Mass deportations could cost the Bay Area region $67 billion a year, according to a new report by the Bay Area Council. The new report shows just how much of a difference immigrants and undocumented workers make to our local economy.
ByMass deportations could cost the Bay Area region $67 billion a year, according to a new report by the Bay Area Council. The new report shows just how much of a difference immigrants and undocumented workers make to our local economy.
Supporters also say the report shows immigration enforcement is not a just a federal issue, but also a local economic concern.The new report shows that undocumented workers in the Bay Area earn more than $21 billion a year. And, they pay more than $8 billion in taxes a year. "This was a follow up to a statewide study we released last June," said Abby Raisz, Vice President of Research for the Bay Area Council Economic Institute.A new report by Bay Area Council Economic Institute shows that there are 2.5 million immigrant workers in in the Bay Area."The City of San Francisco, the Bay Area, and California as a whole runs on immigrant labor--from the flowers, the food, which is touched by immigrant labor," said Susana Rojas, Calle 24 Latino Cultural District Executive Director.They work at hotels, restaurants, and in construction.Viral video shows mother arrested by ICE at SFO; California leaders express outcry and skepticism A chart from the report shows that 82% of the maids and housekeepers in the Bay Area are immigrants. 39% of them are undocumented. The chart also shows that many janitors, cooks, landscapers in the Bay Area are immigrants and it shows what percentage of them are undocumented. The new report shows exactly how much undocumented workers mean to our economy, and what would happen if they all disappeared because of mass deportations. "What we found is that would be about $67 billion in GDP lost if we lost our undocumented worker population. That's the size of a small country--just the undocumented labor that contributes to our region," said Raisz. The Trump Administration and others have argued that undocumented workers have hurt the U.S. economy. "Part of the narrative has been undocumented workers take away from the city and from the country--that we don't contribute, that we are a burden and that we are making things worse for everybody because we are taking away. I think these numbers contradict that narrative and will help those who are willing to listen and understand and understand that is not the reality," said Rojas."We would see a collapse of our economy," said Rojas. "When you remove half a million people from the economy, you are talking about a serious disruption to the economy,' said Fred Blackwell, San Francisco Foundation CEO."When there are activations, when arrests happen--like what happened on Monday, we definitely see a change. Not as many people will come . People don't show up to work," said Rojas. "The way immigration enforcement is being rolled out, it's causing a lot of fear. So, even when folks aren't actually deported, the fear is created in the community. It makes people stay at home. It keeps them from being consumers, it keeps them from taking the kids to school. It keeps them from going to doctor and getting health checkups; all that has an impact on the economy as well," said Blackwell.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
High school softball rankings, March 24, 2026: Bay Area News Group Top 20St. Francis leads the way as league play gets going. Willow Glen, Liberty, Valley Christian, Mitty, Alameda, Livermore, Mills, Clayton Valley, Carondelet among top teams
Read more »
Mass deportations could jolt Bay Area economy and trigger job losses: reportMass deportations could jolt the Bay Area economy and erode the region’s already shaky job market.
Read more »
Mass deportations could jolt Bay Area economy and trigger job losses: reportMass deportations could jolt the Bay Area economy and erode the region’s already shaky job market.
Read more »
Bay Area Hotel Market Hit by Loan Defaults: Sunnyvale and Mountain View Hotels Face Financial TroubleTwo hotels in Santa Clara County, the Wild Palms Hotel in Sunnyvale and the Hotel Avante in Mountain View, are facing loan defaults, mirroring broader challenges in the Bay Area hotel market. The situation highlights declining hotel values and difficulties in refinancing, creating a liquidity crisis for hotel owners. Despite an upswing in revenue, financial pressures are too significant, as major hotels in Oakland and San Jose have also faced foreclosures.
Read more »
Bay Area lawmaker proposes new federal laws on e-bikes and other electric two-wheelersFederal consumer standards for e-bikes have been mostly unchanged since 2002, despite the rise in injuries and young riders being hospitalized, the bill’s proponents said.
Read more »
Highway 101 crash kills Bay Area coupleThe vehicle struck a concrete pillar at the interchange of Highway 101 and Highway 37, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Read more »