Politicians are trying to tie immigration to our housing crisis. They're lying.

[Nevilledog]

https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/housing-prices-forced-deportation-immigration-rcna174048

There’s no doubt that we need to change our broken immigration system. And there’s no doubt that we need more housing. But while some politicians are trying to tie immigration to our housing crisis to justify extreme policies like mass deportation, the available evidence tells a much different story.

Some politicians try to make the United States’ housing shortage — estimates of the deficit run anywhere from 4 million to 7 million homes — a simple equation of supply and demand. Add more people, and housing prices go up; deport more people, and housing prices go down. The reality is far more complicated. Undocumented immigrants don’t just use housing. They also build housing, maintain housing and put money into the pockets of Americans who buy or rent housing.

Even if firms could eventually find new workers, there would be years of turmoil in the interim.
A new report from the American Immigration Council, where I am a senior fellow, finds that mass deportations would lead to a widespread economic downturn. The impact would be concentrated in industries that rely on undocumented workers, the most prominent of which is construction, the industry necessary to address the country’s housing shortage.

Our analysis finds that 1 in 7 people employed in the construction industry as of 2022 were undocumented, accounting for more than 1.5 million workers. Within many of the trades relevant to housing construction and maintenance, the proportion is higher. We estimate that more than 1 in 3 roofers, ceiling tilers, stucco masons, plasterers and drywall installers are undocumented. These workers not only build many of the roughly 1.79 million new units that go onto the market each year, they also maintain and repair existing housing stock. If you think getting a contractor is hard now, wait until the workforce has been cut by a third.

*snip*

[Diamond_Dog]

1. Those darn immigrants buying up all those $500,000 homes!

[RidinWithHarris]

3. That was my immediate thought when I heard this BS

All but a very few have a hard time getting into even the cheapest of rental units.

[SWBTATTReg]

2. And I will vouch that the average housing price in the US doesn't allow most immigrants, let alone a lot of Americans,

unable to participate in this latest housing 'boom' / or 'uptick'. In some areas, there has been some pricing retreats, so there may be some good news for first time home buyers, but I think it's still going to be a challenge for these people (lst timers). Good grief, I doubt that I could ever find a house for the price I got my first home in 1980, not even close. Home prices in this neighborhood have gone up roughly 10 times what they were back then.

And I won't ever have a mortgage on it, never believed in them, don't want the danger of having one, and then having to answer to another landlord, so to speak (the mortgage holder). One must be on top of things, be strict w/ outgoing bills and keep on top of things, to never have to be in the boat of owing money to a bank or somebody else for a car or a house, two of the biggest expenses one will have in their life.

[Sea A Chell]

4. Look at STRs, too!

I think part of the housing shortage is ALSO because of Short Term Rental properties. We live in a single family neighborhood and the property next to us is now an Airbnb. These rental properties effectively remove many homes from their local housing stock. Time to limit these properties which would instantly add loads of homes back onto the market. Then we can stop blaming immigrants.

[Cirsium]

5. Farm workers

Farm workers here live in subsidized workers' housing, mostly trailers.