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Economics Topics

Unit Plan

The Economic Consequences of Losing Migrant Workers

Activities

Teaching with E.L.O.N. (Enriched Learning Opportunity Nexus) that seamlessly integrates AI

Unit Plan: The Economic Consequences of Losing Migrant Workers

Unit Connection: Labor, Immigration, and the Economy

Focus Question: What are the economic consequences of losing migrant workers in the United States?

Unit Objectives:
Students will:

Analyze the role of migrant labor in the U.S. economy across sectors.
Evaluate the direct and indirect economic impacts of immigration enforcement.
Understand how labor shortages affect inflation, productivity, and consumer behavior.
Examine ethical and policy considerations in labor and immigration.
Calculate cost of living impacts for different demographics.

Week 1: Foundations and Sectors Impacted
Day 1: Introduction to Migrant Labor in the U.S.

Lecture: Migrant labor demographics and history
Reading: Public domain excerpts from U.S. Labor Department reports
Activity: Labor force mapping and statistics analysis

Day 2: Agriculture and Food Security

Case Study: California agriculture and migrant labor
Simulation: Harvest vs. spoil – balancing labor supply and demand
Homework: Article analysis on food price shifts

Day 3: Construction and Housing Markets

Video: “Built on Labor: Immigrants in Construction”
Group Work: Cost analysis of delayed housing projects

Day 4: Hospitality, Services, and Small Businesses

Guest Speaker or recorded interview: Local business owner
Data Dive: Employment stats from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Day 5: Labor Policy and ICE Enforcement

Reading: Excerpts from American Immigration Council report
Debate: Should labor policy be tied to immigration enforcement?

Week 2: Broader Economic Impact and Policy SolutionsDay 6: GDP, Tax Revenue, and the Shadow Economy

Lecture and graphing: Economic contributions of undocumented workers
Data Comparison: Federal and state tax contributions

Projected Economic Losses:

GDP Reduction: Removing all undocumented immigrants could shrink the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 4.2% to 6.8%, equating to a loss of approximately $1.1 trillion to $1.7 trillion in 2022 dollars. (American Immigration Council, Axios)
Tax Revenue Decline:
- $46.8 billion in federal taxes
- $29.3 billion in state and local taxes
- $22.6 billion to Social Security
- $5.7 billion to Medicare (Econofact, American Immigration Council, Immigration Impact)
Purchasing Power Loss: $256.8 billion annually; decreased consumer spending would hurt local economies. (American Immigration Council)

Day 7: Inflation, Scarcity, and Cost-Push Effects

Concept Focus: Inflationary pressures due to labor loss
Math Lab: CPI calculation based on simulated price increases

Day 8: Case Studies and Economic Models

Analysis: Cato Institute and JEC projections
Student Presentations: Regional impact studies (states or sectors)

Sector-Specific Impacts:

Agriculture: Unharvested crops and increased food prices. (Joint Economic Committee)
Construction: Delayed projects and higher building costs; 13% of the workforce is undocumented. (Barron's)
Hospitality and Services: Staff shortages and service reductions. (Joint Economic Committee)

Broader Economic Consequences:

Employment: Every 500,000 undocumented workers removed results in 44,000 U.S.-born job losses. (Econofact, JEC)
Inflation: Labor scarcity raises wages and consumer prices. (Joint Economic Committee)
Federal Expenditures: Enforcement and deportation could cost up to $88 billion annually. (American Immigration Council, The Guardian, Center for American Progress)

Day 9: Policy Solutions and Ethical Trade-Offs

Roundtable: DACA, guest worker visas, and reform options
Position Paper Workshop: Students draft recommendations

Day 10: Assessment and Reflection

Final Project: Policy proposal or economic forecast report
Reflection Essay: Economic ethics and labor justice

Assessment Components:

Participation in simulations and discussions
Group project on sector-specific impacts
Data analysis worksheets (GDP, CPI, tax revenue)
Final policy proposal or economic impact report

Standards Alignment:

National Council on Economic Education (NCEE) Voluntary National Content Standards in Economics: Standards 1, 2, 4, 13, 18
Common Core Literacy in History/Social Studies: RH.11-12.1, RH.11-12.7, WHST.11-12.2, WHST.11-12.9

Addendum: Cost of Living Impact on Fixed-Income Retirees
A reduction in migrant labor raises production and service costs, which ripple into consumer prices. Retirees on a fixed Social Security income are particularly vulnerable to these changes.
Example Analysis:

Annual Social Security income (average): $21,600
CPI-adjusted cost increases (projected with 6% rise):
- Food: +$900/year
- Utilities: +$250/year
- Healthcare: +$350/year
- Housing/Repairs: +$700/year

Total Increase: $2,200/year or 10.2% of total income
Result: Reduced purchasing power, inability to cover non-discretionary expenses, greater reliance on social support programs
Activity Suggestion: Students calculate budget scenarios for a fixed-income household using projected inflation across sectors and propose economic policy adjustments to protect vulnerable populations.

The following activities include AI tools that enhance student engagement, provide data-driven insights, and facilitate personalized learning.
Day 1: Introduction to Migrant Labor in the U.S.
Group Activity:
Group: Create a timeline of migrant labor using ChatGPT for historical summarization.
Individual Activity:
Individual: Ask ChatGPT to simulate a short interview with a migrant worker and summarize key themes.
Day 2: Agriculture and Food Security
Group Activity:
Group: Use Canva Magic Write to generate an infographic showing agricultural output with/without migrant labor.
Individual Activity:
Individual: Use Perplexity.ai to find a current article on crop loss due to labor shortages, summarize using ChatGPT.
Day 3: Construction and Housing Markets
Group Activity:
Group: Use Excel + ChatGPT to model costs of construction delays.
Individual Activity:
Individual: Ask ChatGPT to role-play a construction manager writing a letter to city council about labor shortages.
Day 4: Hospitality, Services, and Small Businesses
Group Activity:
Group: Use ChatGPT to create a dialogue-based skit between a business owner and city official on labor impacts.
Individual Activity:
Individual: Use Bard to identify small business economic challenges and write a short reflection.
Day 5: Labor Policy and ICE Enforcement
Group Activity:
Group: Use ChatGPT to draft pro/con debate points and practice using the script.
Individual Activity:
Individual: Use Perplexity to find 2 real news stories about ICE enforcement and write a personal response.
Day 6: GDP, Tax Revenue, and the Shadow Economy
Group Activity:
Group: Build a GDP loss chart using Excel AI plugin and visualize with Canva.
Individual Activity:
Individual: Use ChatGPT to explain how shadow economies affect tax revenue.
Day 7: Inflation, Scarcity, and Cost-Push Effects
Group Activity:
Group: Use Excel to calculate CPI changes, write report with ChatGPT’s help.
Individual Activity:
Individual: Ask ChatGPT to simulate inflation in a fictional town after losing migrant workers.
Day 8: Case Studies and Economic Models
Group Activity:
Group: Use Bard to compare 2 state-level case studies; summarize findings in Canva slide.
Individual Activity:
Individual: Use ChatGPT to create a micro-narrative from a sector worker’s POV.
Day 9: Policy Solutions and Ethical Trade-Offs
Group Activity:
Group: Use ChatGPT to co-write a policy proposal with pro/cons and ethical implications.
Individual Activity:
Individual: Use Canva Magic Write to design a visual summary of a proposed solution.
Day 10: Assessment and Reflection
Group Activity:
Group: Final presentations include AI-generated visuals or scripts.
Individual Activity:
Individual: Ask ChatGPT to help refine essay and check for clarity, tone, and grammar.