How Harmful Is Unrestricted Immigration?

Abstract

Overall, this study concludes that the empirical case against open borders is overstated. The analysis does find overcrowding of housing and schools and a higher burglary rate for all three cities. In Miami only, migration also appears to have led to more homicides, racial violence, and ethnic voting. Overcrowding eventually dissipated over time, however, as municipalities built more schools and apartments for the newcomers. Burglaries did increase, but many of the victims were probably the immigrants themselves. Ethnic scapegoating lies at the root of ethnic voting and racial violence. The many additional murders in Miami arguably represent an atypical case of a sending country deliberately inducing the emigration of violent criminals. With the exception of crime, then, any significant effects from large-scale immigration seem manageable.