Cassandra Zimmer-Wong

The 15 Latin Americans deported from the US to Kinshasa are holed up in a hotel by the airport, where there are water cuts, rats, and lots of mosquitoes. They have no passports, don't speak French, and have no idea what comes next. My story for @NPR: npr.org/2026/04/28/nx-…

Now here is the part I want you to sit with. The deportation program currently underway is not just a moral question. It is also a fiscal one. Every immigrant deported under this administration is, on average, a person who paid more in taxes than they consumed in benefits. The Cato study found this is true even of immigrants without high school diplomas. Even of undocumented immigrants. Even of low-wage workers in service industries. Every deportation is the United States Treasury losing a net taxpayer.

Because immigrant labor is a key factor of production alongside native labor and capital, we estimate that removing all immigrants with Temporary Protected Status will slash annual GDP by over $45 billion, eliminating over 660,000 US jobs and raising the federal budget deficit.

Last week I told @washingtonpost that visa issuance statistics alone can't tell us if lowered interest in coming to the U.S. or actual policy change has driven the latest declines. However, there are other data points worth watching.

7/ read more 👇 #table-1-citizenship-residency-by-investment" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">niskanencenter.org/doing-as-they-…

6/ The AML concerns about Antigua and Dominica are legitimate. But you can't pressure other countries to meet a standard you won't hold yourself to. If the bar is real vetting, ongoing oversight, and transparency — it should apply in Washington as well as Roseau or Saint John’s.

1/ The Trump administration banned citizens of two Caribbean nations 🇦🇬🇩🇲 because their citizenship by investment programs are an alleged national security risk. Then, the same month, it launched its own pay-for-passport program. I went through the fine print. 🧵

In case you missed… A rare look at the contrasts between those who live on U.S. supplies at the base at Guantánamo Bay and the Cubans on the other side of their minefield in this time of an oil blockade. nytimes.com/2026/03/30/us/…

Honored to have my research highlighted today by Rep. @MaryGayScanlon, who made exactly this point. Immigrants aren't just recipients of public services — they help fund them.

Undocumented people in the U.S. ARE taxpayers — contributing to the same property and sales taxes that fund K-12 education. Tax revenue from undocumented workers covers the cost of educating their children more than 9x over nationally. (2/3)

🧵 Today's House Judiciary hearing on Plyler v. Doe pushed the argument that educating undocumented children is a fiscal burden on U.S. taxpayers. That argument ignores a basic fact. (1/3)

Immigration detention is classified as civil, not criminal, detention. That means it's not supposed to be punitive. But the medical record inside these facilities tells a different story. 🧵

The law remains sound, the data unequivocal, and the moral stakes incalculable. Preserving Plyler is not simply about protecting vulnerable children—it is about upholding who we are and who we aspire to be as a nation. (3/3) Read more ➡️ niskanencenter.org/the-price-of-d…

Denying children their right to learn—based solely on the circumstances of their birth—would not only violate the principle of equal protection, it would undermine America’s long-term social and economic health. (2/3)

This should anger even immigration skeptics. Undermining Plyler v. Doe would represent not only a constitutional regression but a denial of empirical fact: Undocumented immigrants are not a fiscal burden; they are net contributors to public systems, including education. (1/3)

Who actually benefits when we increase immigration? Well, almost everyone. But one concrete example: for a 25% increase in immigration, the 5,000 (mostly elderly) Americans they save the lives of each year. Cool @nberpubs paper by @DavidCGrabowski, Gruber, & @McGarryBE.