Peterson Institute: 1.2%–7% GDP drop
The Peterson Institute projects a 1.2% drop in GDP if 1.3 million people are deported, growing to 7% if deportations hit 8 million.
Snapshot · The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway
No Mercy / No Malice: ICE Age
Explore episode
Aug 8, 2026
Where this was said
The Economics of Deportation: A Trillion-Dollar Own-Goal
At 7:48 · chapter starts 6:40
Moving from moral to economic argument, Galloway turns the 'immigrants steal jobs' thesis on its head. The claim, he writes, is a lie told by people who have never managed a P&L. [1] — George Hahn "The argument that immigrants are stealing jobs is a lie told by people who've never built a business or managed a P&L." 07:10 Immigrants create jobs, fill roles native-born Americans won't take, and pay into Social Security without typically collecting. The Cato Institute estimates the total bill for mass deportation could exceed $1 trillion, [2] — George Hahn "Mass deportation cost could exceed $1 trillion: The Cato Institute estimates the total cost of mass deportations could eventually exceed $1…" 07:40 and the Peterson Institute projects a 1.2% GDP contraction if 1.3 million people are deported — rising to a devastating 7% if 8 million are removed. These figures reframe the entire immigration enforcement campaign not as protection for American workers, but as one of the most costly self-inflicted economic wounds in modern policy history. Galloway's verdict is blunt: this isn't policy, it's stupidity.
Immigrants Don't Steal Jobs — They Create Them
The claim that immigrants steal jobs is, in Galloway's words, a lie told by people who have never run a business or managed a P&L. Immigrants create jobs, fill roles native-born workers won't take, and pay into Social Security without collecting. Deporting them is an economic own-goal.
Deporting Immigrants Will Cost $1 Trillion and Shrink GDP by 7%
Mass deportation isn't just cruel — it's economically suicidal. The Cato Institute puts the bill at over $1 trillion. The Peterson Institute projects a 7% GDP hit if 8 million people are deported. Galloway's verdict: this isn't policy, it's stupidity.
Mass deportation cost could exceed $1 trillion
The Cato Institute estimates the total cost of mass deportations could eventually exceed $1 trillion.
The Real Job Thieves: GPT, Claude, and Gemini
While Trump deploys billions to deport undocumented workers, the actual threat to American jobs is AI. The World Economic Forum projects 9 million displaced jobs globally in five years, and Anthropic's CEO warns AI could eliminate half of all entry-level white-collar work. The job thieves have already arrived — and they work for free, 24/7.
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