Saemo The pro-immigration editors observe that the economic impacts of illegal immigration have diminished public enthusiasm for broader legalized immigration.
“In recent years, the approach to immigration policy hasn’t been consistently enforced.” A June 16 opinion piece by James Carter, who served as assistant labor secretary during the George W. Bush administration, further emphasized:
Market distortions arise because of the influx of unauthorized labor. This drives down wages for American workers who compete closely with these individuals. Moreover, as housing demand rises, supply doesn’t keep pace.
The economic consequences for everyday Americans, he noted, “undermine a legal immigration system that benefits everyone.”
Rosemary Jenks, co-founder of the Immigration Accountability Project, remarked, “We’ve moved past that.” She added:
He remains stuck in the outdated view of the 1980s where it’s all about “legal good/illegal bad.” Most folks now recognize that we need to really address mass immigration—not just stop illegal immigration but legal mass immigration as well.
According to her, for Americans, “it doesn’t really matter if immigrants are legal, illegal, or on some path to legalization; they’re saturating the labor market, which is driving wages down.” Furthermore, she noted that the presence of immigrants also diminishes the incentives for companies to invest in productivity enhancements.
Polls indicate increasing resistance among Republicans toward legalized immigration, even for white-collar programs that attract foreign talent and consumers from less affluent nations.
Breitbart News reported various acknowledgments from employers stating that American wages would increase if there were fewer immigrants in the workforce.
Rob Lieblich, CEO of Goodwin Living in Alexandria, Va., stated, “If staffing is an issue, we’ll have to raise wages.” This comment followed an article concerning President Trump’s decision against expanding the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program for 350,000 Haitian immigrants.
“It seems everyone is witnessing this… wages must rise since there are fewer applicants available,” he remarked.
The report mentioned:
Currently, companies are shifting away from relying heavily on new immigrant hires and are bolstering domestic hiring systems.
Aspenwood has cut costs by adding a second recruiter to its team and moving away from external contract recruiters. Varley noted they are also pursuing partnerships with educational institutions to attract students to the industry.
This shift to hire more Americans means the industry may tap into regions long overlooked. “I plan to recruit from distant areas where people often feel powerless,” Lieblich stated.
Rachel Blumberg, CEO of Sinai Residences in Florida, indicated that she’s had to consistently raise wages for positions impacted by TPS, such as nurses and other support staff. She forecasted potential wage conflicts as employers compete for the same talent. “There will be a ripple effect, with everyone vying for the same workers in the same city,” she said.
The industry faces lobbying challenges since retaining TPS employees proves difficult.
There’s a movement in Congress aiming to aid employers by increasing the number of legalized workers. In September, Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-Pennsylvania) proposed legislation to create new worker influxes.
However, employers have claimed they cannot adequately fund local American hires, even as many workers have families to support.
The Smucker bill might significantly hinder the ability of regular Americans to bargain for wages and benefits. Various backers, including hotel franchises, chain restaurants, and roofing companies, support this low-wage labor push.
This effort has backing from FWD.us, an organization led by influential investors from the West Coast.
Carter, in his piece, attempted to shed light on how Washington elites and lobbyists have often overlooked the challenges posed to ordinary Americans by supporting wage-reducing immigration practices.
Having served as an assistant treasury secretary and later as under secretary of labor during the Bush administration, he reflected on how concerns about wage pressures were often dismissed as statistically insignificant. However, with clearer data now available, the previous consensus seems increasingly hard to uphold.
Ignoring everyday American interests, President Bush once proposed that companies could hire “any willing worker” from abroad, while also initiating extensive “optional on-the-job training” immigration programs that pushed many American graduates out of job opportunities.
