Finance & economics | Labour the point

Can America’s economy cope with mass deportations?

Production slowdowns, more imports and pricier housing could follow

Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, USA. Trump stood in front of a poster reading 'Deport Illegals Now'.
Photograph: eyevine
|Washington, DC

When Donald Trump takes office on January 20th, deportations will be a priority. The president-elect has promised the biggest removals in American history, with workplace raids and the revocation of parole programmes. Stephen Miller, his deputy chief of staff, and Tom Homan, his border tsar, want to use the armed forces to get the job done. Mr Trump has cited “Operation Wetback”, a controversial campaign in the 1950s under President Dwight Eisenhower, which threw out as many as 1.3m people, as an inspiration.

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