Secretary Scott Bessent Says Halting Mass Migration Boosts American Wages and Jobs

At a recent “State of the Economy” discussion hosted by Breitbart, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made a point that sounded almost like a headline: stopping the flood of unchecked immigration is giving ordinary Americans higher wages and more jobs. He said the fundamentals of the U.S. economy are not just good, they’re “fantastic and accelerating.”

When the Washington bureau chief, Matthew Boyle, asked Bessent to paint a picture of where the economy stands, the secretary answered with a mix of data and a dash of optimism. “We’ve seen the jobs number go up, and sure, it can be noisy, but when was the last time you got an upward revision?” Bessent quipped, implying that the trend is more than a statistical blip.

What caught the audience’s attention, though, was Bessent’s focus on the labor market’s supply‑and‑demand balance—specifically how immigration factors into it. He zeroed in on workers without a college degree, a group that, according to his numbers, is finally seeing wages climb to levels not witnessed since the early Trump era.

“The bottom 25 percent of wage earners are seeing raises that are roughly three‑and‑a‑half times larger than the top 25 percent,” he said, noting that median earnings have risen about 3.5 %. Bessent credited much of that improvement to what he described as “stopping the open border” and carrying out “two to three million deportations.”

In his view, the link is simple: fewer newcomers competing for the same low‑skill jobs means existing American workers can negotiate higher pay and employers are forced to create more positions to meet demand. “When we limited mass, unfettered immigration, working Americans make more money, have more jobs,” he summed up.

Critics might argue that the story is more complex, pointing to factors like fiscal policy, technological change, or demographic shifts. Still, Bessent’s remarks give a clear signal about how the current administration frames immigration as an economic lever.

Whether the numbers hold up under independent scrutiny, the message is unmistakable: the Treasury sees tighter borders as a catalyst for a stronger paycheck and a healthier job market for those without a four‑year degree.