Native-Born America Gives Jobs to “Illegal Aliens”

Courtesy of Rob Smith Jr. at http://www.robsmithjr.com

By Tina Kosikowski

Try this on for size with the nativist nearest you: native-born America gives jobs to “illegal aliens.” According to the Embassy of Mexico and Carlos Rodriguez, candidate for the 28th Congressional District of California, evidence argues AGAINST the myth that so-called illegal aliens steal jobs from “real” Americans. If anything, the opposite is true…

The Embassy of Mexico goes into detail.

Myth: Undocumented immigrants are taking jobs away from Americans.

REALITY: Undocumented Immigrants differ from U.S. citizens in their economic sectors and occupation.

Among unauthorized immigrants in the labor force, 30% are service workers and 21% are construction workers. An additional 15% are production and installation workers. Two-thirds (66%) of unauthorized immigrant workers are employed in these three broad categories; by contrast, only 31% of U.S.-born workers perform those jobs […]

Undocumented immigration is sensitive to labor market demand. Immigrants are more likely to work in seasonal activities, such as agriculture, which suffer the largest job losses during downturns. Therefore, the size of the immigrant population changes in response to economic downturns or expansion […]

Immigration is not the cause of today’s high unemployment rates. In fact, reliable estimates show that immigration levels —both undocumented and applications for H-1B visas for high-skilled professionals— have fallen along with the economic downturn […]

Carlos Rodriguez, candidate for the 28th Congressional District of California, put it into perspective.

Myth debunked: Illegal immigrants are taking jobs away from Americans.

Truth:There is very little overlap between American jobs and immigrant work.  The vast majority of the undocumented population speak little English, are low skilled, are uneducated and secure the worst paying jobs. By contrast, only 7% of the American labor force has less than a High School diploma and the cities with the highest unemployment rates are in the Midwest, that coincidentally have the lowest rates of immigration.

Bottom line:  An English speaking American who has taken advantage of all this country has to offer does not compete with undocumented workers for the same jobs. Immigrants have always come to do immigrant work.

Even the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco weighs in on the Effect of Immigrants on U.S. Employment and Productivity:

The effects of immigration on the total output and income of the U.S. economy can be studied by comparing output per worker and employment in states that have had large immigrant inflows with data from states that have few new foreign-born workers. Statistical analysis of state-level data shows that immigrants expand the economy’s productive capacity by stimulating investment and promoting specialization. This produces efficiency gains and boosts income per worker. At the same time, evidence is scant that immigrants diminish the employment opportunities of U.S.-born workers.

The Embassy of Mexico, Mr. Carlos Rodriquez, and the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco did NOT arrive to these conclusions over heated debate. Authoritative, verifiable information and research support these truths. I LOVE comments and opposing view points. If you decide to share yours in opposition to the premise of this post, please be prepared to cite your sources and stick to the facts!