This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
With an estimated 11 million to 15 million undocumented people in the United States, immigration reform has been one of the center topics for the recent presidential election. With the outcome of the election, President-elect Donald Trump's administration has spurred uncertainty about the undocumented communities within the states.
Moreover, Trump's campaign promise to go forth with mass deportation has more negative outcomes than the benefits he believes it has.
The loss of the undocumented population would most notably impact state economies due to its contribution through taxes and jobs. A study by United Way of Salt Lake, for instance, shows the effects in Hyrum, where an ICE raid in 2006 left the manufacturing city producing at 75 percent of its normal capacity.
The impact on states would leave state governments to have to balance with the loss of the economic contribution of those workers, which would be a long-term recovery process.
It's essential for state representatives to push back on Trump's mass deportation promises to ensure that state economies aren't negatively impacted and that the undocumented population continues to contribute to state growth.
Lorhen Gomez-Alvarez
North Salt Lake