I certainly see the benefit in preventative dollars. Rational should prevail when it comes to keeping a secure border and maintaining and enforcing an immigration plan that makes sense for the country. But I do wonder how much the ICE raids of non-criminal immigrants, already here, already working move the dial, I assume minimally, and presumably most of these individuals are working those help wanted type of jobs, custodian, hotel staff, etc. where you always see help wanted and wages are minimal. Its not those people taking quality jobs and they're already here and already contributing. I don't know what the net impact is so cant say I am or am not in favour ultimately of deportation of that specific group.
I don't know how we go back in time now. Seems impossible to wind back the clock on the corporate beast that drives most things forward. How do we go back to the days where you didn't need to pay a vehicle over 8 years, where you could afford a home, 2 kids and still put money away for retirement after you feed the family. Business has caught on that products are not priced for today, its what you afford over a period. Perpetual debt enslavement. Don't get me wrong the savvy person can get by, but it's getting worse.
Not the ideal future for our kids. Unless you take Elon's perspective, spend money now because you wont need retierment money! Hopefully that's true for them.
I don't know how to determine the economics of what ICE is doing. I guess we can take the total expenditures of what they are doing and then spread it per person deported and try to figure something out. I probably agree that it costs a ton to get someone out and what's the actual benefit of it in immediate dollar terms? The thing is if we say it costs too much, it's too messy, we wont try because whatever reason, it only incentivizes people to keep breaking the law and coming here, something that's hard to quantify in an immediate cost-benefit.
The real way forward is 1. strong borders to stop the flow, 2. deport some, especially the ones that have been committing crimes (outside illegal entry) and then a portion just accept that since they've been here for a really long time and can prove they have been a contributing member of society we cut them some break. In all of this we need states and munis to cooperate with the feds though, which bothers me that it has become such a partisan thing. To me it's crazy that you have illegal menaces to society where they are getting arrested repeatedly for crimes and simply get released due to no cash bail.
Elon is right that robots/automation will make work not necessary for many i think, where he is wrong is assuming that government/corporations will become some benevolent providers and it will be some utopian world where we get to enjoy hobbies all day everyday. In reality, there will be the top 5% and the rest living in boxes and eating processed slop.