The study by Harvard economist George Borjas said hiring illegal immigrants depresses wages because they work for lower pay and sometimes are paid under the table by Mike Sunnucks Phoenix Business Journal Illegal immigrants depressed wages in Arizona to the tune of $1.4 billion in 2006 and dipped lower-skilled legal workers’ pay by 4.7 percent. That is according to a study by a Harvard University economist commissioned by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. The MCAO had the study done as part of its defense of the state’s new employer sanctions law. Business and Hispanic groups have challenged that law questioning its validity and arguing it would hurt the state’s economy. The study by Harvard economist George Borjas said hiring illegal immigrants depresses wages because they work for lower pay and sometimes are paid under the table. The study said illegal immigrants primarily impact wages and jobs held by legal workers with lower education levels. Borjas said that illegals make up 10 percent of all state workers and decrease all wages by 1.5 percent. http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2008/01/07/daily17.html?ana=from_rss