Since 2006, illegal immigration has become a major political issue between the Republicans and Democrats. An estimated 12 million illegal aliens are working in the United States. A large percentage of these workers are in unskilled or semiskilled occupations, such as landscaping, custodial services, construction, and agriculture. On one side, there are Republicans who want the federal government to send these workers back to their countries of origin. They argue that these people have broken the law and do not deserve to stay in the United States. The Democrats and some Republicans want to find a way to let these immigrants stay in the United States legally but only on a temporary basis. An important fact is that the number of unemployed in the United States is typically between about 6 million and 7 million in any given month. No one has addressed the issue of what sending these workers home would do to the economy.

Using the supply-and-demand model for labor, explain the implications of immigration on wages.