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Episode 1557Apr 23, 2026

Mass deportations don’t lead to more jobs for Americans. Why does the myth persist?

“Our labor market is not a fixed pie distributed among immigrant workers and U.S.-born workers,” said economist Chloe East. “Instead it's much more dynamic.”

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Mass deportations don’t lead to more jobs for Americans. Why does the myth persist?
Blake Fagan/AFP via Getty Images

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The labor force participation rate in the U.S. has fallen to the lowest level it’s been since 1977 (aside from the during the height of the pandemic). One reason for the decline? President Trump’s immigration crackdown. University of Colorado Boulder economist Chloe East joins Kimberly to break down the unexpected ways restrictive immigration policies affect the labor market, and trends she’s paying attention to during this second Trump administration.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

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The Team