Immigration Banter Leaves U.S. Workers in the Dust

cheap labor flowsHouston, we have a problem. We need jobs. The never ending political banter on immigration is a droning inane brew of special interests. One thing always is constant. At the back of the pack is America's middle class. We even have various groups supposedly representing U.S. labor who seem to be interested in illegal immigrants instead. Even worse, we have numerous lobbyists spinning out economic fiction, trying to claim offshore outsourcing is good for America or displacing U.S. workers with foreigners is somehow good economically. Neither is true. Worker displacement is worker displacement and if anyone is alive these days, the employment statistics say it all. Indeed we saw the foreign born getting majority of the jobs from 2008-2010. We need jobs for U.S. citizens, American workers. We also need a big legal rubber stamp proclaiming U.S. workers are preferred for all jobs within our shores.

Now the Supreme court has spoken, but what did they even say? Well, frankly you need to read the opinion on the Supreme Court's website for the press will spin the court's ruling to oblivion. In a nutshell, they struck down sections of the Arizona state law which conflicted with Federal immigration law. Contained within the majority opinion are a host of quoted facts which should explain why Arizona did what they did:

The pervasiveness of federal regulation does not diminish the importance of immigration policy to the States. Arizona bears many of the consequences of unlawful immigration. Hundreds of thousands of deportable aliens are apprehended in Arizona each year. Dept. of Homeland Security, Office of Immigration Statistics, 2010 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics 93 (2011) (Table 35). Unauthorized aliens who remain in the State comprise, by one estimate, almost six percent of the population. See Passel & Cohn, Pew Hispanic Center, U. S. Unauthorized Immigration Flows Are Down Sharply Since Mid-Decade 3 (2010). And in the State’s most populous county, these aliens are reported to be responsible for a disproportionate share of serious crime. See, e.g., Camarota & Vaughan, Center for Immigration Studies, Immigration and Crime: Assessing a Conflicted Situation 16 (2009) (Table 3) (estimating that unauthorized aliens comprise 8.9% of the population and are responsible for 21.8% of the felonies in Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix). Statistics alone do not capture the full extent of Arizona’s concerns. Accounts in the record suggest there is an “epidemic of crime, safety risks, serious property damage, and environmental problems” associated with the influx of illegal migration across private land near the Mexican border. Brief for Petitioners 6. Phoenix is a major city of the United States, yet signs along an interstate highway 30 miles to the south warn the public to stay away. One reads, “DANGER—PUBLIC WARNING—TRAVEL NOT RECOMMENDED / Active Drug and Human Smuggling Area / Visitors May Encounter Armed Criminals and Smuggling Vehicles Traveling at High Rates of Speed.” App. 170; see also Brief for Petitioners 5–6. The problems posed to the State by illegal immigration must not be underestimated.

Much more importantly, the Supreme court upheld E-verify, a program to check if a social security number being used for employment is valid and SCOTUS ruled at the end of May 2011.

Arizona’s use of E-Verify does not conflict with the federal scheme. The Arizona law requires that “every employer, after hiring an employee, shall verify the employment eligibility of the employee” through E-Verify ... That requirement is entirely consistent with the federal law

What does that mean for jobs? Well, we cannot tell because the BLS and governments count foreign guest workers, illegals, undocumented in their unemployment statistics. We cannot get government employment statistics by immigration status, a much needed metric to understand what's really going on in U.S. labor markets.

We have team Obama blasting Romney for offshore outsourcing. Well, isn't immigration the dual, known as insourcing? What does it matter if a job is shipped offshore or instead, a foreign worker is shipped in? Either way yet another American has lost their job. That opportunity was denied to a U.S. Citizen, American worker. Indeed U.S. domestic diversity has taken a major hit. Blacks have literally lost lost all of their economic gains from the Great Recession, and women have lost jobs.

It's pure hypocrisy to rail on offshore outsourcing all the while enabling insourcing and even more offshore outsourcing through bad trade deals.

The rhetoric is inane and it seems the latest phrase to repeat on cable noise ad nauseum is we're a nation of immigrants. Uh, actually no, we're not. We are a nation of unemployed people.

The below video, from a reduced immigration group, amplified some facts on the occupational area most targeted for labor arbitrage by corporations. Think what you will about the group, but the video is all true.

 

 

Obama literally expanded the OPT Visa program when 53.6% of recent college graduates cannot find jobs in their fields.

A program that allows foreign students who hold or are pursuing degrees in the so-called STEM fields -- science, technology, engineering and math -- to work in the U.S. for 29 months without work visas was quietly expanded last month by President Barack Obama's administration.

The Optional Practical Training (OPT) program had allowed students to work in the U.S. without a work visa for up to 12 months until 2008, when the George W. Bush administration increased the time limit to 29 months.

