Low-skill immigration is just another government redistribution program

Camarota’s analysis also doubles as an explanation of the politics of the immigration debate on the Republican side. K-Street Republicans, like the Chamber of Commerce and Douglas Holtz-Eakin, generally support more low-skilled immigration because it raises the GDP and makes select big businesses more profitable. Grassroots conservatives and Tea Party Republicans generally oppose higher levels of low-skill immigration because it makes harder for the working poor to make a living.

Republicans like Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., are betting that they can win more votes from immigrant communities that support amnesty then they will lose from grassroots conservatives who will see their wages continue to stagnate or go down.