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Zeke Hernandez @profzeke.bsky.social · 8d

My take on how the H-1B fee affects jobs and innovation: time.com/charter/7321....

Thanks to Charter and Time for the opportunity to weigh in.

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Zeke Hernandez @profzeke.bsky.social · 8d

And I’m honored to support such a sensible, no-brainer cause that’s only good for our country.

Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 8d

I am honored to join with 13 academic colleagues in this amicus brief, filed today at the US Supreme Court.

We advise the Court on the economic consequences of terminating the lawful protected status of roughly 600,000 Venezuelan nationals.

www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/25... cc @piie.com

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Zeke Hernandez @profzeke.bsky.social · 8d

Excellent work, Michael!

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Zeke Hernandez @profzeke.bsky.social · 8d

No surprise there

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Zeke Hernandez @profzeke.bsky.social · 8d

Glad to see the US Chamber of Commerce speak up on the $100,000 H-1B tax.

I’ve been hoping the business community would speak up more forcefully on immigration issues. It’s a constituency that will be heard by the administration. This is a good start, but only a start.

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Reposted by Zeke Hernandez

Kim Novak - The Reading Rx @cfpharmd.bsky.social · 10d

The Truth About Immigration by Zeke Hernandez is essential reading for understanding the economics of immigration and the statistical truth. #Politics #Economics #NonFiction #Audiobooks #NetGalley #BookSky 💙📚
@profzeke.bsky.social @stmartinspress.bsky.social

www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Book cover of The Truth About Immigration by Zeke Hernandez. The top of a chain linked fence breaking off into birds against a blue sky.

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Zeke Hernandez @profzeke.bsky.social · 10d

Thanks for the review!

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Zeke Hernandez @profzeke.bsky.social · 13d

The recent action by the administration to impose a massive, $100K per-head tax on skilled labor is a huge source of talent uncertainty. As this research shows, one thing you can expect is less investment by firms. This is bad for American workers, businesses, and economies.

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Zeke Hernandez @profzeke.bsky.social · 17d

If confirmed as true, this would be the height of hypocrisy. The man who so vehemently claims to be on the right side of the law would actually be a crook.

Zeke Hernandez @profzeke.bsky.social · 21d

Really excited that the Immigration Policy Lab is doing this, and honored to be one of the presenters this season. We need all the evidence we can get our hands on when it comes to immigration, and this is a great way to disseminate it.

Immigration Policy Lab @immigrationlab.bsky.social · 22d

📣 Join us for a new monthly online (Zoom) seminar: Science of International Migration Seminar (SIMS). We have a great initial lineup of speakers including @mclem.org, Leah Boustan, Giovanni Peri, and @profzeke.bsky.social. Things kick off Ocotber 9th! Register here: stanford.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Science of International Migration Seminar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. Please click one of the Add ...

stanford.zoom.us

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Reposted by Zeke Hernandez

Michael Clemens @mclem.org · Jun 10

What does mass deportation mean for the US economy when the native workforce is in sharp demographic decline?

I spoke at the Invest in America Summit by @thehill.com

Video at 2:04:03 & thereafter—>
www.youtube.com/live/h3Opi4w... cc @piie.com

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Zeke Hernandez @profzeke.bsky.social · 23d

Thanks, Michael!

Zeke Hernandez @profzeke.bsky.social · 23d

Put simply: tighter talent pipes → more acquisitions → knock-on effects for competition and industry structure.

We'd love to hear from any firms facing this issue, particularly how you've responded to skilled worker shortages. Any feedback on the study is also welcome.

www.nber.org/papers/w34248

Substituting Talent with Transactions: Acquisitions as Responses to Immigration Restrictions

Founded in 1920, the NBER is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating research findings among academics, public policy makers, an...

www.nber.org

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Zeke Hernandez @profzeke.bsky.social · 23d

But our study shows that's not the case because there aren't enough native workers available to begin with. So firms resort to the expensive and risky option of M&A to make up for the very real shortage.

