Immigrants from the low skill tier lower the average skill level of the workforce (in the US), but they are still beneficial [1]. The time a low skill immigrant spends cleaning my bathroom is time I have to devote to my startup.
Trade benefits everyone because of the consumer surplus it creates, not due to some nebulous "raising the average" effect.
[1] For the sake of argument, I'm assuming purely market forces at work. The welfare state substantially complicates this picture. This article argues immigration overall is a net drain on the US, mainly due to redistributionist policies: http://cis.org/immigrant-welfare-use-2011
Immigrants from the low skill tier lower the average skill level of the workforce (in the US), but they are still beneficial [1]. The time a low skill immigrant spends cleaning my bathroom is time I have to devote to my startup.
Trade benefits everyone because of the consumer surplus it creates, not due to some nebulous "raising the average" effect.
[1] For the sake of argument, I'm assuming purely market forces at work. The welfare state substantially complicates this picture. This article argues immigration overall is a net drain on the US, mainly due to redistributionist policies: http://cis.org/immigrant-welfare-use-2011