The Obama administration is maintaining the 29-month OPT term limit, but it has expanded the number of eligible fields of study by about 90, bringing the total to 400.

The Washington Post dug out Romney's Bain Capital's heavy investment in companies whose main purpose was to offshore outsource American jobs.

Mitt Romney’s financial company, Bain Capital, invested in a series of firms that specialized in relocating jobs done by American workers to new facilities in low-wage countries like China and India.

During the nearly 15 years that Romney was actively involved in running Bain, a private equity firm that he founded, it owned companies that were pioneers in the practice of shipping work from the United States to overseas call centers and factories making computer components.

It's also clear Romney would allow more H-1B Visas and other programs designed to flood U.S. STEM occupations with foreign workers, displacing even more Americans from jobs and even opportunities for college.

Obama just gave work permits to at least 800,000 illegals with nary a mention on the extreme unemployment rates for those under the age of 25. He authorized work permits for spouses of foreign workers. It seems everyone is getting a hand except workers who had the misfortune of being born in America.

Both parties are introducing even more immigration methods, work permits, visas to target professional jobs, which in turn will cause even more U.S. worker displacement. Corporate America is literally running negative political ads to make sure their agenda to not hire U.S. workers and instead import more foreign workers is achieved.

Offshore outsourcers love U.S. immigration and the H-1B Visa is called the offshore outsourcing Visa. Literally outsourcers bring workers to the United States on guest worker Visas, not hiring or even considering Americans.

The Indian firms recently pointed out that they employ 107,000 people in the U.S., of which 35,000 are U.S. workers. The balance of this labor force is on work visas, either H-1B or L-1.

In other words, there is no rhyme, reason or reality with our government on how immigration affects labor markets, jobs and displaces American workers. There is also pure hypocrisy in trying to divide and conquer Americans into Red and Blue. It's an illusion to have Democrats claim to be against offshore outsourcing and blast Republicans. It's just as absurd to think Republicans are tough on illegal immigration, all the while importing more foreign guest workers and enabling more offshore outsourcing.

The United States clearly has weak demand for American labor, a never ending export of jobs and an unlimited flood of foreign worker labor supply. Yet putting Americans first for jobs just isn't on the table.

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working class abandoned by elites

The North American working class is the victim of a shift in the global balance of power and a shift in interests. Our elites figured out that they no longer need us to produce stuff, because it can be done cheaper, elsewhere. Now they also figured out that they no longer need to invest in domestic human capital, because they can just import from Asia, same as we do with our underwear. So, we are being discarded like dirty, old underwear.
http://zoltansustainableecon.blogspot.com/2012/06/human-capital.html

dirty diapers

I call the treatment of the U.S. citizen worker being cast aside like dirty diapers they have used.

The press is clearly manipulated and I do not believe the polls on this crap. Right now it is claimed "Obama wins the battleground states due to his position on immigration". That's absolutely ridiculous, considering those battleground states are actually front loaded with people completely pissed about the never ending immigration mantra. Ohio, really? I don't think so. Florida maybe, not Ohio, or Wisconsin for that matter.

Anyway, bottom line this Presidential campaign is going to spend more money than one could use to redevelop and employ a small city and for what? They both are completely corrupt, simply MNC puppets. One could take that money and start a direct jobs program, then flip a coin on the Presidential race. Frankly it doesn't look good here that either one will not damage the U.S. and the economy further and if they do not, we know Congress will.

Spin is for idiots, the rule of law is what used to matter

Ah yes, the old "We're a Nation of immigrants" line. Classic misdirection by fools and political traitors for other fools. Guess what? We were a Nation of LEGAL IMMIGRANTS AND LAWS - not illegal aliens, H-1B scammers and the companies that buy more and more H-1Bs and other visas (other websites deal with Infosys, HP, Microsoft and the scams solely), and massive floods of ILLEGAL ALIENS. Illegal alien is not the same as someone going through Ellis Island or other legal process. You know why? Because the USG set immigration policy, enforced it, and returned many, many immigrants for lack of skills, communicable diseased, and many other reasons. There was a law and there was enforcement - THUS, RULE OF LAW! Americans were working in droves, the economy was booming, and there was no H-1B crap. And when there was a panic or recession or depression, the govt. responded to the American citizens, not its paymasters in New Delhi, Beijing, or some traitors in a corporate boardroom for more and cheaper labor (the more non-American, the better). These liars and corrupt traitors will never compare Red China's immigration policies or Indian's immigration policies or Sinapore's or Mexico's policies to ours. They will never talk about the tariffs these countries impose on imported goods. Ever try to work in Japan or Indonesia or Singapore or India as an undocumented foreign worker in IT or low-paging jobs? Ever try to cross the border illegally into Russia or the PRC or Vietnam? You know what the repercussions are for breaking those country's law are? Do you think these countries are as beholden to corporate traitors and others that don't care about their own citizens? These comparisons aren't made and made daily by the MSM and corporate boardrooms, their puppets, and those select other leaders (e.g., some unions) because they know they lose the rule of law argument. They want power and $ at the expense of their won citizens.
WE ARE AWARE, WE KNOW, AND WE ARE SMARTER than the traitors. But being honest, hardworking Americans that had no desire to screw over fellow citizens, we had no desire to go into politics, unfortunately, the people that only care about $ and power step on others on their way to the halls of "power" and boardrooms and HR suites. These people are, in most circumstances, no smarter or harder working than the average American, they just care less about others, "their" (only in the sense of a piggybank) country's future, and more about enriching themselves at the expense of others. Models? In no sense of the word. The rule of law should be the model, but that is no longer the case because the branches of govt. have been rented, if not outright bought.

