While I agree with most of the findings of the study, I would interject one comment. While the unemployment rate among the lower classes is certainly tied to the supply of migrant laborers, it is also influenced by other socioeconomic factors, such as geography, substance abuse rates, prior arrest rates, etc. Many of those studied would be unemployed no matter how much we restrain immigration rates.

Some excerpts from the report:

Among US-born blacks and Hispanics without a high school degree, unemployment is 24.7 percent and 16.2 percent respectively — two to three times the national rate.

* Those native-born Americans most in competition with immigrants, particularly illegal immigrants, are teenagers (16-17), all adults (18+) without a high school diploma, and young workers (18 to 29) with only a high school diploma.

* Unemployment rates for less-educated native-born Americans (all races).

Less than high school: 17 percent.
Young with high school diploma only: 15 percent.
Teenagers: 21.9 percent.

* Unemployment for less-educated native-born blacks.

Less than high school: 24.7 percent.
Young with high school diploma only: 20.2 percent.
Teenagers: 31.6 percent.

* Unemployment for less-educated native-born Hispanics.

Less than high school 16.2 percent.
Young with high school diploma only: 13.6 percent.
Teenagers: 40.3 percent.

* An estimated 6 to 7 million illegal immigrants are currently holding jobs. Prior research indicates they are overwhelmingly employed in lower-skilled and lower-paying jobs.

“Everything we’ve heard about the meeting [between Obama and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus] is very encouraging. The President promised on the campaign trail and has reiterated more recently that immigration reform will be addressed in his first year and the ball is clearly rolling in that direction. . .

The President is preparing to meet with Mexican President Calderón, which will be another opportunity to discuss how reform can and should be crafted to create a better relationship and a more peaceful border between our countries. President Obama also indicated that resources currently wasted chasing families, workers, and tax-payers in American businesses and neighborhoods may be redeployed against drug and cartel violence plaguing parts of Mexico and the border.”

Translation — even the limited enforcement we saw under Bush is going away. Noorani creates a nice false dichotomy: we can either enforce hiring laws OR stop drug violence. You know, because the world’s only superpower couldn’t possibly do both at the same time.

The Center for Immigration Studies has followed the aftermath of the raids, and just published a report on working conditions at the plant. According to the study, the meatpacking industry is a perfect example of the downward pressure on wages exerted by illegal immigration. Amazingly, wages in meatpacking were 45% lower in 2007 than in 1981. Since the raids, the native-born percentage of the workforce has increased. Worker wages and bonuses also improved, rising an average of 8%. The authors also found little evidence that the immigration raids led to higher prices for consumers.

So immigration enthusiasts are wrong when they claim self-deportation is not a viable solution to the illegal alien problem. Most immigrants come here not to become Americans, but to achieve limited goals: buying land, getting married, supporting the family during a difficult time. (This is also an argument for a guest worker program, but that’s for another time.)

Foreign Policy Magazine just reported that immigration flows are reversing, with hundreds of thousands of migrants returning to Latin America. At present, about 200,000 have returned, but the journal anticipates as many as three million may ultimately leave. The Center for Immigration Studies believes as many as 1.3 million illegals have already self-deported.

Orange County, ground zero for illegal immigration, has also noticed the shift. One-way tickets to Mexico are on the rise, as are apartment vacancies. In addition, remittances to Mexico have declined for the first time ever, dropping a billion dollars from 2007-2008.

Drug violence is epidemic in Mexico, with 7,000 people killed in 2007 and 2008 alone. Unsurprisingly, Mexican drug dealers don’t respect our border any more than do their fellow citizens.

It’s mad that the government is arrogating vast new responsibilities to itself when it can’t fulfill basic functions of government — securing ours borders and protecting our citizenry. While border fencing and stricter immigration controls aren’t a panacea for these problems, they would certainly go a long way toward it. Drug cartel violence is a transnational phenomenon. Impeding the free flow of criminals and weapons across our borders can only help. Active arrest and detainment of illegals with criminal histories would be another step in the right direction.