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Zeke Hernandez @profzeke.bsky.social · 23d

The CBO projects sizable reductions in the foreign-born workforce under current plans. The lastest jobs report shows over 1 million missing immigrant workers from the US labor market since the start of 2025. Proponents of restrictionist policies argue that they force firms to hire native workers.

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Zeke Hernandez @profzeke.bsky.social · 23d

This is extremely important in the current immigration environment. Policy signals matter for firm strategy. This year alone there many proposals out there to make it harder for firms to hire skilled workers through the H-1B and other visa programs.

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Zeke Hernandez @profzeke.bsky.social · 23d

The effect is strongest for deals in which:
▪️ The M&A purpose is closely related to the skills of the foregone workers
▪️ The target is in a location with a high concentration of skilled workers
▪️ The target is small instead of very large
▪️ The target is domestic instead of foreign

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Zeke Hernandez @profzeke.bsky.social · 23d

We study 3,800+ firms across two decades and find a clear pattern: when high-skill visas (H-1Bs in this study) get harder to secure, firms don’t just wait it out or easily find native workers. Instead, they respond by making more acquisitions to “buy” the skills or output they intended to hire for.

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Zeke Hernandez @profzeke.bsky.social · 23d

*** NEW RESEARCH ALERT ***

How do firms respond in the face of increased restrictions to hiring skilled immigrant workers?

[THREAD]

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Zeke Hernandez @profzeke.bsky.social · Aug 28

Department of Government Efficiency (in spending your taxpayer money)

Bill Grueskin @bgrueskin.bsky.social · Aug 28

So....

1)The state of Florida spent >$200 million to build the facility it calls "Alligator Alcatraz"

2) It opened in early July, christened by Trump.

3) Now it is closing, due to a judge's order.

4) It will cost $20 million to dismantle the center, which was used for about 2 months.

Zeke Hernandez @profzeke.bsky.social · Aug 28

This article in the latest edition of the American Economic Review is purely theoretical, of course. No connection to reality… 🙄

Zeke Hernandez @profzeke.bsky.social · Aug 15

Cronyism at its finest.

When every company has to cut an individual deal with the government, you don’t have institutions anymore.

In an institutional system, the rules ensure everyone is treated the same according to fair principles. This is not the case anymore in America.

Ben Berkowitz @berkowitzbt.bsky.social · Aug 15

The White House is now scoring companies and trade associations on their loyalty to the administration's priorities, starting with support for the BBB.

Uber, DoorDash, Delta, United, AT&T, Cisco, and trade groups for steel and airlines among those topping the list.

www.axios.com/2025/08/15/w...

Scoop: White House hands down loyalty ratings for hundreds of companies

The unusual scorecard fits this administration's habit of micromanaging companies and administering loyalty tests.

www.axios.com

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Zeke Hernandez @profzeke.bsky.social · Aug 14

If we knew the truth, we’d be excited and united about immigration.

Learn why in this TED conversation between Sonia Shah, Whitney Pennington Rodgers, and me.

We need immigration to remain innovative—biologically, economically, culturally, and in every possible way.

www.ted.com/talks/sonia_...

The missing piece in the story of migration

Headlines often reduce migration to crisis and controversy, leaving out the bigger picture that movement is a natural, even necessary part of who we are. As borders tighten and debates intensify, jour...

www.ted.com

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Zeke Hernandez @profzeke.bsky.social · Aug 6

Really enjoyed the experience, Sonia! Thank you.

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Zeke Hernandez @profzeke.bsky.social · Jul 24

Important work! Thank you for doing this research.

Chloe N East (she/her) @chloeneast.bsky.social · Jul 24

Who is Arrested by ICE under Trump 2.0? A 🧵

New from me & @elizabethacox.bsky.social!

Piece: immresearch.org/publications...

1. ICE arrests spike in Jan & May 2025; when arrests increase, percent of those arrested who are convicted of a crime falls

Majority arrested have no criminal conviction

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