Catherwood LibraryILR School

A study released today by the University of Illinois at Chicago indicates that the common belief that illegal immigrants are paid far less than other groups may be inaccurate. The report shows that illegal immigrants in Chicago make on average only two dollars less than the nine-dollar median wage of legal immigrants, and that their unemployment rates are only 0.2 % higher. More significant among the Chicago-area illegal immigrants surveyed, was the common occurrence of exploitation through non-payment of wages---which their lack of occupational choices and fear of deportation make them easy targets for.