Abstract: Aid to refugees is usually thought of as a humanitarian endeavor. However, forced migration—-the violent process of forcing people out of their homes and countries of origin that turns people into refugees—is deeply related to the larger capitalist world system. I argue that the current US immigration system creates an economy of injury, one that releases labor from its attachments to places and people, thus making it available for higher value, higher intensity exploitation elsewhere. This, however, exposes workers to extraordinarily high risk of profound injury—risks that native born workers will not take.