A recent study paid for by one of the defendant’s in a federal court case challenging that Arizona’s immigration statute alleges that "Illegal’s depress wages by $1.4 billion in Arizona."  That study, however, did not consider, review or analyze the economic benefits of immigrants, such as the money they spend on goods and services in Arizona, as well as the amount of taxes they pay to the state and local governments. 

There is a more comprehensive study (PDF) on the overall economic benefits that immigrants (legal and illegal) bring to Arizona. The author of this study demonstrates that immigrants contribute a net gain to the Arizona economy of nearly $1 billion.

The defendant’s so-called expert in the Arizona case is virtually alone among his peers in his conclusions about the negative effect of illegal immigrant workers on the wages of low and unskilled legal workers.  A more detailed report (PDF) -- that was not prepared for litigation -- demonstrates that nearly all other comprehensive economic studies performed to date have come to the opposite conclusion.