I was baffled by the complete lack of discussion of the politics of immigration in this article, but I guess that's economists for you...
(aside: automated check-in /passport check etc. is usually superior to the manned version, in all countries I've been to; this is likely linked to other factors than just labor costs, which are implied by using labor instead of an automated solution). https://www.cgdev.org/blog/why-are-geniuses-destroying-jobs-uganda