One possible approach would be to militarize our borders with Mexico. About 79% of Americans support this approach. Obama is said to be weighing a military option, though he seems to have no real enthusiasm for the prospect.

Janet Napolitano, head of DHS, is focusing on the flow of guns and money into Mexico. According to DHS, US-based sources are providing much of the money and firepower fueling the violence.

How’s that working out for them?

Since his inauguration, Obama has announced a never-ending series of initiatives. Are ANY of them post-partisan? Instead, he’s boldly going where no partisan has gone before. His latest partisan power-grab is the U.S. Census, with vast implications for federal spending and congressional apportionment. First, Obama wants to move oversight of the Census from the Commerce Department over to the White House. There is no statistical reason for such a move; it simply turns the count over to political operatives.

Now we learn that ACORN, a group with a massive history of voter fraud, is signed on to help recruit census workers. What could possibly go wrong with that?

With unemployment heading for 9% and beyond, one imagines that the list of jobs Americans won’t do will get steadily shorter. Common sense and fairness dictate that in a serious recession or depression, we’ll want to insure that jobs are reserved for legal residents and American citizens. The E-Verify program is a major step in doing just that. It’s a voluntary federal program that allows employers to check the status of potential hires. According to the Department of Homeland Security, E-Verify has a 99.6 percent accuracy rate.

Never accuse Harry Reid of having common sense. He tells his constituents one story: “I strongly support programs like E-Verify that are designed to ensure that employers only hire those who are legally authorized to work in the United States, and believe we need to strengthen enforcement against employers who knowingly hire individuals who are not authorized to work.” But at that same time, he personally blocked inclusion of E-Verify in the recent spending bill and helped kill Sen. Session’s 5-year extension of E-Verify.

HT: FAIR

UPDATE: The New York Times “Room for Debate” has a good roundtable on this subject.

Also, the DC Examiner has a column up on illegal immigrants and native-born unemployment.

The primary contractor for the fence is Boeing, who was also the contractor for failed Virtual Fence 1.0. If that seems weird, it just means you don’t follow politics all that closely.

Stimulus money is being used to accelerate construction. Government officials hope to cover the entire Arizona-Mexico border by 2012. While this is dubious as stimulus, it’s more useful than “stimulus” payments to ACORN.

Crossposted from: Immigration Policy Daily

If misery loves company, I suppose we can at least take heart in this — Britain’s elites are equally contemptuous of their citizenry. Polls continually show that Britons are fed up with the reigning immigration regime, yet no substantive reform looks to be in the offing. The latest symptom of discontent is this FT/Harris poll that finds 3/4 of Britain want jobless immigrants deported.

Observers worry this unrest will benefit the far-Right British National Party. The only way that can be true is if the mainstream parties continue to ignore the will of the people. It is only in such environments that fringe parties can thrive.

Crossposted from: Immigration Policy Daily.

Two key graphs:

“On the Mexican side, the military has taken on an unprecedented role in fighting the drug cartels. President Felipe Calderon has dispatched troops to hot spots throughout the country to try to contain the violence. Drug cartel leaders have hit back with widespread kidnappings, murders and beheadings. The death toll since last year: 7,000 people.

The U.S. has tried to help Mexico contain the violence by launching the Merida Initiative, an anticrime aid measure that is expected to total $1.4 billion over three years. Under the Merida Initiative, the Pentagon is providing five helicopters, a maritime surveillance aircraft, handheld ion scanners, as well as personal protective equipment, rigid hull inflatable boats and night vision devices. In addition, the Defense Department has trained 150 Mexican officers from Oct. 2006 to Sept 2007. Last year, Mexico and the United States also signed an agreement to share intelligence.”

The violence in Mexico has also renewed calls for a physical border fence. Three dozen Republican lawmakers have written to President Obama, calling on him to complete the fence.

Crossposted from Immigration Policy Daily