I wish I wouldn't have written my second sentence the way I did because I don't actually believe any economists would do that, though in my defense I didn't thi

I wish I wouldn't have written my second sentence the way I did because I don't actually believe any economists would do that, though in my defense I didn't think anybody would take it seriously. I was using an extreme example to demonstrate that nobody actually gives primacy to economic arguments, so their perfectly valid conclusions aren't going to be effective when someone for example cares more about their own countrymen than foreigners. I 100% agree that some immigration would improve America economically and reduce global inequality, but I feel that I have an moral obligation to not throw poorer Americans under the bus to accomplish it. Also taking everything into account, maybe that financial benefit wasn't worth it for other reasons. Massive illegal Mexican immigration seems to have completely fucked over many Black Americans, for instance. Economics is a useful tool to find these things out, exactly as you say. I believe that most low-skill immigration to the US is a process of enriching the richest by replacing the poorest with even poorer and transitioning the other poor to government assistance.