Would the elimination of agriculture subsidies reduce the number of illegal immigrants?
I’m guessing that it might: Ag prices in the US are largely propped up by government subsidy and import restriction, this means that more food is grown every year than we’re going to use…a lot of it gets left around to rot, a lot gets dumped on the world market to wreck the agricultural sectors of third-world countries. Practical upshot is that agricultural companies have more money than they otherwise would, and need more people to harvest crops. Who harvests crops? Mostly unskilled Mexicans*. If farmers had a narrower margin, and were only producing as much food as was demanded of them, it seems logical that elimination of ag subsidy could reduce the amount of unskilled labor needed and thusly reduce the incentives to come here illegally.
Just a thought, I’m for freer border crossing anyway.
*Yes, Mexicans. People from Mexico.
