White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Feb. 2 shared an opinion column written by Steve Cortes, senior political advisor to CatholicVote, that argued that stricter immigration enforcement is driving higher wages and lower rent for American citizens, amplifying a message the Trump administration has increasingly tied to its economic agenda.

The op-ed, “Immigration Enforcement Makes America More Affordable,” was written by Cortes, former advisor to President Donald Trump, and published by The Daily Signal.

“Closing the border is not only about security,” Cortes wrote. “Immigration sanity also returns the American dream to its rightful owners.”

Cortes argued that immigration enforcement achieves “two macro objectives at once: It makes America safer while also attacking the systemic affordability crisis.”

He pointed to wage growth under Trump, writing that “real wages have risen every single month of his presidency” and calling real wages “the ‘mother’s milk’ of Main Street prosperity.” He contrasted that with the economy under the Biden administration, writing that “real wages declined every single month for two straight years, the worst such streak on record.”

“These gains result largely from at least 2.5 million illegal aliens leaving America, through self-deportations as well as removals,” Cortes wrote, adding that in industries such as trucking and construction, “pay jumps for U.S. citizens.”

He also cited housing data, arguing that immigration enforcement has eased pressure on rental markets. 

“Masses of illegal aliens crowd out citizens in the housing market,” Cortes wrote, pointing to data showing national rent prices declining since Trump took office. He highlighted reports describing the current period as “one of the more renter-friendly periods in a decade” and called recent trends “finally, a renters’ market.”

“If American citizens do not have to compete against unjust, unlawful foreign workers,” Cortes wrote, “then they return home every day with more real pay — returning to homes that are getting more affordable, at last.”

Cortes framed immigration enforcement as both economic policy and political strategy, writing that “law-and-order makes sense economically, plus it makes for good politics.” He argued that voter frustration over affordability remains high, while border control remains one of Trump’s strongest issues with voters.