Since the recession that occurred after the deflation of the dot-com industry and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, migrant workers have filled the worker gap Utahns created when they left in search of better jobs in neighboring states.

Recently, experts have studied the economic ramifications of the migrant workers on both state and national levels in efforts to find solutions to the current immigration dilemma.

"Undocumented people are here. Undocumented people are working," said Ken Jameson, a University of Utah professor of economics. "In point of fact, everybody has essentially welcomed immigrants and we have all taken advantage of that."

Jameson said the two best examples of the economic benefit of undocumented workers in Utah are the tourism and agriculture industries. The turkey industry in particular simply would not be able to function without the immigrant workers.

Immigrant workers continue to fill low-paying positions typically unwanted by non-immigrant citizens throughout Utah. Some say without migrant workers, these positions would remain vacant and would therefore need to be outsourced - an alternative that would not only take jobs away from Utah, but would also raise the prices of goods and services.

Mark Knold, senior economist for the Utah Department of Workforce Services, said he doesn't necessarily agree because the jobs the migrant workers are filling cannot be outsourced.

"If I am going to have a house built, it is going to be right here," he said. "... I can't have a hotel service in Salt Lake City in Shanghai - it doesn't work."

He agreed that without migrant workers, the price of certain types of products could increase. However, he said the price difference would result because the cost of American labor is typically higher.

Though Knold recognizes the contribution and benefit of migrant workers, he said he does not believe the economy is dependent on them.

"Do the states have to have immigrant labor? I would argue no," he said. "In the 50's, 60's and 70's we didn't have much immigration at all, but the states adjusted and the economy did just fine."

Meanwhile, another faction in the immigration debate is concerned by differences in wages between U.S. workers and immigrants.

Darrell Mensel, a Salt Lake City resident, recently submitted a letter to The Salt Lake Tribune's editor.

"I started in the construction business 25 years ago, with an equivalent wage of more than $25 an hour," Mensel's letter said. "Immigrants are working for a third of that, making it impossible for American laborers to compete in that economic sector and still feed a family."

To help the nation's leaders make an educated decision on legislative proposals related to immigration, many research groups have studied the issues presented by the various factions.

One such organization, the University of Utah's Institute of Public and International Affairs, conducted a research project regarding the Utah-Mexico relationship.

"The purpose was to really look at the complete web of economic interaction between the state of Utah and Mexico," said Tom Maloney, a University of Utah associate professor in the Department of Economics.

The economic issue researched was the net fiscal burden from migration and included an in-depth study of the balance between the cost of immigrants to society and the benefits society as a whole receives.

"In the long run, immigration [legal and illegal] tends to generate more money in tax revenues as a whole for the government than immigrants receive back in general," Maloney said.

Jameson, however, said the services immigrants receive, such as free social and emergency services, could present an economic burden to the communities providing them.

Jameson also said individuals can feel the impact of migrant workers.

"If there is a negative impact, it is very specific to low-income, low-skill [American] workers whose wages may be pushed down," he said.

The study estimated that Mexican immigrants, both documented and undocumented, paid an average of $67 million in taxes in 2000. The Mexican immigrant purchasing power is also estimated to be close to $1 billion.

Another organization, The Immigration Advisory Committee, was established by U.S. Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah and focused its efforts on developing feasible solutions for the current failing immigration system.

"This is an extremely important report which reflects a consensus view of some of the best minds in Utah on an immensely difficult issue," Cannon said in a press release. "This report has the weight of well-reasoned stances, and will be invaluable to have on hand as Congress tackles the ongoing immigration debate."

In its look at the economic pros and cons of immigrant workers, the study also concluded immigration provides a positive economic contribution to the United States and attributed this fact to an increased labor supply at lower costs.

The report concluded with the committee saying it "hopes Congress will adopt comprehensive immigration reform that does not provide amnesty, but does address the root causes of immigration and changes the current incentive structure."

The committee suggests this reform will be best implemented through a guest worker program.

"Such a guest worker program will help solve many of our immigration quandaries, but to have a full solution, we must also fully secure our borders, provide visa reform and vigorously enforce our laws internally," the report said. "Illegal immigration will not be completely resolved, however, until Mexico and Latin America are economically empowered to care for their own citizens."

Mexican President Vicente Fox, in his address to the Utah Legislature, said Mexico must also participate in immigration reform by improving their economic situation.

"Mexico absolutely must continue to expand jobs, economic growth and social opportunities so migration is no longer a necessity," Fox said.

The University of Utah study summarized this idea in its report.

"The economic destiny of the Mexican immigrant community in Utah, and their economic contributions to the state, will be determined by their own efforts and by public policy and institutional initiatives that give these individuals the opportunity to develop and use their talents."

Copyright Brigham Young University 7 Jun 2006