How Can Americans Welcome Illegal Immigrants When One Third Of Working Age Citizens Are Not Working?

Americans Want Jobs, Not Immigrants

June 30, 2014 by Sam Rolley 

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A new poll finds that Americans are in favor decreasing immigration levels. Meanwhile, separate research from the Center for Immigration Studies shows that net employment growth in the U.S. since the year 2000 has gone entirely to immigrants, both legal and illegal.

“Americans’ views on immigration have varied a bit in the past 15 years, with the dominant view shifting between decreasing immigration and maintaining it at the current level,” Gallup reported. “Some of these changes may reflect the ebb and flow of Americans’ reactions to the 9/11 attacks in 2001 as well as rocketing unemployment in 2009, with both events triggering a temporary surge in anti-immigration sentiment.”

According to Gallup, 41 percent of Americans report that they would like to see government make moves to reduce the number of immigrants coming to the U.S. Among those who prefer a reduction in immiffgration, 50 percent are Republicans, 43 percent independents and 32 percent identify as Democrats.

Thirty-three percent of respondents said that immigration is fine at its present levels, and just 22 percent of those polled wanted to see an increase.

One of the most important factors in determining whether Americans are accepting of increased immigration is the economy.

“Deciding how many new immigrants to welcome each year can be controversial, particularly when unemployment is high, and seeming competition for good jobs already fierce,” Gallup said.

According to the Center For Immigration Studies, for the past 14 years immigrants to the U.S., both legal and illegal, have had an easier time finding employment in the Nation than people who were born in the Nation.

“All of the net increase in employment went to immigrants in the last 14 years partly because, even before the Great Recession, immigrants were gaining a disproportionate share of jobs relative to their share of population growth,” the report found. “In addition, natives’ losses were somewhat greater during the recession and immigrants have recovered more quickly from it.”

The study found that 58 million working-age Americans who are native to the country are out of work, including: 8.7 million native college graduates, 17 million Americans with some college education and 25.3 million natives with no more than a high school education.

The study’s authors contend that their findings shoot holes in many of the arguments that are made for increasing immigration.

“The long-term decline in the employment for natives across age and education levels is a clear in­dication that there is no general labor shortage, which is a primary justification for the large increases in immigration (skilled and unskilled) in the Schumer-Rubio bill and similar House proposals,” the study said.