In this episode of Beggar’s Bread, we recommend a podcast by The Russell Moore Show: Radicalization and Resilience with Elizabeth Neumann (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/radicalization-and-resilience-with-elizabeth-neumann/id1074011166?i=1000592339248)
Citations
Immigration & Economics
45% of Fortune 500 Companies were founded or co-founded by a refugee, other immigrant, or their children (American Immigration Council: https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/new-american-fortune-500-2023)
20 years after arrival, the average refugee adult has contributed approximately $21,000 more in taxes than they have received in governmental assistance and services at all levels (University of Notre Dame Study: https://news.nd.edu/news/economic-benefits-of-admitting-refugees-outweigh-costs/)
96% of economist surveyed by the Wall Street Journal (https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB114477669441223067) affirmed that the net economic impact of illegal immigration is positive for the United States
Immigration & Fentanyl
Roughly 89% of those convicted for trafficking fentanyl have been U.S. citizens, and more than 90% of apprehensions have occurred at Ports of Entry or interior Vehicle Checkpoints, not along illegal entry routes (Washington Examiner: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/244824/is-americas-immigration-crisis-causing-the-fentanyl-epidemic/
Customs & Border Protection: https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/drug-seizure-statistics
Cato Institute: https://www.cato.org/blog/us-citizens-were-89-convicted-fentanyl-traffickers-2022)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Op Ed by Luke (https://www.jsonline.com/story/opinion/2025/01/30/trump-immigration-border-cartels-ice/78026554007/)
Immigration & Crime
“Contrary to public perception, we observe considerably lower felony arrest rates among undocumented immigrants compared to legal immigrants and native-born US citizens and find no evidence that undocumented criminality has increased in recent years.” (PNAS Article: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2014704117)
Immigration & Housing
“Roughly 30 percent of workers in the U.S. construction industry are immigrants. In some states, like California and Texas, the share of construction workers who are immigrants is 40 percent.” (National Immigration Forum: https://immigrationforum.org/article/immigrant-construction-workers-in-the-united-states/)
We hope you enjoyed your time with us. Have thoughts on our show? We’d love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]
This podcast episode is an expression of Nick and Luke’s personal opinions. It does not necessarily represent the views and opinions of anyone else or any organization.
