John Moore/Getty Images

Undocumented Mexican immigrants walk through the Sonoran Desert after illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border border.

Republican lawmakers want to amp up workplace raids in order to deport more illegal workers. Obama has deported more illegal immigrants than any other recent president. But he has focused on deporting people with criminal records and fining employers who hire undocumented workers. Deportation isn’t cheap: Last year the US spent 5 billion dollars to deport nearly 4-hundred thousand people. Should the government spend more to deport workers without criminal records? Would the tactic make a dent in illegal immigration? Would it help unemployed citizens get jobs?

Guests:

Daniel Griswold, director of Center for Trade Policy Studies, Cato Institute

Steven Camarota, director of research, Center for Immigration Studies