 Economists have actually been trying to answer this question for decades. Do immigrants take jobs and lower wages? In fact, it's the subject of one of the most famous papers in the field of economics. The story begins in April 1980. It was a big deal in the news. Cuba, the Bay of Mariel, 25 miles west of Havana. This morning, nearly 200 Cubans were being loaded onto four boats bound for Florida.