JD Vance States The Obvious: Mass Deportation Will Encourage US Businesses To Hire Americans

Republican vice-presidential nominee JD Vance made the case for mass deportation of illegal immigrants during a recent interview, stating that such a policy would push US businesses to hire millions of Americans who have left the workforce. Vance shared his views during an interview with The New York Times, where he argued that removing illegal workers from the labor market would benefit Americans who are no longer engaged in the labor force.

In the interview, New York Times reporter Lulu Garcia-Navarro challenged Vance on how deporting illegal immigrants would affect industries like construction, where a significant portion of the workforce is made up of undocumented Hispanic workers. “How do you propose to build all the housing necessary that we need in this country by removing all the people who are working in construction?” she asked.

Vance responded by highlighting the untapped potential of American workers, particularly the millions who have dropped out of the labor force. “You absolutely could re-engage folks into the American labor market,” Vance stated, pointing to approximately seven million prime-age men and a significant number of women who are no longer working. He pushed back against the idea that Americans wouldn’t take construction jobs if illegal immigrants were deported, emphasizing that low wages were a key reason many Americans avoid those positions.

Addressing concerns about the low unemployment rate, Vance pointed out that the figure doesn’t account for those who have stopped looking for work altogether. He noted that the labor force participation rate, which was 63.3% before the COVID-19 pandemic, has not fully recovered under the Biden-Harris administration. “The unemployment rate does not count labor-force participation dropouts,” Vance emphasized, adding that immigration policies have led businesses to rely on illegal labor at the expense of American workers.

He dismissed the argument that Americans won’t work in industries like construction, explaining that “Americans won’t do those jobs for below-the-table wages.” Instead, Vance insisted that American workers would take those jobs if wages were fair and above the table. He criticized the business community for prioritizing cheap labor and placing blame on Vice President Kamala Harris’ border policies for exacerbating the problem.

“We cannot have an entire American business community that is giving up on American workers and then importing millions of illegal laborers,” Vance concluded, tying mass deportation to broader economic reforms aimed at re-engaging American citizens in the workforce.