-KURTZ

The people who are blamed are the ones suffering

Today CNN blares "Hispanics suffer under racial profiling AZ. Law," while ignoring the mass destruction labor arbitrage is doing to the US daily because it suits their political agenda. Meanwhile, the fact remains that legal American citizens of ALL RACES are suffering tremendously under this labor arbitrage and are themselves blamed by fellow citizens that haven't suffered yet (it makes them think they will never suffer and only bad people are unemployed) and those who benefit from pitting people against each other (i.e., those in the power positions). So while blue collar and white collar jobs are systematically sent overseas, or given to foreigners who move here, or given to those here illegally, Americans with all sorts of tremendous experience are ignored and blamed.

Does it really take that much thought to understand why a 45-year old "overqualified" unemployed engineer might not be too gung-ho about a substitute teaching job that pays $10/hr. as his only source of income? Or a student with $120,000 in debt for multiple degrees might be a little pissed about being asked to intern for free and then being called "entitled" when he says "F*** You" for someone making the request? Or an attorney with 15 years of experience is a wee bit perturbed when he was fired so that a replacement approved by the ABA can now do his job in India because the ABA approved outsourcing and the 40 year old has a family to feed? But if he collects food stamps, he's a "loafer" and "lazy." Huh? How about a vet injured overseas who is now told, "Go to North Dakota. What are you, lazy, I hear North Dakota has jobs falling from the sky!" Yes, the injured vet, who thought he paid his dues and served his country, now must move to North Dakota for a possible job without a place to live or family because if he doesn't, he will be labelled lazy!

Rumor was back in the days, people could graduate high school and find a great job, retire after 30 years, raise 2-4 kids, pay for their college, and take vacations. Or go to college, get a BA or BS in any number of subjects (not just STEM - before outsourcing and visas), marry, have one spouse work, and enjoy life, switch careers, and advance in that new career too without a hitch.
Now, with more education, more debt, more suffering, the people in the position least to be blamed are the first ones to be looked down on despite doing everything right. Isn't this what breeds revolution? A well-educated middle class that has no chance not even for advancement, but even for survival?

Romney points out Obama's outsourcing

Tis true, but the irritating aspect on this article is many of those facts were covered on this site, as they happened. Can we get a mention? No, they take the regurgitated establishment press versions.

Anyway, the theme for this post, both of them are busy shipping as many jobs as possible overseas and both of them will import as much cheap labor as their corporate masters demand.

Real Worker Shortage!

The 'real media', i.e. CNN, NYT, WSJ, MSNBC have decided there is a real worker shortage in many industries.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/28/business/smallbusiness/even-with-high-...

You'll notice they never post a comments section with such articles. Even if true, I wonder how a few thousand jobs can solve anything.

it's a lie, as simple as that

There is no shortage, in fact we have a glut of PhDs in STEM. Corporate lobbyists spin out sponsored bogus papers, and I'm reasonably certain the press is paid for these "plant" stories. Notice how "the press" never amplifies the real studies coming out of Sloan (a highly respected research institution), or other real economists.

i.e. when Americans are squeezed out of graduate school in favor of foreigners, no surprise, the majority of research involve foreigners because Americans have been denied, or squeezed out financially, of those opportunities.

But bottom line, even the GAO has shown, there is no labor shortage and all one needs to do is look at BLS statistics, which includes H-1B, L-1, foreign guest workers to see the unemployment rates are double the norm.

The corporate lobbyists are on a roll, they have their demands in exchange for campaign cash and want their bought and paid for politicians to deliver on what they bought them off for in the first place.

The screwed over populace is on to the game and getting fired up

Those bastions of BS, like WSJ and CNBS, now have increasingly irate unemployed + underemployed people chiming in and ranting against the lies following propaganda articles. Sure, Fox and MSNBC and CNN might get away with more as suckers buy into the whole fake D & R care about me and not about big $ as they blame Romney or Obama for their ills (yeah, either side of the same coin is THE SAME COIN!), but when those suckers find they are replaceable and join the masses with even more experience and education, they might clue in. We are in a Depression that's not being addressed by these robber barons or their puppets because they love it, it's time to get pissed!

