendents of confederate soldiers have more claim to being part of this nation because they're white than immigrants who believe in the Declaration of Independence.

This kind of blood and soil nationalism is indistinguishable from classic fascism.

Jobs Report Casts Warning On Immigration And Labor Force Declines The latest jobs report warns U.S. policymakers that immigration and labor force declines threaten to harm the American economy.

In each of the last 3 decades immigrants have provided half of American labor force growth.

We need this growth both to pay our debts and continue to honor our promises.

www.forbes.com/sites/stuart...

Jobs Report Casts Warning On Immigration And Labor Force Declines The latest jobs report warns U.S. policymakers that immigration and labor force declines threaten to harm the American economy.

In each of the last 3 decades immigrants have provided half of American labor force growth.

We need this growth both to pay our debts and continue to honor our promises.

www.forbes.com/sites/stuart...

We went into this year with strong growth—we may still avoid a recession, but that does not mean that trade and immigration policies aren't making us poorer.

One of our complaints 249 yrs ago today:

"He has endeavored to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither . . ."

IMMIGRATION: AN AMERICAN LIBERTY FROM THE BEGINNING

worth pointing out, again, that a 20% tariff on Vietnamese imports alone (our sixth-largest trading partner!) would have been considered the worst trade war in modern American history pre-Trump. Instead it is now treated as a "deal". How far we've fallen.

It is worth placing this along side the dire CBO forecasts of debt being discussed as part of the BBB. The already scary CBO numbers assume laborforce growth we will not get.

Among the positive things immigrants do for the economy is becoming new cosigners on the national debt.