Trump Blames Immigrant Surge for Housing Crisis. Most Economists Disagree.

The New York Times ^ | Oct. 11, 2024, 12:01 p.m. ET | Jeanna Smialek, Lydia DePillis and Natasha Rodriguez

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Former President Donald J. Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance, regularly blame America’s housing affordability crisis on a recent surge in immigration. They point to their plans for mass deportations of undocumented workers as part of the solution.

But most economists do not believe that immigrants have been a major driver of the recent run-up in housing prices. Rents and home costs started to surge in 2020 and 2021, before the flow of newcomers began to pick up in 2022 and 2023.

And while immigrants could have kept housing demand elevated in some markets, past studies suggests that they are a small part of the overall story. Even the economist whose paper Mr. Vance had cited as evidence said in an interview that she thought that immigration’s recent impact on housing costs had been minuscule.

In fact, a number of economists and housing industry experts said that one of the solutions Mr. Trump was proposing — large-scale deportations — could actually backfire and make the housing crisis worse.

That’s because immigrants do not simply add to the demand for housing: They are an important part of the work force that supplies it. Foreign-born workers make up a quarter of the construction labor force, and they are especially concentrated in trades like plastering, hanging drywall and roofing.

Across many booming housing markets, particularly in the South, the recent flow of migrants has helped residential builders meet demand for both skilled trades and relatively unskilled laborers, industry groups say and job market data suggest.

[_longranger81]

New
York
Times.

‘nuff said.

Next…

[Lockbox]

More like: economists, who are paid by the government in one form of job or another, agree with the government…..

[italianquaker]

Ny times reports without evidence

[jimfree]

So incredibly stupid. Remembering how 90 percent of all economists agreed with Obama too.

[mmichaels1970]

Most?

[Socon-Econ]

Its basic supply and demand. Those economists had better re-take economics 101.

[falcon99]

These are undoubtedly the same “expert” economists who say we have a super great economy but we are just too dumb too know it.

[vpintheak]

Just like all the “experts” with anything and I am specifically remembering Covidiocy. Clueless a-hole experts killed a lot of people.

[californian by choice]

Who is the one who says that illegal immigration began in 2020 to 2021, that type of immigration has existed for a long time, only before it was drop by drop and little by little it accelerated, reason? That employers saw in illegal immigration a way to double their profits due to the low wages they were paid without any negative consequences for them and sometimes covered up by government agencies, then politicians saw that the black vote was dwindling compared to other races, then defenders of illegals began to appear because they were the sheep of the future ....

[july4thfreedomfoundation]

They’re not “IMMIGRANTS.”

They are illegal alien invaders.

[HenpeckedCon]

“economists” in NY Times jargon = ivory-tower political whores.
______________________________________________________________

“Economists” = Paul Krugman

[Tellurian]

10 million immigrant families move in the same time while 3 million homes were built

So 3 million American families sell and move on to better digs (the new houses), and each one of their old houses gets rented out to non-assimilating third-world bodies-for-ballots newcomers, 3-families-to-a-house. These border-hopping scoff-laws will happily make-do, somehow, living that way. After all, they're paying only a fraction of the rent. Unfortunately for the remaining locals they're also cluttering the streets, parks, and all the civic infrastructure with 3 times the traffic. At the same time they're bidding down the local wages a hefty notch since they, with three breadwinners splitting the housing costs, can get by with less.

The locals, whose wages are now stagnant (if they still have a job), can't afford to move on to better digs like the initial wave of former neighbors, the ones who responded to the DemonicRat's graft-financed invasion, but they also don't want to live 3-families-to-a-house. They get fed up with the new non-assimilating third-world bodies-for-ballots neighbors (the DemonicRats latest crop of useful saps), and they now move out to the sticks. There, at what will hopefully be a lower cost, maybe they can keep their one-house-one-family American dream. Or, maybe they'll just surrender to living-the-dream in a trailer. Joy!

What happened to the other one million NATWBFBs you say? They're living the life of professional con-men & criminals. After all, once you own nothing, you'll be happy! The WEF said so.

[Gaffer]

They are an important part of the work force that supplies it.

Sure, they mostly work in the house/apartment building areas, but that's because they're supplanting the workers that used to do it. Builders use them because they are/were cheaper. Still doesn't mean they do it 24/7. They live places, too, and millions more or them means dwellings not available to other Americans.

[xoxox]

kewl. nyt disagreeing w/my thesis confirms it.

[Republican Wildcat]

Tens of millions of more people to take up limited available housing does not reduce the amount of available housing according to “experts.”

I assume it also does not result in more foodstuffs and other supplies being consumed, either.