Immigration and Economic Development

BusinessWeek correspondent Brian Grow spoke with him about the emerging trend of companies big and small targeting the booming illegal immigrant consumer market -- and whether mass deportation, which some politicians have suggested, is a viable economic solution.

Here is a small part of the interview:

"Q: Why are companies waking up to the largely untapped opportunity to target the undocumented?

A: This is by definition a segment of the economy that has almost purposely been pushed underground by our neglect of immigration policy. We know we need these workers. Nevertheless, we haven't brought [this issue] out of the shadows, so it hasn't been on the radar scope for most companies. But now they're turning around and realizing that these workers are everywhere, and they're not only consuming in the mom-and-pop stores, they're increasingly going and buying all types of goods and services.

Companies are also seeing it as a hugely growing segment of the population. The other element is that they're a group that has traditionally paid cash and been outside the credit system. If you're able to bring them into a creditworthy capability, that's even a bigger impact. For example, we estimate that if undocumented families were allowed to buy houses, they've got the capability to buy more than $75 billion in new mortgages."

Read more here.