Yang on Trump immigration policies and implications for migration to the U.S.

November 11, 2016

Dean Yang is quoted in Max Ehrenfreund’s November 10 article for the Washington Post’s Wonkblog, “One of Trump’s policies could spark a boom in immigration from Mexico.”

Ehrenfreund speculates on the effect President-elect Donald Trump’s economic policies could have on immigration from Mexico to the U.S. A tariff on Mexican imports, he argues, could constrict Mexican manufacturing and cause workers to look for work in the U.S. instead. Other economic factors, such as the decline of the Peso since election night, could make work abroad even more attractive.

Yang adds that when migration increases, people who are already in the United States are more likely to stay as well. “When there’s a depreciation in the home country, people stay overseas longer,” resulting in “an increase overall in net migration to the U.S.”

The article continues with input from other economists regarding potential trade and immigration policies the Trump administration could enact and the consequences that may follow. 


Dean Yang, a professor of public policy and economics, focuses on the economic problems of developing countries. His areas of emphasis include international migration, microfinance, health, corruption, and the economics of disasters.