Trump-era refugee restrictions permanently reduce the US economy by $9.1 billion each year

[Ferguson97]

https://twitter.com/DaveEvansPhD/status/1506636039955300355

[Sir Mohamed]

Don't let such stupid things as facts get in the way of GOP culture wars.

[Cassius]

I mean, that $9 billion represents approximately 0.03% of the GDP of the United States and the $2 billion in ‘lost contributions’ to government revenue approximately 0.07% of the United States budget deficit for 2021. In other words, a drop in the ocean - plus, the refugee quota they’re comparing it he present one to from prior to Trump (85,000) was hardly generous to begin with, given the size of the US both geographically and demographically. I don’t know the level of ‘selectivity’ applied in the application process for refugee status in the US, but it’s a good bet that the vast majority were well educated and thus able to slot nicely in to the US economy - a considerably more generous refugee policy (talking hundreds of thousands, or even millions if we take the ‘Yuge America’ thinking that seems to be popular amongst a certain section of the liberal-left) wouldn’t necessarily produce the same economic multiplier as the old (still un-generous) policy.