Bessent: Curbing Mass Migration Boosts Paychecks and Jobs for Americans

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Tuesday credited the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration with delivering tangible economic gains for working Americans, saying that halting mass migration has meant more money and more jobs for U.S. workers.

Speaking at a Breitbart News policy event, Bessent described the underlying fundamentals of the economy as “fantastic and accelerating,” pointing to recent jobs data as evidence of sustained momentum.

“They’re accelerating, and we saw it with that jobs number,” Bessent said. “And when jobs numbers can be noisy, but when was the last time you got upward revisions?”

The Treasury secretary argued that the labor market is being reshaped by stricter immigration enforcement, which he said is restoring balance between supply and demand for workers.

“We’re seeing too that somehow supply and demand does matter in the labor market, especially when it comes to immigration,” Bessent said, laying out data that he said shows particular gains for less-educated American workers.

Wage Gains for Lower-Income Workers

Bessent cited figures showing that workers without a college degree are experiencing their best employment and wage outcomes in over a decade, a trend he traced back to Donald Trump’s first term. He also highlighted that the bottom 25 percent of wage earners have seen pay increases roughly 3.5 times greater than those of the top 25 percent.

“We are seeing that workers without a college degree, that their wages, that their employment situation is the best that it’s been in over a decade, back to President Trump’s first term,” Bessent said. “And we’re seeing the bottom 25 percent of wage earners, the wages increase almost 3.5, or three times more than the top 25 percent, and with the median at about three and a half.”

Bessent attributed much of that improvement to the administration’s decision to end what he called “mass unfettered immigration” and to carry out what he described as 2 to 3 million deportations.

“So, like somehow, when we stopped the mass unfettered immigration and had 2 to 3 million deportations, working Americans make more money, have more jobs,” he said.

Bessent’s remarks come amid ongoing debate over the economic impact of immigration policy, with critics of the administration’s approach arguing that mass deportations could hurt industries reliant on immigrant labor and disrupt supply chains. Supporters, however, contend that reducing competition for jobs lifts wages for native-born workers, particularly those without advanced degrees.

The Treasury secretary’s optimistic assessment contrasts with some private-sector forecasts that have flagged potential labor shortages in sectors like agriculture, construction, and hospitality. But Bessent dismissed concerns about the broader economy, reiterating that fundamentals are strong and that recent data—including upward revisions to job growth—suggest the labor market is healthier than many analysts initially believed.

“It’s fantastic and accelerating,” he said of the economic outlook, framing immigration enforcement as a key driver of that strength.

The event was hosted by Breitbart News, a conservative outlet that has been supportive of the administration’s immigration policies. Bessent’s comments are likely to feature in the ongoing political debate over the costs and benefits of deportations, as the administration continues to tout economic wins heading into the next election cycle.

No further details were provided on the specific methodology behind the wage data Bessent cited, but his remarks align with the administration’s broader messaging that restricting immigration is not only a security priority but also an economic one.

Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/09/08/exclusive-secretary-scott-bessent-stopping-mass-migration-means-americans-make-more-money-have-more-jobs/