How Trump’s immigration crackdown could backfire

The Trump administration is cracking down on immigration — legal and otherwise — setting the stage for potential labor shortages, weaker economic growth and higher inflation.

The Trump administration is cracking down on immigration — legal and otherwise — setting the stage for potential labor shortages, weaker economic growth and higher inflation. President Donald Trump announced a flurry of immigration policies immediately after taking office in late January, many of them aimed at curbing illegal entries — a core tenet of his presidential campaign. But he’s also chipped away at legal avenues, such as shutting down the asylum-seeking process at the US-Mexico border and canceling flights for refugees who had already been vetted. “The reality is that we depend on immigrant labor in this country and Trump’s policies could have enormous consequences for many industries,” Jorge Loweree, managing director of programs at the American Immigration Council, told CNN. In the past, Trump has said he’d welcome legal immigrants, saying “we have to have the quality people coming in” on his second day in office. Last week, he unveiled a “gold card” visa program for wealthy foreigners to live and work in the US. But several experts tell CNN that legal immigration is expected to decline throughout Trump’s second term as his administration fosters a hostile environment for immigrants through its policies and messaging, which could lead to fewer available workers across industries and higher inflation. There are already signs of legal immigration slowing. “It’s been surprisingly quiet,” Melissa Lopez, an attorney and executive director of Estrella Del Paso immigration legal services firm, told CNN. “I’ve been doing this for 17 and a half years here in El Paso, and this feels low.”