Except for a small blip last year, births have been declining in the United States for decades and we have consistently been below replacement level [the rate need needed to replace the current population] since 2007. Currently, America's fertility rate is approximately 1.7 births per female, which is below the replacement level of 2.1 that is required for the U.S. population not to decrease without increases in immigration. And, it appears that the decline in birth rates may

Unfortunately, there are quite a few myths regarding illegal immigration and populist politicians like former President Donald Trump and Texas Governor Greg Abbott like to frame the issue as a "crisis" or "invasion". The fact that there are people living illegally in America is something that needs to be addressed, but it's not a crisis that requires draconian measures. In fact, the total number of illegal immigrants living in America peaked more than a decade ago and then be

A new study published this month in the American Economic Review: Insights found that immigrants are more frequently involved in founding companies of all sizes, compared to native-born Americans. Co-authored by MIT economist Pierre Azoulay, the study determined that, per capita, immigrants are about 80% more likely to open a new business, compared to U.S.-born citizens. On average, those firms also have about 1% more employees than those founded by U.S. natives. News.MIT.edu

The current labor shortage is driven by multiple factors such as early retirements, lack of affordable child care for workers, population trends, and Covid fears. However, as we noted last Fall, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis has documented that the immigration policies of the Trump administration exacerbated the problem. Washington Post: "Immigration inflows slowed sharply during the Trump administration and then collapsed under the

One of America's greatest advantages is that the world's best and brightest still want to come here to work, live and built new businesses. President Joe Biden wants to use that advantage to drain Russia of its top science talent by relaxing some visa requirements. New York Times: "An administration proposal sent to Capitol Hill as part of a larger package requesting $33 billion in spending on the war would suspend for four years the requirement that scientists applying for v

Two new reports strongly suggest that the anti-immigration policies of the Trump administration and America's cratering fertility rate are undermining the short and long-term economic prospects of the United States. The current labor shortage is driven by multiple factors such as the lack of affordable child care, early retirements, and Covid fears. However, a new report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis documents how the immigratio