What would happen to the minimum wage if......?

Question

If the population of the US suddenly grew because of a large immigration, what would happen to wages?

Answer 1

Immigrants work for less money than Americans; that is why lots of factories hire illegals, because they work for less.

Throughout history, when immigration falls, wages grow {Look at the roaring 20's}.

So wages would stagnate, as companies would exploit cheaper labor.

Answer 2

Supply and Demand..    Wages would fall as labor pools grew. At least down to the Min.Wage level set by Congress.

Answer 3

It would depend on what happens to productivity...  Around 1900, the U.S. had very large immigration inflows (in relative terms, about three times more than today), but wages continued to increase, as the U.S. was in the middle of a structural transformation, with rapidly growing productivity.  Also, the cost of living fell substantially during that period; between 1895 and 1920, the cost of building a house dropped about 40% in real terms...