Illegal Amnesty Would Further Undermine American Workers

Finds New Report from FAIR

WASHINGTON, March 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As President Obama and the congressional leadership revive efforts to grant amnesty to millions of illegal aliens living in the U.S., a new report from the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) concludes that such policies would severely undermine the interests of American workers. Amnesty and the American Worker also finds that record levels of immigration during the 2000s – both illegal and government mandated – have added new workers to our labor force faster than our economy has been able to create new jobs.

At a time when some 25 million Americans are either unemployed or involuntarily working part-time, amnesty legislation would legally entitle the estimated 7.5 million illegal aliens in our workforce to keep their current jobs, and compete with distressed American workers for any new jobs that are created. Proposed legislation, billed as "comprehensive immigration reform," would also increase the flow of legal immigrants who would compete for jobs in the U.S., while offering no concrete initiative for stemming the tide of new illegal immigration.

Among the key findings of Amnesty and the American Worker:

• Driven by record levels of immigration, the U.S. economy would need to create 100,000 new jobs a month just to maintain current unemployment levels. The Obama administration optimistically expects its own policies to create only 95,000 new jobs each month.
• The U.S. economy has lost about 8.4 million jobs since the onset of the recession. At current immigration levels, the economy would need to create 400,000 new jobs each month between now and 2013 to return to pre-recession unemployment levels.
• Illegal immigration has been a primary factor in the growing income gap in the U.S. and has undermined the economic standing of many of America's working-class families.  
• Amnesty for illegal aliens would disproportionally harm America's poor and less-skilled workers.

"Advocates for illegal aliens are trying to sell amnesty as a shot in the arm for the U.S. economy," said Dan Stein, president of FAIR. "Even if the amnesty lobby's assertions are taken at face value, the overall benefit to GDP would amount to about 1 percent a year. The benefits of that modest increase would accrue almost entirely to the amnestied aliens and their direct employers, while devastating America's most vulnerable workers and would likely be more than offset by huge increases in social costs."

"Amnesty and the American Worker asks the critical questions about a mass illegal alien amnesty that the president and many in Congress refuse to even acknowledge," continued Stein. "It is unconscionable that at a time of devastatingly high unemployment, our nation's leaders seem determined to forge ahead with legislation without even considering the harm it might cause. Amnesty and the American Worker provides an in-depth look at the extent to which these policies would hurt millions of American workers," Stein concluded.

The full report, Amnesty and the American Worker can be read here.

About FAIR

Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country's largest immigration reform group.  With over 250,000 members nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests.  FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced.  

SOURCE Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)