Feds: Immigration raids stimulate job growth -- DailyFinance
You left out this part:
Thus, raids create jobs, but these jobs come at a price. Although employers should be paying these costs anyway, it doesn't change the fact that the increased expenses may be devastating for many companies. In the past, illegal immigrants would have returned to factory positions following an immigration raid, but a difficult labor market has changed this dynamic, with legal workers backfilling those who were not. Production costs go up, but immigration enforcement nonetheless is acting as a small stimulus program.
The part you left out though is rather damaging when you think about it. Higher costs of business reduce the total number of jobs as well as increase the cost of goods to other businesses which in turn may often cut jobs to stay competitive on price. We know for a fact that illegal labor is essentially a tax cut as it reduces the cost of goods in the market. When you raise those prices, that tax cut is effectively removed.
Furthermore, the industries aren't named so it's hard to consider if they are engines of growth. While I will give you that more Americans are hired then they were before, that does not deal with the net effect upon total jobs when you incorporate the larger picture. Imagine this. If steel workers were paid 10% and that 10% went into price, do you think that steel purchases were hire more people or less now that their raw materials cost more?
IMO, it's going to be impossible to determine the net affect without knowing the specific industry. In food processing though, I'd wager it's relatively minor effect on the total job market due to obscene subsidiaries to the agricultural industry. Having to pay $7.75 from $4 when the government is giving you billions really isn't that painful.
In the long term though, food processing is not a engine of growth.