Earned Legalization is More Effective Than Mass Deportation, NJ Business Immigration Coalition

The current mass deportation program does not address the root causes of the immigration problem in the U.S., such as the failures of the American asylum system, weaknesses in border management, and the shortage of immigrant visas for work purposes. By disrupting families, damaging businesses, and lowering tax revenues, the current mass deportation program is creating a host of other issues, according to the NJ Business Immigration Coalition.

Rather than deporting law-abiding undocumented workers, the Coalition urges the creation of an earned legalization program, which would allow immigrants to acquire legal status if they satisfy a set of reasonable conditions. Even if full citizenship was not an allowable outcome of such a program, granting them permanent resident status would strengthen families, communities, and the larger economy.

The Effectiveness of Earned Legalization

Earned legalization is more effective than mass deportation because it provides a practical, humane, and economically beneficial solution to addressing the status of undocumented immigrants. Mass deportation is costly, disruptive, and often unrealistic given the sheer number of individuals involved, many of whom have deep ties to their communities, families, and workplaces. In contrast, earned legalization allows individuals to qualify for legal status by meeting certain requirements, such as background checks, learning English, or paying taxes. This approach encourages integration, supports the economy through a stable labor force, and strengthens public trust in the immigration system, offering a more balanced and constructive solution to immigration challenges.

“Although the government’s effort to deport criminal undocumented immigrants is deserving of support, a large body of research finds that immigrants, including undocumented immigrants, do not commit more crimes than native-born Americans,” explains Nicholas Montalto, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the NJ Business Immigration Coalition. “According to one study from the National Institute of Justice, native-born citizens were more than twice as likely to be arrested for violent and drug crimes and four times more likely for property crimes than undocumented immigrants,”

Source of the Problem: Insufficient Legal Pathways for Employment-Based Immigration

The vast majority of immigrant workers aren’t replacing U.S.-born workers; rather, they are making it possible for U.S. workers to hold complementary jobs based on the availability of immigrant labor.

The five sectors most dependent on immigrant labor are: agriculture, construction, travel and leisure, manufacturing, and healthcare. Not only are these sectors lacking adequate numbers of immigrant visas, but even temporary visas are either non-existent or in short supply. The number of immigrants granted legal status to fill these job vacancies at lower skill levels is exceedingly small. Today, only 16.8% of all permanent resident visas are awarded to immigrants to fill job vacancies, and almost all these visas are reserved for high-skilled and college-educated immigrants. The 16.8% includes the immediate family members of such immigrants, so the actual percentage of essential workers is much lower.

The Call for Reform

The NJ Business Immigration Coalition calls on federal lawmakers to move beyond punitive approaches and adopt immigration reforms that reflect the economic realities of the labor market. With millions of jobs going unfilled across the country, especially in essential industries, it is counterproductive to remove workers who are already contributing and willing to meet clearly defined criteria for legal status. An earned legalization program would not only stabilize the workforce but also ensure that all workers operate within the legal and tax systems, strengthening protections for both employers and employees.

At the same time, to prevent the reoccurrence of large-scale undocumented immigration, our legal immigration system, which dates back to 1965, needs to be updated to fill the labor needs of the future. More immigrant visas should be made available to cover shortages of workers at all skill levels.

A Practical Path Forward

At a time when businesses are struggling with labor shortages and supply chain disruptions, earned legalization offers a practical path forward. The Coalition urges policymakers to support legislation that prioritizes economic growth, community stability, and fairness. By valuing the contributions of immigrant workers and providing them with a chance to earn legal status, the United States can build a more resilient and inclusive economy—one that works better for everyone.

The New Jersey Business Immigration Coalition has released a statement explaining how an updated immigration system and an earned legalization program will open more doors for immigrants to fill vacancies in our economy.

About The New Jersey Business Immigration Coalition

The New Jersey Business Immigration Coalition prides itself in advancing sensible, evidence-based and bipartisan immigration policy. It represents a wide range of business groups in New Jersey committed to educating the public on vital immigration-related matters.

About Nicholas Montalto

Dr. Montalto is Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the New Jersey Business Immigration Coalition. He also serves as manager of the American Immigrant Policy Portal, an organization that collects and publicizes all the latest research on immigration-related topics. He holds a doctorate in American immigration history from the University of Minnesota and previously served as president and CEO of the International Institute of New Jersey.