Thread: Impact of IAs on Black Employment

http://www.usccr.gov/pubs/08-31-10_Ille ... orkers.pdf

The President
The President of the Senate
The Speaker of the House
Sirs and Madam:

The United States Commission on Civil Rights (Commission) is pleased to transmit this report, The Impact of Illegal Immigration on the Wages and Employment Opportunities of Black Workers. A panel of experts briefed members of the Commission on April 4, 2008 regarding the evidence for economic loss and job opportunity costs to black workers attributable to illegal immigration. The panelists also described non-economic factors contributing to the depression of black wages and employment rates. Based on that discussion, the Commission developed the findings and recommendation that are included in this report.

Among its findings, the Commission notes that the illegal workers are estimated to account for as much as one-third of total immigrants in the United States, and that illegal immigration has tended to increase the supply of low-skilled, low-wage labor available. The Commission found also that about six in 10 adult black males have a high school diploma or less, and are disproportionately employed in the low-skilled labor market in likely competition with immigrants. Evidence for negative effects of such competition ranged from modest to significant, according to the experts who testified, but even those experts who viewed the effects as modest overall found significant effects in occupations such as meatpacking and construction.

The Commission views this topic as complex, and therefore makes no specific recommendations at this time. The Commission recommends generally, however, that the Bureau of Labor Statistics and other appropriate governmental agencies collect data concerning the presence of illegal workers in the U.S. workforce and on the employment and wage rate effects of such workers on lowskilled and low-wage workers of all races.

The Commission believes that such data should be made available to the public.

Part A, which consists of the body of this report, was approved on January 15, 2010 by Chairman Reynolds and Commissioners Kirsanow, Heriot, and Taylor. Vice Chair Thernstrom and Commissioners Gaziano and Melendez abstained. Commissioner Yaki voted against. Vote tallies for each of the Commission’s findings and recommendation, which make up Part B of the report, are noted therein.

For the Commissioners,
Gerald A. Reynolds
Chairman


Executive Summary
In the midst of public debate over immigration reform, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights voted to examine the possible effects of illegal immigration on particularly vulnerable segments of the U.S. working population, specifically low-skill black workers.1 Since the April 4, 2008 briefing, the severe economic downturn has affected workers in general, and--if unemployment rates are any indication--has had an even more severe impact on low-skill workers. 2 To help air important aspects of the debate, the Commission invited experts who have published and spoken on this issue to weigh the relative effects of factors that influence black low-skill workers’ wages, job gains or losses and report their conclusions to the Commission. The speakers discussed factors that included the economic costs to this particular group, 3 fiscal costs to taxpayers of social services for low-skill workers, competing skill levels of affected workers, the economic gains to the U.S. economy as a whole from flexible, low-cost labor,4 and what constitutes a fair comparison between legal and illegal workers and their job
opportunities. 5 The Commission selected balanced panels that included Harry Holzer, professor of public policy at Georgetown University; Gordon H. Hanson, professor of economics at the University of California, San Diego; Julie Hotchkiss, research economist and policy advisor at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta; Vernon Briggs, professor emeritus of labor economics at Cornell University; Gerald Jaynes, professor of economics and African American Studies at Yale University; Richard Nadler, president of Americas Majority Foundation; Carol Swain, professor of political science and law at Vanderbilt University; and Steven Camarota, director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington, DC.

Although available data did not distinguish precisely between legal and illegal immigration in their effects on wages and employment of black workers, most panelists agreed that illegal immigration appears to have had at least some negative effects on the wages and employment of workers in the low-skill labor market. The panelists disagreed as to the magnitude of that effect, which ranged from very small to substantial. Three of the panelists who were economists argued that immigration, both legal and illegal, has economically benefited the United States on a national basis in the form of lower prices to consumers and increased economic investment in the country.6 One presented employment statistics only for the State of Georgia that she asserted could be generalized to a nationwide inquiry, but did not express an opinion as to the magnitude of the national effects.7 Another panelist spoke to the specific negative effects of illegal immigration on the population at risk, black male workers. 8 The panelists addressed the following issues in response to Commissioners’ questions:

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http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/sof/summar ... hadeh.html

Latino Employment and Black Violence: The Unintended Consequence of U.S. Policyâ€

Fontana Councilwoman Applauds Arizona Crackdown

On the heels of Arizona’s sweeping immigration law signed Friday by Republican Governor Jan Brewer, Fontana Councilwoman Acquanetta Warren, is sounding off calling the crackdown overdue. She faulted U.S. immigration policy and suggested a new study linking illegal immigration with soaring Black unemployment and violence ‘damning evidence of failure’.

Sunday Warren, who is running for an Assembly seat in the June 8 Republican primary, made the rounds at local churches.

Fontana Councilwoman Acquanetta Warren says a study linking Black unemployment and violence is ‘damning’ evidence of failed U.S. immigration policy. The Republican candidate for State Assembly applauds Arizona’s controversial crackdown.
“When I walked in saying ‘good job Arizona’, people looked at me like I was from another planet. Enough is enough. For too long we’ve ignored the elephant in the room. What about illegal don’t people understand,â€

The pro-amnesty crowd knows exactly what they are doing.

i wonder if this study will make a bit of difference to the black caucus in DC?

Originally Posted by jamesw62

i wonder if this study will make a bit of difference to the black caucus in DC?

IF IT HASN'T MADE A DIFFERENCE TO THE *** IN THE WHITE HOUSE, I DOUBT THAT IT WILL EVEN RAZZ THEM THIS IS SHAMEFUL AND, THERE JUST AREN'T ENOUGH WORDS TO DESCRIBE HOW ANGRY THIS MAKES ME. I WILL SAY THIS, EVERY AFRICAN-AMERICAN THAT THINKS THIS IS NOT AFFECTING THEM, WELL THEY BETTER THINK AGAIN. AND THEY BETTER ALSO WAKE UP TO THE FACT THAT JUST BECAUSE OBAMA IS BLACK, WELL IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT HE IS STANDING WITH US BECAUSE HE HAS SHOWN WHO HE IS LOYAL TO. AS FOR ME, I FEEL NOTHING FOR THE MAN MYSELF AND I AGREE WITH THIS SISTA HERE THAT ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION NEEDS TO BE STOPPED