Thread: Illegal Immigrants Impact Stimulus Bill

By: Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, CNBC Reporter | 25 Feb 2009

The conversation between Squawk Box Anchor Becky Quick and legend of finance Felix Rohatyn got me thinking.

Mr. Rohatyn was lamenting that the stimulus bill didn’t have more infrastructure spending in it (watch the clip below).

He cited the usual reasons we hear about those kind of public works projects: they get people back to work right away, and we all get the benefits for years to come when we use the roads, bridges, etc. And yet, out of the $789 billion stimulus, only $50 billion is going to infrastructure.

There may be a reason there wasn’t more infrastructure spending in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Members of Congress may have been fearful about just whom they would be helping if they spent more money on big public works projects.

Why? Because they could face the prospects of having to defend allotting taxpayer money which gives jobs to illegal immigrants.



Here’s why. A very large percentage of construction jobs are held by illegal immigrants—16 percent. That, according to the Pew Hispanic Center, which says that of 22 percent of all unauthorized migrants (their term, but you get the point) are in construction.

If you drill down into certain types of construction jobs, the percentage is even higher. Mason workers? Thirty-three percent are here illegally. The same is true for drywallers: 34 percent are undocumented.


Let me be clear, I am not one of those conservatives who want to “send them all back.â€

E-Verify - NOW

Originally Posted by ReggieMay

E-Verify - NOW

Exactly! Contractors wouldn't have to worry about defending their illegal alien employees, if congress had required contractors to use E-Verify, if they received money from the government for their projects.

But Obama blocked that requirement claiming he needed to re-investigate the accuracy of E-Verify and the usage of the New I-9 form. Obama is the reason illegal aleins are still being employed.

When is he going to deport his aunt?

Dixie

Originally Posted by ReggieMay

E-Verify - NOW

I agree that E-Verify + scrict border control would go far to solve most (if not all) of the illegal problem. Don't think Obama wants to fix it though. Did they ever find his birth certificate? Have they deported his Aunt yet? I think he's working on his New World Order. NAFTA , CAFTA, look for it soon.