Abstract—This paper uses three years of individual-level data to analyze the determinants of individual preferences over immigration policy in the United States. We have two main empirical results. First, less-skilled workers are signi � cantly more likely to prefer limiting immigrant in � ows into the United States. Our � nding suggests that, over the time horizons that are relevant to individuals when evaluating immigration policy, individuals think that the U.S. economy absorbs immigrant in � ows at least partly by changing wages. Second, we � nd no evidence that the relationship between skills and immigration opinions is stronger in high-immigration communities. I.

The modern welfare state typically redistributes income from the rich to the poor, either by cash or in-kind transfers. This feature makes the welfare state an attractive destination, particularly for low-skill immigrants. A recent study by George Borjas (1994) indicates that foreign-born households in the United States accounted for 10 percent of households

Over the course of the 1990s, the Indian-born population in the US increased by roughly half a million, reaching 1 million by decade’s end. This absent Indian population is abundant in human capital, as evidenced by its substantially higher education and greater earnings that the native US-born population. 1