READ LINKEDIN TO KNOW THINE ENEMY - you'll see many, many people coming from a certain country that has a certain capital named "New Delhi" in the last 5-10 years and other countries. These folks have many misspellings, minimal qualifications (not sure what many of these "institutes" do - but for some reason these foreign grads have jobs here and tens of millions of vets and grads from Top 100 USA schools in the US don't) and now are in HR and screening positions. Sold out, biatches, sold out by traitors!

Lower taxes on "job creators," repeat the BS skills gap ("I'm offering a free internship that demands someone who will not ask questions, will work in a coal mine, and pays me for the honor - I cannot find any help! Please, lower my taxes!"), more visas for foreigners, sell our military technology and IP to foreign competitors and military enemies and the American citizenry are supposed to say, "You're right, I'm a lazy moron, I have no clue, you are my better, please sell us out some more to enrich yourselves"? And tolerate that BS in the press? NO WAY! NEVER! I think we were taught that should never be tolerated, ever.

Firstly, aliens come from

Firstly, aliens come from outterspace. Unless some of you talking about aliens living among us disguised as humans, which is a completely different topic probably for another blog Secondly, blaming immigrants for poor wages is a "supply-side" perspective. What our economy needs is greater aggregate demand, so we don't have to squabble over what's left of the job market. Lastly, the influx of undocumented immigrants is a product of the "free trade" agreements, like NAFTA. If we just deny jobs to those whom need them, we aren't solving the imbalance created by these failing policies.

Because Mexico and India and PRC and Singapore love ALIENS?

Yup, the old "calling illegal immigrants" illegal aliens is the biggest issue and the crux of the problem? Yeah, I've literally heard that before, surprisingly in countries south of the border where I've actually talked 1-on-1 with locals that are shocked that we have 20% plus real unemployment while those same countries are building a new factory for an "American" computer company. Do you know what the immigration policies in those countries were? Let's just say being sent home after a brief stint in jail would be the best option. Go to San Jose, CR Bangalore or Juarez or Shanghai or Jakarta see how they protect their workers, how they steal our IP, how they destroy foreign workers and imprison illegal ALIENS! Go to Jakarta, you will be fingerprinted even with a visa. Go to Russia, you will be followed because you don't belong if you are "lucky" enough to secure a visa. Go to Japan, easily identifiable foreigner, best of luck stealing a job. Take care and blame the American worker for daring to use ILLEGAL ALIEN.

Fascinating, but first read the US Code for the definition

The term "'alien' means any person not a citizen or national of the United States" as written in the U.S. Code. This isn't Bill Maher or Rosie's show or CNN, the law is written down and words have specific meanings. And that's what's used in immigration proceedings, for visas, etc., so talking about "outer space" and trying to be cute in a criminal court, with immigration judges, policy discussions with big boys and girls, US Attorneys, and border agents will, well, not get you very far. So, according to the law that Congress wrote and that is the law of the land, "aliens" aren't actually from "outer space," but something else. Your end of the lesson is done.

take a chill pill please

Yes, we all know the legal definition of alien here, no need to shout. We also know our labor economics terms, native being one of the more odious.

MSM finds "illegal alien" offensive - to illegal aliens

So as the initial unemployment claims continue to print 370,000+ every week and MSM jumps up and down popping bubbly like firing that many people 4 years into this nightmare is fantastic news, MSM continues to not address any linkage between employers relying on foreign illegal and visa recipients in the USA. CNN now has its website blaring an opinion posing as news that even using "illegal alien" is a slur and might lead to abuse on illegal aliens while showing a man holding a sign stating fewer illegals = more jobs for those here legally. I guess that's why Jefferson said he avoided newspapers at all costs - they were worthless and actually made one dumber.
Yes, using a term specifically defined in the USC and relied on as law is a "slur" and could lead to ethnic violence? The author interestingly fails to examine real violence committed by "illegal aliens" against other people (e.g., fellow illegal aliens and citizens). The people have clued in as the comments suggest. The author would certainly change his tune if he was in Mexico and other Hispanics would flooding his country from the south; simply trying to confuse clear language when one doesn't like a law is supremely Orwellian; etc. But this is what goes on now, no real analysis of unemployment picture and its causes outside of blogs, complete destruction of American citizens' livelihoods, but politicians and media continue to serve their real masters as cynical and craven tools against us.

CNN, MSM and so on w.r.t. illegal immigration

They have Spanish language channels, plus are bought and paid fors. The illegal immigration lobby has the MSM sewn up. That said, beyond labor economics or legal documents there is no real reason to use the term "alien". It distracts from the real argument and just adds fuel to the red herring fire.