Proof that immigrants fuel the US economy is found in the billions they send back home

Donald Trump has vowed to deport millions of immigrants if he is elected to a second term, claiming that, among other things, foreign-born workers take jobs from others. His running mate JD Vance has echoed those anti-immigrant views.

Researchers, however, generally agree that massive deportations would hurt the U.S. economy, perhaps even triggering a recession.

Social scientists and analysts tend to concur that immigration - both documented and undocumented - spurs economic growth. But it is almost impossible to calculate directly how much immigrants contribute to the economy. That's because we don't know the ...