A new issue of The Takeaway finds that restrictive immigration laws reduce foreign investment and weaken incumbents’ economic records.
COLLEGE STATION, TX (April 2025) – A new issue of The Takeaway features new research showing that while anti-immigrant rhetoric may win votes during campaigns, implementing nativist policies in office can backfire. Dr. Benjamin Helms of the Bush School of Government & Public Service finds that restrictive immigration laws reduce foreign investment—especially in communities that typically benefit from migrant-driven economic ties—ultimately weakening the incumbent’s economic record and harming reelection prospects. The study highlights that migrants attract investment and drive growth, and anti-immigrant laws may inadvertently undermine these economic benefits.
You can read the full policy brief at “The Electoral Costs of Nativist Policy.” The author Benjamin Helms is an Assistant Professor at the Bush School of Government & Public Service and a Research Fellow with the Mosbacher Institute at Texas A&M University.
The Takeaway is a publication of the Mosbacher Institute for Trade, Economics, and Public Policy at the Bush School of Government & Public Service at Texas A&M University.
